The European Research Council (ERC) has granted the UltimatePV project a €10 million (~$11.6 million) Synergy Grant for a multinational research team from Europe. The research team consists of Prof. Dr. Stefan Glunz of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and the University of Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Christoph Ballif, and Dr. Stéphane Collin. The project aims to create ultra-thin solar cells that are integrated with photonic structures to increase the optical absorption and a radical decrease in material usage. The project investigates charge-carrier dynamics to control energy losses caused by heat, supported by CSEM, C2N, and IPVF. According to Fraunhofer ISE, the collaboration will strengthen collaborative PV research in Europe. Recently, Fraunhofer ISE, had received the German Sustainability Award for its contribution towards scientific research and innovation.