New Opportunities for students in energy research:

Leading scientists presented the research programme for the two new graduate schools, HZB is organising together with HUB and UP.</p> <p>

Leading scientists presented the research programme for the two new graduate schools, HZB is organising together with HUB and UP.

© Jennifer Bierbaum/HZB

HZB starts two Graduate Schools with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Universität Potsdam

Friday, 27 March 2015, the start of two new graduate schools on solar energy research was celebrated at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a joint venture of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and HZB. The Graduate School HyPerCell focuses on a new type of thin film solar cells based on hybrid perovskite absorber materials and is organised by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB.

Opened by Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Scientific Director HZB, Prof. Jan-Hendrick Olbertz, President HUB and Prof. Robert Seckler, Vice President for Research and Junior Academics at UP, leading scientists of HZB and both universities gave overviews about the research programmes.

Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a coordinated programme of the HUB and the HZB.  It offers a structured, three-year period of multidisciplinary lectures and research on hybrid organic/inorganic systems for electronic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. The knowledge gained will then be applied to the fields of renewable energy and next generation information technology. The programme embraces the full range of experiments and theory, physics and chemistry, as well as fundamental and applied research. This will allow the participants to bridge commonly separated disciplines of research, which will enable novel research approaches and concepts. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) of the HUB.

The Graduate School on Perovskites, HyPerCell, is organized by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB. Students will work on a new type of thin film solar cells based on so-called organometallic perovskites. Despite the recent achievements reported for perovskite-based solar cells, many basic material properties including charge transport and recombination processes are not yet understood on a fundamental level. Currently, the highest efficiencies for these solar cells are achieved using a lead-based compound. Therefore a partial or complete replacement of this metal by a non-toxic alternative will be one of the goals of the research programme. Since research on perovskite solar cells is highly interdisciplinary, the school will provide PhD students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the chemistry and physics of perovskite-based tandem devices during a structured, three-year curriculum. The programme comprises lectures, lab-courses, workshops and seminar, offered by renowned specialists in their respective field. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) of the UP.

More Information on Hybrid4Energy

More Information on HyPerCell

arö

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!
    News
    07.04.2026
    Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!
    The HZB’s BIPV consultancy office (BAIP) is once again coordinating and delivering the lecture series “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics”.
  • AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortium
    News
    30.03.2026
    AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortium
    Six partners from research and industry, including Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Dunia Innovations, Siemens Energy, and the Technical University Berlin are launching a joint project to accelerate the catalyst discovery. The German Federal Ministry for Science, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing €30 million in funding for ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The research initiative targets the defossilisation of energy-intensive industries while safeguarding industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the chemical sector. The five-year project will start on 1st April 2026.
  • Kick-off for a new data and AI centre in Berlin
    News
    27.03.2026
    Kick-off for a new data and AI centre in Berlin
    By establishing a new data and AI centre in Berlin, the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are laying the foundations for a scalable and sovereign data infrastructure in the capital. The project strengthens the scientific capabilities of Berlin’s research community whilst making an important contribution to research security, resilience and technological independence.