TACC and NUS Partner to Advance Graphene and Next-Generation Materials Innovation

TACC, a LNJ Bhilwara Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of HEG, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to collaborate in the fields of advanced materials science, nanotechnology and related disciplines.

The collaboration reflects a shared vision between academia and industry to accelerate the development, validation and commercialisation of next-generation advanced materials technologies, including graphene and other functional nanomaterials.

The MoU establishes a framework for long-term cooperation between TACC and NUS I-FIM, combining TACC’s industrial and commercialisation capabilities with NUS’ globally recognised scientific research expertise.

The MoU formalises the intent of both parties to explore a strategic collaboration across a range of areas, including research and innovation in advanced functional materials and graphene technologies. 

The partnership will focus on translating laboratory research into real-world industrial applications through the development, testing, validation and commercialisation of new technologies. It will also seek to accelerate technology maturity levels (TRLs) through applied research and development as well as pilot projects. 

In addition, the collaboration will explore commercialisation opportunities through licensing agreements, startups and joint ventures, while fostering talent development through researcher exchange programmes, cross-disciplinary exposure and industry-focused training initiatives. 

The partnership further aims to establish a cross-border innovation bridge between the innovation ecosystems of Singapore and India and leverage artificial intelligence and laboratory automation to advance the development of novel functional materials.

 Ankur Khaitan, MD and CEO, TACC, said: “Carbon based advanced materials are redefining industries and TACC sits at the intersection. Our MOU with NUS is a deliberate step toward accelerating technology maturity, creating tangible commercialisation pathways and strengthening the Indian innovation ecosystem by uniting world-class research with industrial-scale ambition.”

Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov, Director of NUS I-FIM and one of the most distinguished physicists and a Nobel laureate for the discovery and characterisation of Graphene, said: “Graphene's potential has never been in question, but the challenge has been its successful integration into real-world applications. This partnership brings together the scientific depth of NUS and the industrial scale and materials expertise of a company that understands what it takes to manufacture at the frontier. Strong collaboration between academia and industry is essential to accelerate innovation and translate scientific research into scalable technologies.”

The partnership comes at a time when advanced materials such as graphene are gaining increasing global importance across sectors including energy storage, electronics, thermal management, coatings, infrastructure, mobility and industrial manufacturing.

By combining scientific innovation with industrial scalability, the collaboration seeks to support the development of commercially viable graphene and advanced material applications tailored for future global industries.