A deal has been struck for the world’s first commercial production of carbon fibre enriched with graphene in a new project led by a Manchester company in Saudi Arabia.
Manchester firm Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) has agreed to construct a factory in the Gulf state to manufacture the advanced “wonder” material for use in the kingdom’s huge plans to build futuristic eco-cities in the desert.
About £250m could be invested in building a research and innovation hub in Greater Manchester as part of the deal and more than 1,000 jobs could be created.
Dr Vivek Koncherry, GIM chief executive, said producing the material at scale had the potential “to change every aspect of our lives.”
Graphene is a “nanomaterial” that is effectively two-dimensional, because the hexagonal lattice structure that makes it up is just one atom thick. It is about 200 times stronger than steel and was discovered by scientists at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The deal between GIM and Saudi-based investors Organized Chaos to build the factory and see investment return to the UK was heralded by UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer on a trip to the Gulf State over the weekend.
The first machine constructing the material is already operational, with the factory expected to be up and running by the end of 2025, Dr Koncherry said.
He studied graphene as a student at the University of Manchester and was supported to set up his company by the university’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre.
Dr Koncherry said the material could “change the world” by enabling new building techniques, lighter materials for aviation and space explorations.
“My idea is to rapidly develop products that can solve global problems like climate change, water shortage, plastic pollution, because the world is facing so many challenges, we can’t wait anymore.”
His company plans to build the first factory producing graphene enriched carbon fibre in the UK by 2026, he added.
