Who we are

FOSS Research Centre for Sustainable Energy (FOSS) of the University of Cyprus (UCY), established in 2014 after Cypriot Parliamentary approval, is a research powerhouse in the field of sustainable energy solutions and in particular in solar photovoltaics (PVs) and grid integration.

FOSS engages in a range of activities articulating its purpose to have positive impact and benefit the society, environment and climate, as well as bridge the gap between research and practice, link education with state-of-the-art real-life solutions and merge technological developments with practical requirements. These include, research work, consulting and industry services, educational activities, commercialisation of technology through start-ups and licensing agreements.

Partnerships & Collaborations

Over the years, FOSS has built effective partnerships with organisations from over 45 countries around different regions, resulting in over 450 different partnerships/collaborations out of which there are over 120 different partnerships with other universities.

Research Portfolio

FOSS received funding in some very competitive calls and has an extensive portfolio of research projects, mainly externally funded, from a variety of programmes including but not limited to Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, FP7, ESA, Life+, ENI CBC MED, Interreg Med, Erasmus+, ENI. FOSS has successfully participated in over 70 projects to date, of which it has coordinated over 25. Currently, there are over 50 researchers at FOSS conducting high quality research to tackle the climate and energy security challenges of today and the future. FOSS engages in research that has significant and far-reaching social and environmental impact. The “SmartPV” project, for example, for which FOSS was a coordinating partner of, won the ‘LIFE+ Citizen’s Award’, highlighting the substantial contribution the project made to the society.

Services to Industry

FOSS embraces the challenge of assuring its research has value beyond the academic world, and thus provides an extensive range of services to local and international industry such as the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Cyprus Telecommunication Authority, DSO of Cyprus, Gantner Instruments, Hanwa QCells as well as to key energy stakeholders in Cyprus.

Educational Activities

FOSS is certified as an Educational and Testing Centre by the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism. It currently offers eight vocational courses, subsidized by the Human Resource Development of Cyprus, and also provides tailored courses on PV, battery storage and smart technologies throughout the year upon request by companies in Cyprus and the EMMENA region. FOSS also shares its knowledge, through free educational visits, predominantly to schools, with over 300 such visits to date.