National Science Foundation Awards Research Grant to Konarka

Research effort to expedite development of high performance Power Plastic

Lowell, Mass. - November 30, 2005 - Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in developing and commercializing Power Plastic™ that converts light to energy, today announced it was awarded a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. The grant, a second awarded to Konarka this year, will fund research to gain higher performance from novel nano-engineered and polymer materials that conduct electricity.

"With Konarka having demonstrated some of the highest efficiencies for plastic photovoltaics to date, this grant will enable our team to further research chemical pathways to potential performance increases," commented Dr. Russell Gaudiana, vice president of research and development, Konarka. "Materials with high energy absorption that result in high current output will increase overall cell performance. Such increases would significantly raise the efficiency of polymer-based photovoltaic cells, possibly reaching performance levels comparable to those shown by silicon-based solar technology in the laboratory."

Konarka has developed flexible, lightweight Power Plastic that makes it possible for devices, systems and structures to have their own low cost embedded sources of renewable power. Moving forward, both performance and efficiency of Power Plastic materials will be greatly improved through additional research and development efforts, such as those conducted as a result of this NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project. The project leverages the existing development partnership between Konarka and Evident Technologies to develop high efficiency, low cost materials in new form factors. The combined effort, a quantum dot-based Power Plastic, could be used for demanding energy, communications and military applications, including battlefield or off-grid power generation.

"This award comes to us as a direct result of the progress we've made in developing novel materials that have high performance," commented Daniel Patrick McGahn, Konarka's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "Expanding on these achievements will enable us to approach performance levels well beyond previous efficiencies, thus allowing the potential for additional applications and access to a broader set of energy markets."

About the National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.47 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. Through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, NSF provides over $100 million to small companies for developing innovative new products and processes. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

About Konarka Technologies, Inc.
Konarka builds products that convert light to energy – anywhere. Konarka is the leading developer of polymer photovoltaic products that provide a source of renewable power in a variety of form factors for commercial, industrial, government and consumer applications. Konarka's photovoltaic nanotechnology is focused on delivering lightweight, flexible, scalable and manufacturable products. Konarka has a broad portfolio of patents, technology licenses and an accomplished technical team. Nobel Laureate Professor Alan Heeger (UC Santa Barbara) is a director, co-founder and chief scientist for Konarka. Konarka Technologies is headquartered in Lowell, Mass., U.S.A., with European headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and research and development facilities in Austria and Switzerland. For more information, visit http://www.konarka.com or contact Tracy Wemett, BroadPR, at 617-868-5031 or .

All trademarks recognized.

###