2010年，英国曼彻斯特大学物理学家安德烈•海姆和康斯坦丁•诺沃肖洛夫因石墨烯研究方面的成就获得当年诺贝尔物理学奖。作为石墨烯的诞生国，英国看到了石墨烯这种超级材料的无限发展前景。瞄准新一轮产业革命，2011年，英国政府决定在曼彻斯特大学建造国家石墨烯研究所（National Graphene Insttitute，NGI）。2015年3月，耗资6100万英镑的NGI正式挂牌成立。
这座7825平方米的五层建筑采用开创性的技术设计，将超高规格的设施融入其中，打造出世界领先的研究中心。NGI拥有1500平方米的100级和1000级洁净室，这是世界上最大的石墨烯研究学术空间。该研究所还拥有价值1100万英镑的设备，使学者和行业合作伙伴能够进行开创性的研究。
NGI是当前英国乃至世界石墨烯相关研究的策源地，研究中心亦是商业中心，NGI核心使命在于不断开拓二维（2D）材料科学与应用前沿领域，兼顾石墨烯以及二维材料产业化、商业化。以NGI为中心，石墨烯工程创新研究中心（Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, GEIC）和Henry Royce研究院承接和发展NGI研究成果，不断探索二维材料商业应用新模式。 合作是国家石墨烯研究所的关键。目前超过80家公司已经与曼彻斯特大学合作，致力于石墨烯的应用。 NGI合作项目的例子:
新概念、应用和基础研究的演示。
通过生产新概念产品和工艺展示石墨烯的潜力。
开发低成本可扩展的高质量石墨烯制造方法。
工艺稳定，实现可重复质量，高生产产量。
石墨烯标准化、质量控制以及健康和安全。
In 2010, physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on graphene. As the country of birth, the UK sees the potential of graphene as a supermaterial. Aiming at a new round of industrial revolution, in 2011, the UK government decided to build the National Graphene Insttitute (NGI) at the University of Manchester. In March 2015, the ￡61 million NGI was officially launched.
The 7,825-square-metre, five-storey building is designed with pioneering technology, incorporating ultra-high specifications of facilities to create a world-leading research centre. With 1,500 square meters of class 100 and 1000 cleanrooms, NGI is the largest academic space for graphene research in the world. The institute also has £11m worth of facilities to enable academics and industry partners to carry out groundbreaking research.
Currently, NGI is the source of graphene-related research in the UK and even the world. The research center is also a business center. The core mission of NGI is to continuously explore the frontiers of TWO-DIMENSIONAL (2D) materials science and application, as well as the industrialization and commercialization of graphene and two-dimensional materials. With NGI as the center, Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) and Henry Royce Institute undertake and develop NGI research results, continuously exploring new commercial application models of TWO-DIMENSIONAL materials. Collaboration is key to the NATIONAL Graphene Institute. More than 80 companies have partnered with the University of Manchester to work on graphene applications. An example of an NGI collaboration project is: lent
Demonstration of new concepts, applications and basic research.
Demonstrate graphene's potential by producing new concept products and processes.
Develop low-cost, scalable and high-quality graphene manufacturing methods.
Stable process, repeatable quality, high production yield.
Graphene standardization, quality control and health and safety.