<p>➀ Dr. Stefan Mönch received a €1.5 million ERC Starting Grant to advance research on near-lossless electrical energy conversion using Partial-Power Processing (PPP) and multilevel converters, aiming to minimize energy losses in voltage transformations.</p><p>➁ The research targets applications like electromobility and solid-state heat pumps (using eco-friendly electrocaloric materials) and explores optimizing voltage stages and cascading topologies to maximize efficiency, building on GaN semiconductor expertise from prior projects.</p><p>➂ The project also investigates energy harvesting and smart materials for soft robotics, with potential to significantly enhance sustainable energy systems and reduce environmental impact.</p>