Andrea Ferrari
Graphene physicist; founder of CamGraPhIC, a University of Cambridge photonics spinout.
Last refreshed: 22 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is a Cambridge graphene spinout building its factories in Italy, not Britain?
Timeline for Andrea Ferrari
Co-founded CamGraPhIC and confirmed state aid approval
UK Startups and Innovation: EC clears €211m Italian aid for Cambridge spinout- Who is Andrea Ferrari at Cambridge?
- Andrea Ferrari is Professor of Nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre. He co-founded CamGraPhIC to commercialise graphene photonics for data-centre and sensing applications.
- What is CamGraPhIC and what does it make?
- CamGraPhIC is a University of Cambridge graphene photonics spinout. It makes photonic integrated circuits using graphene's optical properties for data-centre interconnects. It received £211m in Italian state aid in April 2026 for pilot manufacturing in Pisa and Bergamo.Source: EC / Lowdown
Background
Andrea Ferrari is the co-founder and scientific director of CamGraPhIC, a University of Cambridge spinout commercialising graphene-based photonics chips. The European Commission approved £211m of Italian state aid for the company on 15 April 2026, clearing pilot manufacturing facilities to open in Pisa and Bergamo in 2028 .
Andrea Ferrari is Professor of Nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre. He is one of the world's leading researchers in graphene science, with contributions to understanding graphene's optical, mechanical, and electronic properties. CamGraPhIC translates his group's research into photonic integrated circuits that use graphene's ultra-broadband optical properties for data-centre interconnects and sensing applications.
The Italian state aid approval is notable because the manufacturing locations (Pisa and Bergamo) are in Italy rather than the UK. The EC approval required demonstrating that the investment would not have happened without public subsidy and that it meets EU state-aid rules, a process Cambridge spinouts have used to access continental European manufacturing capacity post-Brexit.