The D^2EPC research project, in which Frederick Research Center (FRC) is involved, was presented with the Standards+Innovation Award in the "Project" category. Dr Paris Fokaides accepted the award as the project's scientific and technical manager. 

The CEN and CENELEC Standards+Innovation Awards' Ceremony was held on October 26 in the European Commision's headquarters in Brussels. Dr Fokaides, Associate Professor at our University's School of Engineering and Lead Researcher of the Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG), commented: “Standardization is crucial for driving innovation and ensuring the efficiency and sustainability of our built environments. I am honoured to be part of shaping tomorrow's sustainable building standards.”

The D^2EPC project was nominated by the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS)  and was selected among 15 other candidate projects proposed by similar European standardization organizations such as DIN, BS, AFNOR, UNI, UNE, ASI, ELOT, and others. The award was presented by Mr Stefano Calzolari, President of the European Committee for Standardization,

The D^2EPC (Next-generation Dynamic Digital EPCs for Enhanced Quality and User Awareness) project, funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program (GA ID 892984), created a permanent standardisation working group dealing with operational energy performance assessment. Currently, the Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are issued based on calculations. However, within the project, tools and procedures were developed for energy certification of buildings based on measurements of their actual performance (operational rating), resulting in a European technical standard that is in its final stages of issuance (CEN TC 371/WG5), setting its foundations on the smart-readiness level of buildings. Dr. Fokaides is coordinating the drafting and issuance of the new standard.

The annual Standards+Innovation Awards were established by CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) in 2018 with the aim to highlight research projects and researchers who have made the most significant contributions in the field of standardization.

This award represents a significant accolade for Frederick Research Center, highlighting the excellence in the research it conducts.  Furthermore, the award recognizes the outstanding quality of research carried out by the Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG) itself, in the field of sustainable built environments and energy-efficient technologies.

The D^2EPC project is coordinated by the National Center for Research and Technological Development (EKETA) in Greece. Partners involved are: Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, Geosystems Hellas A.E in Greece, Cleopa GmbH in Germany, SEnerCon GmbH in Germany, Asociacion Espanola de Normalizacion in Spain, DEMO Consultants BV in the Netherlands, SGS TECNOS SA in Spain, HYPERTECH Energy Labs in Greece, Austrian Standards International in Austria, Frederick Research Center in Cyprus, Austrian Energy Agency in Austria, and IsZEB – Intelligent Solutions for Zero and Positive Energy Buildings in Greece.