ICON TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS LTD

Their core work

ICON Technology Systems is a UK private company (Liverpool) that operates inside the EU Graphene Flagship as a third-party specialist across its three flagship projects. Their work centres on graphene and 2D materials — spanning early flagship research on composites, energy, electronics, photonics, sensors and biomedical uses, and more recently on pilot-line production of 2D materials. They do not lead consortia; instead they are engaged by flagship beneficiaries to contribute specific technical services or components. For a business or scientist, their value lies in hands-on involvement with Europe's largest graphene initiative rather than independent project leadership.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2018-2020 (GrapheneCore2) their involvement spanned the full breadth of graphene applications — composites, energy, electronics, photonics, sensors and biomedical uses — typical of basic-research-era flagship work. From 2020 onward (GrapheneCore3, 2D-EPL) their footprint narrows toward pilot-line, FET-flagship and 2D-materials scale-up themes. The clear trajectory is from exploratory graphene R&D toward pre-industrial manufacturing of 2D materials.

They are moving with the flagship from fundamental graphene research toward pilot-scale 2D-materials manufacturing — relevant to anyone planning future work on scaling 2D materials into real products.

How they like to work

They appear exclusively as a third party within the Graphene Flagship — meaning they are brought in by flagship partners to deliver specific services or components rather than leading work packages or receiving direct EC funding. Despite this supporting role, they sit inside a very large network (219 partners across 21 countries), suggesting they are a recognised specialist that multiple flagship beneficiaries call on. Working with them likely means contracting their services through an existing flagship partner, not building a consortium around them.

Connected to 219 unique partners across 21 countries, entirely through their role inside the pan-European Graphene Flagship. The network is broad and European-wide rather than concentrated in any single country or cluster.

What sets them apart

Very few UK private companies appear consistently across all three Graphene Flagship core projects, and rarer still as a third-party specialist rather than a listed beneficiary — suggesting other flagship partners repeatedly subcontract them for specific technical work. Their Liverpool base places them close to the UK's graphene research cluster around Manchester. For a consortium or business needing a discrete graphene/2D-materials capability without taking on a full beneficiary, they are an unusually well-networked option.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 2D-EPL
  The Graphene Flagship's Experimental Pilot Line — a flagship milestone moving 2D materials from lab to industrial-style production, making participation a strong signal of manufacturing-relevant capability.
• GrapheneCore3
  The third and largest core project of the €1 billion Graphene FET Flagship, the EU's most prominent initiative in 2D materials.
• GrapheneCore2
  Their first flagship engagement, covering the widest range of graphene applications (composites, energy, electronics, photonics, sensors, biomedical).