The European Commission announced the two winners of a competition of Future and Emerging Technologies (FET), which will receive one billion euros each, to deliver 10 years of world-beating science at the crossroads of science and technology. "Graphene" will investigate and exploit the unique properties of a revolutionary carbon-based material. The "Human Brain Project" will create the world's largest experimental facility for developing the most detailed model of the brain.

The Graphene and Human Brain Projects have been the winners of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) competition, as it was announced by the European Commission. Thanks to this award, the European Commission will support "Graphene" and the "Human Brain Project" as FET "flagships" over 10 years through its research and innovation funding programmes. In 2010, two EU-funded scientists awarded with Nobel Prize in Physics with their work on the graphene.

"Graphene" will investigate and exploit the unique properties of a revolutionary carbon-based material. The use of graphene was made possible by European scientists in 2004, and the substance is set to become the wonder material of the 21st century, as plastics were to the 20th century, including by replacing silicon in ICT products. The "Human Brain Project" will create the world's largest experimental facility for developing the most detailed model of the brain, for studying how the human brain works and ultimately to develop personalised treatment of neurological and related diseases. This research lays the scientific and technical foundations for medical progress that has the potential to will dramatically improve the quality of life for millions of Europeans.

According to the Commission, the future of computing and science will be driven by collaboration. The FET flagships programme is a world-leading effort to ride this wave. The European Institution highlighted that the flagship race has fostered collaboration on a new scale and duration. Instead of the usual two-to-four year funding cycles, the 10 year duration and the massive financial incentive has driven the level of science in the project proposals to a much higher level, which will deliver greater benefits to Europe over the long-term, including new technologies and faster innovation.