Imec (Leuven, Belgium), a leading research hub in nanoelectronics, energy and digital technology, within the partnership of EnergyVille, recently announced a record result for its 4-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic cell. With a power conversion efficiency of 27.1 percent, the new imec tandem cell beats the most efficient standalone silicon solar cell. Further careful engineering of the Perovskite material will bring efficiencies over 30% in reach.
Onera, a spin-off from imec and Holst Centre, announced the successful closure of a seed round of financing enabling the company to develop a wearable, fully disposable, medically graded sleep diagnostic device. The startup's mission is to bring gold standard sleep diagnostics from the sleep lab to the comfort of the patient's home. The seed investment is secured by imec's venturing programme imec.xpand and the Dutch development agency Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschapij (BOM).
The Belgian region of Flanders pioneers the internet of water, a unique intelligent water management system based on a network of connected sensors, that enables a permanent and real time follow-up of water quality and quantity. This is expected to enable Flanders to tackle the growing threat of water inconvenience, water scarcity and water pollution. Recently Flanders’ minister-president Geert Bourgeois activated a first sensor, close to The Blankaart in Diksmuide.