EU-SOLARIS ERIC ANNUAL AWARDS

The EU-SOLARIS ERIC Annual Awards, part of the SOLARIZE Project, are officially open for applications.

One of the objectives stated in the SOLARIZE project is to “foster the creation and consolidation of an ERIC’s Scientific Community at all levels while educating new researchers to make appropriate use of the RIs’ in the field of concentrated solar thermal technologies (CST).
To achieve this, the establishment of one or more annual award categories was proposed within the SOLARIZE Work Programme.

The event chosen to present the awards is the Gala Dinner, which takes place during the already traditional Annual Doctoral Colloquium and Summer School events, typically held back-to-back. It is proposed that the Chair of EU-SOLARIS’ General Assembly (or a designated EU-SOLARIS representative) will present the awards.

Although the Summer School, Doctoral Colloquium, and Annual Awards will be conducted under the umbrella of the SOLARIZE project, the goal is to continue these as EU-SOLARIS’ own events after the project concludes in December 2027.

🏆 Award Categories:
🔹 “BEST DOCTORAL THESIS IN THE FIELD OF CST TECHNOLOGIES & THEIR APPLICATIONS”
🔹 “OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF CST RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES’ CAPABILITIES AND SERVICES”

🎖 The winning team will receive:
– An Award Certificate
– An invitation to the next SolarPACES conference for one representative (full fee covered)
– Presentation of the Award during the EU-SOLARIS Doctoral Colloquium
– Announcement on the EU-SOLARIS ERIC website and other media for wide dissemination

📅 Apply now and don’t miss your chance!
🔗 More information & applications: https://eu-solaris.eu/annualawards/

WOMEN AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The energy transition is not only essential for addressing climate change — it is also creating new opportunities worldwide. But can this transformation be truly just without a gender perspective?

This seminar will explore:
Persistent gender gaps in the energy sector (globally & in Spain).
Key findings from the women & energy transition chapter of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project.
International initiatives and regional actions in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC).
Challenges and opportunities for advancing equitable female participation.
Delivered by: Women+ in CS, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, EU-SOLARIS ERIC.

This seminar will explore:
✅ Persistent gender gaps in the energy sector (globally & in Spain)
✅ Key findings from the women & energy transition chapter of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project
✅ International initiatives and regional actions in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC)
✅ Challenges and opportunities for advancing equitable female participation

👥 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱?
Researchers, practitioners, and professionals interested in energy transition and sustainability. Open to all participants.

🤝 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿𝘀: Women+ in Concentrated Solar, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, EU-SOLARIS ERIC
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: March 11, 2026
⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 10:00 CET
💻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Live online session via Microsoft Teams.
🔎 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:https://eu-solaris.eu/online-webinar/

🎓 Certificate of attendance issued by EU-SOLARIS ERIC.

Join us to discuss how inclusivity and equality can strengthen the future of the energy transition.

Free Online CSP Courses Coming This Fall

Northeastern University is developing free online CSP courses that will be offered to the public this fall. Please complete this short questionnaire if you are interested in the courses.

The courses are meant to support prospective, new, or existing workers in the CSP industry. The planned topics include:

1) What is CSP: An overview of the discipline and its advantages
2) Incident solar radiation prediction, ray tracing basics, losses, software available and control needs
3) Receiver design: basic design and numerical approaches
4) Energy storage, need and cost factors
5) Potential for production processes at high temperature high heat fluxes in CSP systems

Certificate of Advanced Studies CAS – Solar Thermal Energy Technology

This Certificate provides a comprehensive overview on solar thermal systems and their main components.

Learning goals:

  • Gain a broad overview on solar thermal systems and their main components
  • Acquire a knowledge of all types of solar collectors – especially linear Fresnel collectors and solar tower heliostat fields
  • Learn about the hybridization of concentrated solar power and photovoltaic, as well as the impacts of different high-temperature storage options