The first UK-China Graphene Standardization Cooperation Working Group Conference, recently held in Chongqing, China, brought news of an agreement to collaborate on developing and submitting a co-authored International Organization for Standardization (ISO) proposal by February 2018. This joins other recent graphene standardization efforts, like NPL & NGI's good practice guide for graphene metrology and NPL's first ISO (International Organization for Standardization) graphene standard.

Research institutes across the world are pursuing the commercialization of graphene. However, the lack of well-established international standards could slow down the speed of adoption, lead to costly duplication and competition that hinders trade. This collaboration on graphene standards will aim to reduce technical barriers to trade and joint R&D in an area that is a strength for both countries with huge market potential.