[Science Bulletin] KRICT’s perovskite solar cell technology wins top national R&D award

The perovskite solar cell technology from the workforce of Principal Researcher Jeon Nam-joong on the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology’s Photovoltaic Energy Research Center has been chosen because the top achievement within the vitality and setting class of the ‘100 Excellent National R&D Achievements of 2025.’ Courtesy of KRICT

■ The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) introduced on the twenty fourth that its ‘large-area perovskite solar cell commercialization technology’ was chosen because the top achievement within the vitality and setting class of the ‘100 Excellent National R&D Achievements of 2025,’ launched by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Principal Researcher Jeon Nam-joong’s workforce was acknowledged for breaking the world report for perovskite solar cell effectivity 9 occasions and for pursuing commercialization by means of collaboration with corporations. By creating uniform coating methods and new supplies, the analysis workforce turned the primary on the earth to attain 20% effectivity in large-area solar cells, a crucial step for commercialization. Principal Researcher Jeon has additionally been named a ‘Highly Cited Researcher’ by Clarivate Analytics within the U.S. for 4 consecutive years since 2022.

■ The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) introduced on the twenty fourth that First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae visited Nanoforge AI, an organization specializing in AI-based supplies discovery, to examine its autonomous analysis lab and maintain a gathering with consultants from trade, academia, and analysis. This go to was the eleventh occasion of ‘Project Empathy 118,’ aimed toward inspecting the standing of personal autonomous laboratory development. Nanoforge AI is main the digital transformation of supplies R&D by exploring 30,000 new supplies yearly, combining AI-based materials design with robotic automation programs.

■ On the twenty fourth, MSIT held a ‘Comprehensive Meeting with Science and Technology Societies’ on the Korea Science and Technology Center, co-hosting with the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies and welcoming 65 main educational societies. MSIT offered the ‘Directions for Science and Technology R&D in 2026,’ outlining key initiatives reminiscent of fostering strategic applied sciences, strengthening basic R&D capabilities, transitioning to an AI-based analysis paradigm, and introducing a data-driven R&D administration system.

■ The University of Science and Technology (UST) introduced on the twenty fourth that it’s going to actively promote scholar startups in collaboration with 5 national analysis institute colleges. UST and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials signed a ‘Joint Agreement to Foster UST Student Startups Based on Public Technology from Government-Funded Research Institutes’ on the UST predominant campus. Key parts of the settlement embrace establishing a professor-student collaborative startup mannequin, discovering and mentoring scholar entrepreneurs, and offering technology, analysis area, and tools from the taking part institutes.

■ The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) introduced on the twenty fourth {that a} report 5 of its initiatives have been chosen for the ‘100 Excellent National R&D Achievements of 2025,’ essentially the most within the institute’s historical past. Four initiatives have been chosen within the equipment and supplies class, and one within the vitality and setting class. The successful applied sciences are: △ Development and commercialization of stainless magnesium materials (Principal Researcher Kim Young-min); △ Manganese-bismuth magnet technology (Principal Researcher Park Ji-hoon); △ Ultra-thin electromagnetic wave absorbing materials (Principal Researcher Lee Sang-bok); △ Cancer prognosis technology based mostly on 3D plasmonic nanomaterials (Senior Researcher Jeong Ho-sang); and △ Non-precious metallic materials technology for anion change membrane water electrolysis (Principal Researcher Choi Seung-mok).

■ The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) introduced on the twenty fourth that it held a plaque unveiling ceremony on the twenty third to commemorate its ‘Geobigdata Open Platform’ acquiring CoreTrustSeal (CTS) worldwide certification. It is the second analysis knowledge repository in Korea and the primary within the geoscience and mineral sources discipline to obtain this certification. The CTS certification is a world normal that acknowledges the reliability of analysis knowledge repositories, making the Geobigdata Open Platform the one repository in its discipline in Asia to presently maintain this certification.

■ The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) and the Seoul Water Regeneration Facilities Corporation introduced on the twenty fourth that they’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the ‘Production and Demonstration of Photocatalysts Based on Sewage Sediment.’ The plan is to determine a resource-circulating technology mannequin by making use of KICT’s ‘photocatalyst technology for sludge therapy and superb mud discount’ to precise services.