SOLIBRO RESEARCH AB

Their core work

Solibro Research AB is a Swedish private company specializing in CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) thin-film photovoltaic technology — a solar cell architecture that uses semiconductor compound layers to convert sunlight into electricity. Their research focuses on pushing CIGS cells toward ultra-thin configurations that retain high efficiency while being compatible with industrial-scale manufacturing processes. Beyond solar cells themselves, they apply their semiconductor and photoelectrode expertise to photo-electrochemical systems that produce hydrogen directly from sunlight and water — connecting photovoltaics to the green hydrogen supply chain. They operate as a specialist technical contributor in European consortia, bringing proprietary thin-film deposition and device engineering know-how that few academic or industrial partners can replicate.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Solibro's two H2020 projects both started within a year of each other (2016 and 2017), so a long-term evolution is difficult to map. Their entry point was CIGS solar cell research with a manufacturing lens, and they almost immediately broadened into solar-to-hydrogen conversion — a logical extension of their thin-film semiconductor expertise to a new application domain. No keyword metadata is available to trace finer thematic shifts, so this evolution is inferred from project titles alone. The trajectory suggests a company that entered EU research with a core photovoltaics competence and deliberately sought adjacencies in the clean energy transition.

Solibro appears to be moving toward the photovoltaics-hydrogen interface — using thin-film solar expertise as a platform technology for green hydrogen, a direction that aligns with major EU energy policy and funding priorities post-2020.

How they like to work

Solibro has participated exclusively as a consortium partner across both H2020 projects, never as coordinator — consistent with a company that contributes a well-defined specialist technology rather than driving broad research agendas. Despite only two projects, they engaged with 16 distinct partners across 8 countries, which indicates involvement in medium-to-large consortia where their CIGS expertise is a sought-after component. This pattern suggests they are reliable, in-demand technical contributors rather than research generalists.

Solibro built a network of 16 unique partners across 8 countries from just two projects, suggesting active integration into well-connected European photovoltaics and clean energy consortia. Their Swedish base combined with broad European partner geography indicates no strong geographic concentration beyond Scandinavia.

What sets them apart

Solibro Research AB is one of the few private companies — not a university or public research institute — in the EU research ecosystem with deep CIGS thin-film solar expertise, giving them an industrial credibility that is valuable in projects targeting technology demonstration and scale-up. Their simultaneous presence in both a photovoltaics manufacturing project and a solar hydrogen demonstration project makes them a rare bridge between two sectors that are increasingly converging in the clean energy transition. For consortium builders, they offer proprietary thin-film device knowledge that is hard to substitute with academic partners alone.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ARCIGS-M
  Largest funding received (EUR 270,428) and core to their identity — an Innovation Action targeting ultra-thin CIGS solar cells, directly tied to Solibro's proprietary technology base.
• PECSYS
  Funded under the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2-RIA), this project represents Solibro's deliberate expansion into solar hydrogen — a high-profile cross-sector application of their semiconductor expertise.