5th Solar TAP Industry Day Unites Research and Industry in Berlin
On May 21, the 5th Solar TAP Industry Day brought together leading minds from industry, academia, and innovation at the Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) – a central institute of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin — to shape the future of printed and hybrid PV technologies in Europe. The full-day event, organized in collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), focused on how emerging PV technologies and flexible manufacturing approaches can meet growing industrial demand and contribute to a resilient European energy transition.
From Research Results to Real-World Implementation
The day started with a platform update by Dr. Jens Hauch (Solar TAP Manager) and steering committee member Prof. Eva Unger who provided insights into current transfer projects and the platform’s expanding industry network.
In his keynote, Prof. Rutger Schlatmann (HZB) addressed the strategic reshoring of the PV value chain in Europe. He called for close coordination between politics, research, and industry to strengthen Europe’s technological and economic resilience.
The agenda featured a wide range of success stories and technological spotlights — from green solvent-based processing to next-generation tandem devices (CIGS/Perovskite and Si/Perovskite). Several project teams presented their approaches to scalable module design and shared learnings from lab-to-fab transitions.
Roadmap Dialogue, Funding Insights, and Lab Access
During the event, Solar TAP presented the first consolidated version of its Strategic R&D Roadmap, developed through co-creation workshops with industry and research partners. It defines milestone-based goals for key applications such as Agri-PV, BIPV, Mobility-PV, and IoT-PV, along with prioritized R&D actions for 2027, 2030, and 2035. The roadmap provides a shared foundation to guide future collaborations, funding activities, and technology transfer across the Solar TAP community.
In the subsequent Funding Dialogue, Robert Reim (HZB) gave an overview of current support schemes for PV innovation, ranging from national ZIM programs to European cooperation opportunities. These sessions were deepened in World Café discussions, where participants shared experiences and explored collaborations on roadmap implementation and cross-sector use cases.
Guided tours through HZB’s HySprint lab, PVComB, KOALA station, and IRIS Adlershof offered first-hand impressions of advanced Solar TAP infrastructure.
Networking and Cross-Platform Collaboration
The event concluded with a networking dinner in Berlin-Adlershof, followed the next day by a Joint Workshop with the Hi-Acts Innovation Platform at Bessy, strengthening the cross-platform dialogue on accelerator-based analytics and functional materials.
Through initiatives like the Solar TAP Industry Day, the network continues to enable strategic dialogue and innovation transfer, providing a platform where industry and research meet to tackle real-world challenges in solar energy and printed electronics.