IREC participated, as a representative of the Platform-ZERO project, in a high-level international workshop on emerging materials for thin-film solar cells, held at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOPCAS) in Beijing, China, from December 3 to 5, 2025.
The workshop was specifically focused on strengthening research collaboration between Europe, Asia and Australia in the fields of materials science and photovoltaic processes, with a strong emphasis on emerging thin-film photovoltaic technologies. It aimed to promote the exchange of recent scientific advances, research concepts and methodologies, and to foster new international collaborations across these regions.
IREC took part as a member of a European delegation of leading researchers in thin-film photovoltaic technologies for emerging applications, representing the Platform-ZERO project and its activities on accelerated research methodologies and autonomous laboratories. During the workshop, scientific contacts were established with researchers from Asia and Australia, opening new opportunities for future collaboration in the field of thin-film photovoltaics and energy materials.
The title of the presentation delivered by IREC was:
“Towards Accelerated Research and Self-Driving Laboratories for Thin-Film Photovoltaic Technologies”.
The contribution addressed how self-driving laboratory concepts, supported by advanced automated sensing and data-driven methodologies, can significantly accelerate research cycles and improve the understanding and optimisation of thin-film photovoltaic materials and processes. The presentation also highlighted the relevance of these approaches for bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrially compatible photovoltaic technologies.
This participation reinforces IREC’s commitment to international scientific cooperation and to the objectives of the Platform-Zero project, while actively contributing to the creation of strategic research links between Europe, Asia and Australia in the field of energy materials and thin-film photovoltaic technologies.