Graphene, 'Human Brain Project' get 2-bln-euro funds

PARIS - Agence France-Presse

A file picture dated on 9 May 2011 shows scientist Ying Shi looking at a 3D animation of brain neuron at the Blue Brain team and the Human Brain Project (HBP), of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA Photo

Research into the wonder material graphene and the neurochemistry of the human brain will get two billion euros ($2.68 billion) in funding from the European Commission, scientists said on Monday.
 
The two areas are beneficiaries of the European Union's Future Emerging Technology (FET) Flagship programme, French researchers associated with the projects said.
 
The money, amounting to a billion euros for each initiative, will be allocated over 10 years, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said.
 
Graphene, discovered less than a decade ago, is a sheet of carbon that is one atom thick.
 
It is touted as having huge potential, with superior conductivity, mechanical strength and optical purity than other materials.
 
The Human Brain Project, meanwhile, seeks to simulate the cells, chemistry and connectivity of the brain in a supercomputer, the goal being to better comprehend the brain's functions and development.
 
The hope is to find new treatments for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and enhance "artificial intelligence" computing.