ICP Networks MD Matt Archer joined forces with Nobel Prize winning scientist Sir Andre Geim and urged Manchester entrepreneurs to fly the flag.

The award-winning scientist insists UK businesses are failing to challenge the world’s top patent holders when it comes to take full advantage of Graphene.

Sir Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov discovered Graphene at the University of Manchester. The super strong conductive material can be used for almost anything including silicon chips in computers, aircraft technology and was dubbed ‘potentially the most important discovery of the century.

The pair were knighted for their find but despite the launch of the £61 million National Graphene Institute Sir Andre remains frustrated with the lack of entrepreneurs using this incredible discovery.

He said: “We are desperate. We can’t find people who are capable to be CTOs (chief technology officers) or CEOs (chief executive officers) of companies.

“It’s really hard to find those and that’s the pathetic state we are in.”

TiE

Sir Andre, 56, was speaking with the University of Manchester Vice-Chancellor Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell and entrepreneur Vikas Shah at the TiE UK North, (The Indus Entrepreneurs) organised event at HSBC’s Manchester Spinningfields HQ.

ICP Networks MD Matt Archer is a proud Charter Member of TiE UK North and joined some of the North West leading entrepreneurs to listen to the fascinating discussions.

Sir Andre, added: “We are doing much more than what would usually be expected from a university (when it comes to bridging the gap between research and commercialisation).

“It’s quite unusual that a university has gone as far as it has in terms of industrial relations. It’s cost a lot of money and time.

“Industry is indeed in a very lethargic stage in the UK in general. I don’t blame industry, though, I don’t blame stock markets.

“Big companies in industry are so overwhelmed with their everyday work that they need to report to their shareholders.

“They don’t have time to look for something which may or may not bring something in 10 years time.

“The approach we usually see is big businesses don’t what to do anything until it goes to another stage.

“We need small companies, which gradually diffuse into the direction of the big companies.”

Frustration

Prof Rothwell shared the frustration insisting whilst many are aware of graphene’s potential few were willing to take the risk and attempt to utilise that potential.

She said: “They don’t know what to do about it. We’ve got great ideas and people who are willing to spin those out, but don’t know how to really even go with a start-up, let alone a scale up.

“What we are absolutely lacking is young entrepreneurs who are going to grab a great idea and turn it into a business. And we would love to find some of those.”

Sir Andre believes the UK is falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to entrepreneurship.

He added: “Universities in this country, and generally in Europe, educate our graduates to become civil servants. Only 10 per cent want to run their own businesses, most want to work for a big company, be an academic or work for a bank. It’s completely different in the United States.

“It’s a cultural problem. And we have to do something about this. I really don’t know what you can do to build the bridge.”

Prof Geim is adamant that there will not be a rush to create a Graphene Valley similar to Silicon Valley, ironically the area which ICP Networks MD Matt Archer was raised.

He added: “I don’t think there will be any graphene valley at all. Where is aluminium valley? Graphene is a new class material.

“Silicon Valley happened mostly because of software, where it’s so easy and quick to turn money into businesses.

“In case of materials, it’s a longer process. It’s more distributive.”

Matt Archer, said: “I am enormously proud to be a Charter Member of TiE, and evenings such as this one and meeting a Nobel Prize winner are particularly special. The work Prof Vikas Shah has done to arrange the evening along with Ann Jordan’s magic sparkle in bringing everyone together made this an evening to be cherished.

“Sir Andre and Dame Nancy where amazing speakers and actually where very reminiscent of Harrison Ford and Dame Judy Dench I thought, it got me thinking who could play them in the movie of the story of Graphene?

“Strength wise, To hear that one could balance an Elephant on the pin head or that graphene is 300 times stronger then steel are truly very difficult to imagine.

“My daughter is at the same school and class as sir Andre’s daughter – I believe many students would like to be her physics study partner!”