9th Annual Rusnano Award

At the 9th annual award ceremony in Moscow on Tuesday October 17th, the Russian technology investor RUSNANO presented a joint-prize to Professor Michael Grätzel and Exeger for the commercialization of the dye-sensitized solar cell technology.

RUSNANO was established by the Russian State in 2007 to promote the country’s role in nanotechnology. The main objective is to commercialize advances in nanotechnology by being a co-investor in high-tech projects with substantial economic and social potential. It is the country’s largest nanotechnology investor with investments to date in excess of 100 billion rubles (estimated 1.74 billion USD). The CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of RUSNANO is Anatoly Chubais, Former Vice Prime Minister of Russia.

The prize is awarded annually to researchers, scientists and other authors of scientific-technological discoveries in the field of nanotechnologies. The prize is also awarded to the companies that pioneer and successfully develop the discoveries for mass production.

Professor Grätzel won the award this year for his invention of the DSC solar cell, also known as the Grätzel cell. Exeger received the joint prize for successful commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells, specifically for electricity generation from ambient light and seamless integration into consumer electronics devices and significant future potential in a variety of markets.