MEYER BURGER RESEARCH AG

Their core work

Meyer Burger Research is the R&D arm of Meyer Burger Technology, a Swiss photovoltaic equipment and solar cell manufacturer. They specialize in developing advanced solar cell architectures, transparent conductive oxides, and manufacturing processes for high-efficiency photovoltaic modules. In H2020, they contributed industrial manufacturing expertise to projects advancing next-generation solar technologies — from indium-free electrodes to interdigitated back-contact heterojunction cells. Their work bridges the gap between laboratory solar cell concepts and scalable industrial production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Meyer Burger Research's H2020 involvement spans 2015-2017 start dates, a relatively compact window. Early projects like INREP explored alternative materials (indium-free electrodes for photovoltaics and displays), while later projects (NextBase, AMPERE) shifted firmly toward industrializing next-generation silicon heterojunction solar cells and automating European PV production lines. The trajectory shows a clear move from materials research toward manufacturing scale-up and European PV competitiveness.

Meyer Burger is moving from materials R&D toward automated, high-efficiency solar cell production — a partner likely focused on bringing lab-proven PV technologies to factory scale.

How they like to work

Meyer Burger Research participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for an industrial company contributing manufacturing know-how to research-led projects. With 43 unique partners across 13 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia — averaging over 10 partners per project. This suggests they are comfortable in multi-partner European collaborations and bring specific industrial capabilities rather than leading research agendas.

Broad European network spanning 43 partners across 13 countries, built through participation in large research and innovation consortia focused on photovoltaics and energy. As a Swiss industrial partner, they connect well with EU research institutions despite Switzerland's complex association status.

What sets them apart

Meyer Burger Research brings real-world PV manufacturing capability to EU research consortia — they are not a lab but a company that builds and operates solar cell production lines. This makes them a rare industrial validation partner for projects that need to demonstrate manufacturing feasibility. For consortium builders in solar energy, they offer the credibility of an established equipment manufacturer with direct experience translating research into production-ready processes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AMPERE
  Directly addressed European PV manufacturing competitiveness — automated industrial production of photovoltaic cells and modules to secure EU renewable energy supply chains
• NextBase
  Focused on next-generation interdigitated back-contact silicon heterojunction solar cells, representing the frontier of high-efficiency silicon PV architecture
• INREP
  Tackled critical materials challenge — replacing scarce indium in transparent conductive oxides across photovoltaics, lighting, and display applications