The IAQ Quality Sustainability Award 2021was given to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on Dec 9 for its project "The development and application of high reliability CF fuel assembly based on innovative quality managements." The project was developed by the Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC) which is affiliated with CNNC.  

This is the first time that a Chinese project has won this honor, marking a historic breakthrough, and has also been the only award-winning project in China so far.

The IAQ Quality Sustainability Award was founded in 2019 by the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), a member of the United Nations Global Compact. It is awarded to projects that have successfully applied quality management concepts, methods and tools to achieve outstanding results in the field of sustainable development defined by the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

In 2021, more than 100 projects participated in the evaluation, and more than 40 projects from more than 20 excellent Chinese enterprises, such as CNNC, State Grid and Haier Group, were shortlisted. After nearly four months of domestic and international preliminary review, a total of 12 projects around the world entered the final evaluation. The jury was composed of IAQ academicians, the chief members of the Quality in Planet Earth Concerns Think Tank (QiPECTT) and other experts who have made outstanding contributions to global quality. The project of the NPIC has created history and won the highest honor.

CF (Chinese Fuel) fuel assembly development and application project has been studied for many years by several generations of NPIC researchers. It is the first batch of key scientific and technological projects of CNNC, and also China's first fuel assembly with completely independent intellectual property rights, high reliability, high safety, high economy and suitable for large advanced pressurized water reactors. This award-winning project shows the comprehensive and innovative quality management mode of CF fuel assembly in the whole development and application stages and makes a positive exploration for the United Nations sustainable development goals such as Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Partnerships to Achieve the Goal and more.

NPIC has long been committed to promoting the application of advanced quality management technologies and methods, continuously improving the quality management level of enterprises, and actively promoting quality innovation and sustainable development while serving the national innovation-driven development strategy.