The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has received a European Commission grant of EUR 260,000 to launch Trainrebuild, a two-year project which will advise residential property owners across Europe on how to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.

The project aims to increase consumer information and confidence in the environmental solutions and technologies which can play a vital role in reducing energy consumption and generating clean energy in the built environment. The training materials will be developed using feedback from private sector and public authority practitioners. The outcome will provide independent and transparent information on what measures property owners should take to retrofit their assets and how these solutions can be procured.

'This is a welcome recognition by the European Commission of RICS as a leader in the field of sustainability in the built environment, and of the professional standards and expertise of RICS members. We look forward to working with our project partners across Europe to deliver a programme that will make a real difference,' said Mark Goodwin, RICS director of External Affairs.

Separately, RICS has announced the appointment of EC Harris' country leader for Germany, John Atkins to its global board for Quantity Surveying and Construction. Atkins will be the European representative on the Quantity Surveying and Construction Global Board, which sets the strategic direction for the future of the quantity surveying and construction specialisms.

In addition, Atkins has also taken on the role of developing and leading the strategy for RICS Europe's Built Environment Professional Groups which include Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Construction and Building Surveying. He will be responsible for establishing a Built Environment Professional Group community across continental Europe and the development of professional guidance and governance to members.