Efficiency Costs Optimisation Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS) Conferences were already being organised by different European institutions in cooperation with the Advanced Energy Systems Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, when ECOS'95 was held in Istanbul in July 1995. At the closing session of this conference the participants agreed on the need for a permanent center, a point of contact for future meetings and scientific activities in the field of Applied Thermodynamics.

After preliminary consultations, the official procedures of founding started in December 1997 and the first General Assembly met in July 1998 at ECOS'98 in Nancy, France. At this meeting, the Executive Committee and other officers were elected: Prof. Elias Gyftopoulos - U.S.A. as President, Prof. Richard Gaggioli - U.S.A. and Prof. Bjorn Qvale - Denmark as Vice Presidents, Prof. George Tsatsaronis as Chairman, Prof. Y. Gogus as Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee and Prof. A.Nilufer Egrican as Secretary-General of the Centre. Prof. O. Arnas was the first Technical Editor in Chief of the Int. J. of Thermodynamics.