On September 24, 2026, Industry Day co-hosted by SWEB team took place at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL), bringing together researchers and industry representatives to discuss new technologies, their scalability and potential applications.
Industry Day is one of the key annual events for the SWEB project, providing an opportunity to present current research developments, exchange perspectives with industry and discuss pathways from scientific results towards practical implementation.
SWEB RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
The SWEB programme featured:
- Dr. Smagul Karazhanov, Leading Researcher, Thin Films Laboratory, ISSP UL — scalable, sustainable and smart functional coatings for greenhouses, optics and energy;
- Dr. Boris Polyakov, Leading Researcher, Thin Films Laboratory, ISSP UL — metallic nanoparticles and nanowires for additive manufacturing;
- Dr. Dr. Andris Voitkans, Chief Scientist at GroGlass — the realities of commercialising functional glass coatings;
- Dr. Martins Zubkins, Leading Researcher, Thin Films Laboratory, ISSP UL — scalable magnetron sputtering of photochromic rare-earth oxyhydride thin films for smart-window applications.
The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Juris Purans, SWEB Project Manager and Head of the Thin Film Laboratory at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia.
FROM RESEARCH TO APPLICATION
An important part of the programme was the dialogue between researchers and industry representatives. Discussions focused on the practical implementation of research results, scalability, manufacturing technologies, market needs and opportunities for future collaboration within lab-to-market projects.
The programme concluded with a visit to the Thin Films Laboratory, where participants explored Roll-to-Roll deposition capabilities and discussed scalable approaches to thin-film manufacturing.
Industry Day supports one of the key objectives of SWEB: strengthening cooperation between science and industry and creating opportunities for promising materials and technologies to move closer to real-world applications.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Two industry partners also shared their impressions of Industry Day and reflected on the value of direct cooperation between research and industry. Watch the video.
The SWEB project is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101087367.
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