CSEM today announced the launch of the Claude Nicollier Awards, a new annual distinction celebrating CSEM individuals and teams whose research and innovation make a significant contribution to industry and society. The inaugural Claude Nicollier Research Excellence Award goes to Kerem Artuk, whose work within the EU project TRIUMPH, together with EPFL’s PV Lab and 15 international partners, set a certified world record in solar cell efficiency, raising the bar for next-generation solar energy.

Rewarding research with real-world impact

With the Claude Nicollier Awards, CSEM is establishing a long-term distinction that celebrates scientific excellence and technological impact within its innovation ecosystem. Presented annually, the awards highlight individuals and teams helping to shape Switzerland’s innovation landscape.

The awards comprise two categories:

• Claude Nicollier Research Excellence Award, recognizing outstanding scientific or technological achievement.

• Claude Nicollier Inventor Award, recognizing innovative ideas leading to successful technology transfer with tangible industrial or societal impact.

Each award is endowed with CHF 5,000 and rewards one individual or team per category. Winners are selected by a jury of CSEM representatives and external experts from science and research, based on excellence, innovation, and impact.

First Research Excellence Award goes to Kerem Artuk

CSEM has awarded the first Claude Nicollier Research Excellence Award to Kerem Artuk, R&D Engineer in Sustainable Energy. In collaboration with his team from CSEM and the PV Lab at EPFL, Artuk developed a new generation of solar cells capable of converting significantly more sunlight into electricity than existing technologies.

This breakthrough marks an international milestone: for the first time, a perovskite-silicon triple-junction solar cell has achieved a certified efficiency of over 30%, setting a new world record. The results were published in Nature in 2026 and represent a major step towards more efficient and cost-effective solar technologies.

“With Kerem Artuk, we are recognizing a researcher who combines scientific excellence with practical relevance,” says Alexandre Pauchard, CEO of CSEM. “Artuk played a key role in this success and stands out for strong team spirit. This work exemplifies CSEM’s mission to bring together research, technology, and industry.”

The achievement highlights the potential of close collaboration between research and industry. The work combines scientific excellence with industrial relevance and reflects CSEM’s approach to translating innovation into market-ready solutions.

“This award means a great deal to me,” says Artuk, “Above all, it honors an exceptional team whose commitment and passion made this work possible. Knowing that our research can contribute to a more sustainable energy future is a strong motivation for all of us.”

Claude Nicollier Inventor Award for Noa Schmid

The second award category, the Claude Nicollier Inventor Award, was presented earlier in 2026 under its former name, the CSEM Inventor Award, to Noa Schmid, who developed technologies that enable laboratories to analyze biological samples faster, more precisely, and at lower cost. Leading laboratory companies are already using these inventions today. See: CSEM Inventor Award 2026: Noa Schmid honored for innovations in laboratory diagnostics.

Named after Claude Nicollier: astronaut, scientist, and bridge-builder

The awards are named after Claude Nicollier, the first Swiss astronaut and long-time Chair of CSEM. Nicollier embodies the values at the heart of CSEM’s mission and the spirit of the award: scientific rigour, technological excellence, humility, teamwork, and the ability to translate research into real-world impact.

During nearly 20 years as Chair of CSEM, Nicollier strengthened collaboration between CSEM, EPFL and ETH Zurich, universities, and industry partners. Under Nicollier’s leadership, CSEM reinforced its role as a bridge between research and application and became one of Switzerland’s leading innovation organizations.

“Progress happens when knowledge creates impact and improves people’s lives in tangible ways,“ says Claude Nicollier. “If the Claude Nicollier Awards help make excellence and innovation more visible, that is a great honor and a personal satisfaction for me.”