On 26 June 2026, Laura Serri, HTS TCP chairwoman, delivered an invited presentation at Pioneering Applications of High Temperature Superconductors: From Colliders to Society, an international event organized by CERN to mark the 40th anniversary of the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity.

The event, opened by Nobel Prize Georg Bednorz, brought together experts from research institutions and industry to discuss the current state of the art and future prospects of high-temperature superconducting applications across a wide range of fields, from large-scale scientific research to energy systems.

During her presentation, Laura Serri highlighted the role of high-temperature superconductivity in Smart Grids, emphasizing its potential to increase power transmission capacity, improve grid efficiency, and support the integration of renewable energy sources. Laura also shared the challenges for the commercialization of HTS Cables, which are the high upfront costs, cryogenic cooling requirements, system reliability and long-term performance, and the lack of standards development. Despite there are several solutions available, which were also covered in the presentation.

The presentation was prepared with contributions from Luciano Martini, Chair of the ISGAN (International Smart Grid Action Network) TCP, reflecting the growing importance of integrating different technologies to support the energy transition. The full presentation can be found here.