of world-leading equipment
At 7,825 sq m and with £13 million of world-leading equipment, the NGI enables academics and industrial partners to work side-by-side on new and exciting applications of graphene and other 2D materials.
of ISO class five and six cleanrooms
It is equipped with 1,500 sq m of class five and six cleanrooms – which have an atmosphere more than a million times purer than air – and the latest technology for nanoscale and characterisation projects.
research laboratories
The institute also consists of 20 research laboratories spread across three floors, including labs dedicated to specific research areas and others for research carried out by the institute’s industrial partners.
Along with its sister facility the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, the NGI is ideally placed to take the rapidly advancing fundamental science of 2D materials and turn theories into products, transforming the world around us.

Collaboration is key at the NGI. More than 100 companies have already partnered with The University of Manchester, and examples include:
Demonstrations of new concepts, applications and fundamental studies
Unlocking graphene's potential through cutting-edge product and process innovation
Development of low-cost scalable manufacturing methods for high-quality graphene
Process stabilisation, achieving reproducible quality, and high manufacturing yields
Graphene standardisation, quality control and health and safety
Our impact
The isolation and characterisation of graphene by The University of Manchester has led to disruptive technological change across a broad range of industries. Discover how continued Manchester expertise, delivered through our labs, provides governments and industry with vital support in translating graphene research into commercial success.
Speak to our experts

Professor Rahul Nair
Carlsberg/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Advanced Membranes for Sustainable Separation Technology, and Professor of Materials Physics
- Molecular properties at extreme confinement
- 2D materials functionalisation
- Developing novel 2D materials based membranes for water filtration
- Nanofiltration
- Gas separation
- Barrier coating
- Proton conducting membranes for fuel cells

Professor Radha Boya
Royal Society University Research Fellow/Chair (hon.) of Nanoscience
- Nanofabrication
- State-of-the-art 2D materials for angstrom capillaries, ion sieving, mass transport
- Quantum devices from 2Dmaterials

Dr Marcelo Lozada Hidalgo
Royal Society University Research Fellow
- Permeability of two dimensional crystals at ambient conditions