Graphene Flagship Start-Up Bedimensional Receives Investment

Founded by Vittorio Pellegrini, director at Graphene Flagship partner Graphene Labs - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Bedimensional is one of the start-ups created thanks to the innovative environment of the Graphene Flagship European project. Now, Italian 'Pellan Group,' specialised in groundbreaking technical materials, will boost the growth of Bedimensional investing €18 million to promote their main goal - discover new applications of graphene and related materials in consumer products.

Bedimensional is an Associated Member of the Graphene Flagship, and is part of a network of companies associated to the Graphene Flagship developing new solutions in the field of composites for energy harvest and storage, such as batteries, super capacitors and solar cells, as well as foster the development of new composite materials, some of which are already available on the market.

Pellan Group will become shareholders and sit on the Board of Directors, alongside the Camponovo Group, also investor in Bedimensional after its incubation phase at IIT. Francesco Bonaccorso, Deputy leader of the Graphene Flagship Innovation Work Package, is also a key partner of company.

This investment will allow Bedimensional to build new headquarters. "We identified and purchased space just 500 meters from IIT," explains Bedimensional CEO Massimo Camponovo. The 4000m2 facilities, of which 3000m2 will be exclusively dedicated to the production of graphene and related materials and new composites, and over 500m2 will be devoted to a joint research lab with IIT.

This investment will help IIT and Bedimensional develop new applications in the energy sector, a research area that is key for the future of the company. "The entry of the Pellan Group will allow us to significantly accelerate our project" adds Camponovo. The investment will also stimulate job creation in the region. "We expect to hire highly skilled and specialized figures," concludes Camponovo.

Bedimensional was founded in 2016 and is an example of the technology transfer model implemented by both IIT and the Graphene Flagship. This model allowed the generation of highly innovative know-how that was soon transformed into a business reality with a very direct impact on the productive fabric.

Vittorio Pellegrini, director of IIT Graphene Labs, leader of the Energy, Composites and Production Division of the Graphene Flagship, and co-founder of Bedimensional, explains that "this is the culmination of an effort of many young researchers over the past five years thanks to the continuous support of IIT and of the Graphene Flagship. It also represents a stepping stone for a significant industrial investment that aims to fulfil the Graphene Flagship mission, bring graphene and related materials into the market."

Kari Hjelt, Head of Innovation of the Graphene Flagship believes that "this investment exemplifies the growing interest of investors in graphene applications. We are moving from technology push towards market pull and the promise of graphene to transform many application fields starts to show in commercial products. The Graphene Flagship is set to boost this development in the coming years by moving the focus from material research to component development and system level innovations."

Jari Kinaret, Director of the Graphene Flagship, is "very happy to see that Bedimensional is taking very concretely the step from laboratory to society, which is the overarching goal of the Graphene Flagship. This very significant investment demonstrates how graphene technology developed within the Graphene Flagship is maturing, and I am convinced that we will see more news of this type soon."

Professor Andrea C. Ferrari, Science and Technology Officer of the Graphene Flagship, and Chair of its Management Panel added: "This investment follows an ever-increasing list of companies and products coming as a direct result of the Graphene Flagship. We are now in the process of selecting several new targeted projects for our next phase, aiming at high technology readiness level and implementation. This proves that the Flagship is fully on track on its science and technology roadmap and is implementing the steps foreseen in its innovation roadmap."

The Graphene Flagship is one of the largest research initiatives of the European Union. With a budget of €1 billion, it represents a new form of joint, coordinated research initiative on an unprecedented scale. The overall goal of the Graphene Flagship is to take graphene and related materials from the realm of academic laboratories into European society, facilitating economic growth and creating new jobs, in the space of ten years. Through a consortium that combines nearly 150 partners, both academic and industrial, the research effort covers the entire value chain, from materials production to components and system integration, and targets several specific goals that exploit the unique properties of graphene and related materials.

EurekAlert!, the online, global news service operated by AAAS, the science society: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/gf-gfs103018.php