1. Policy acceleration promotes high-quality development of the industry, and countries around the world increase the layout of the graphite industry
In 2022, China has continuously introduced multiple policies at the national and local government levels to promote the graphite industry to a new stage of high-quality development. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Intellectual Property Office jointly released the “Three Products” Implementation Plan for the Raw Materials Industry, which focuses on actively cultivating cutting-edge new materials such as graphite materials, further enhancing the effective supply capacity of high-end products, and strengthening the support role for strategic emerging industries and national major projects. More than 20 provinces and cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Shandong, have introduced relevant policies to promote the improvement of graphite materials and the expansion of market applications.
At the same time, in the past 22 years, countries around the world have increased their layout of the graphite industry and seized the commanding heights of development.
The European Union, with a total investment of nearly 100 billion euros, will continue to strongly support the development of the European graphite industry through the European Horizon Plan (2021-2027), which will replace the EU graphite flagship plan. At present, the two flagship projects of graphite and the human brain project, as well as six “preparatory actions” such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and genetic engineering, have become the first batch of support projects.
The US Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce support multiple graphite projects for the development of graphite batteries and graphite electromagnetic shielding stealth technologies for military use. At the same time, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), which is the primary research and development center of the US Army Corps of Engineers, is collaborating with the University of Mississippi, Jackson State University, and Rice University to create a regional innovation center for new research and applications of graphite and other two-dimensional materials that can be used to address gaps in advanced materials, composite materials, and manufacturing processes, This helps to help existing weapons and materials exhibit better military performance.
The United Arab Emirates has launched a global graphene funding program aimed at supporting the development and application of graphite (and other 2D materials) in the fields of composite materials (lightweight), water, and energy. A new fund called the RIC-2D Research and Innovation Fund has been established, which will provide up to $2 million per year for each project, with a maximum project duration of 3 years.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Japan has initiated a collaborative project to develop 2.5D materials. The project is called “The Science of 2.5D Materials: A Paradigm Shift from Materials Science to Future Social Innovation”. 2.5D materials are made by artificially stacking different 2D materials using advanced transfer technology. A good example of 2.5D materials is double-layered graphene.
India has established the Indian graphite Innovation Center IIGC, which is funded by the Government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and jointly implemented by the Electronic Technology Materials Center (C-MET), Digital University of Kerala (DUK), and Tata Steel Co., Ltd. The IICG aims to promote research and innovation in the application of graphite, and the center will carry out research and development, product innovation, and capacity building activities in the field of graphite and two-dimensional material ecosystems.
2.National graphite Innovation Center Approved for Establishment as an Industry with Strong Confidence in Development
In November 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially approved the establishment of the National graphite Innovation Center. The center is the only national manufacturing innovation center in the domestic graphene field. With the help of Ningbo graphite Innovation Center Co., Ltd. and the China graphite Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, the National graphite Innovation Center operates under the “company+alliance” model. The China graphite Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance has more than 150 member units, basically including mainstream units engaged in graphite research and development and industrialization at home and abroad, covering all aspects of the graphite industry chain. The establishment of the National graphite Innovation Center is a milestone event in the development of China’s graphite industry, showcasing the journey of a generation of graphite people working together to create brilliance. It also provides a “reassuring pill” for graphite entrepreneurs with a sense of patriotism, injecting a “booster” into the high-quality development of the graphite industry.
3.The Raw Materials Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Participated in the 9th China International graphite Innovation Conference
