KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence

Founded in 1989, the University of Cyprus is a leading academic institution focused on excellence in education, research, and innovation. It ranks among the top 100 young universities globally and is placed in the 401–500 band in the 2024 Times Higher Education World Rankings.

The KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence is the University’s largest research unit, specializing in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Since its establishment in 2008 and its upgrade to a European Center of Excellence in 2017 through the Horizon 2020 Teaming project, KIOS has become a regional leader in the monitoring, control, and security of critical infrastructures, including power, water, transport, telecom, and healthcare systems.

KIOS collaborates with Imperial College London and numerous global partners. It has led over 140 research projects and received major awards, including six ERC Grants and multiple IEEE and national distinctions. With over 180 researchers, KIOS bridges academia, industry, and policy to deliver impactful technological solutions.

The KIOS power systems team conducts cutting-edge research in wide-area monitoring and control, renewable integration, power quality and stability, advanced control of power electronics, and cybersecurity of power systems. It operates a state-of-the-art laboratory equipped with a Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) infrastructure for which more details can be found in this website https://www.kios.ucy.ac.cy/power-systems-testbed.

Project Cooperation

KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence (KIOS CoE) is a leading organization in Cyprus specializing in the monitoring, control, and security of critical infrastructures, including power, water, transport, telecom, and healthcare systems.

The KIOS power systems team conducts cutting-edge, industry-oriented research and innovation in the following areas:

•        Integration of renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging systems

•        Advanced control of power electronic converters

•        Active distribution grid management

•        Wide-area monitoring and control for renewable integration

•        Optimization-based energy management

•        Smart building management of both energy and indoor air quality

•        Power quality and stability

•        Cybersecurity of power systems

·         The team has developed state-of-the-art laboratory setups and pilot demonstration sites used to validate and demonstrate novel solutions in realistic or operational environments (TRL5–TRL7), including:

•        A laboratory setup equipped with a Real-Time Simulator for digital twin studies of power systems

•        A Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environment supporting both control-HIL and power-HIL configurations to assess the interaction of software controllers and power equipment (e.g., PV inverters, battery systems, protection relays) with the digital twin in real-time

•        Fully programmable three-phase prototype inverters for testing new control functionalities for the integration of RES and energy storage under operating conditions

•        Access to a pilot Hybrid Renewable Energy Plant featuring 10.8 MW wind turbines, 10 kW photovoltaics, and 10 kWh battery storage systems

•        Access to 18 Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) installed across the Cyprus Transmission Grid to validate and test wide-area monitoring and control solutions

•        Access to residential and commercial buildings equipped with smart meters, PV systems, battery storage, EV charging infrastructure, HVAC systems, and air quality sensors to demonstrate smart building management solutions