RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects

The RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects grant opportunity, part of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) program, has been established to support research and technological advancements aligned with the European Green Deal, specifically aiming to promote near-zero-carbon steel production processes. The grant offers financial support through RFCS Project Grants, with varying budgets for different topics, including a significant allocation of €20.5 million for the specific call RFCS-2025-02-RPJ.

The application process opens on June 18, 2025, and closes on September 24, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time, requiring submissions to follow a single-stage procedure via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Eligible applicants include universities, research centers, private companies, and other organizations involved in steel research, with a consortium approach implied due to the collaborative nature of required projects.

Geographically, the funding is primarily available to EU member states and potentially associated countries, reflecting the program's EU focus. The research objectives cover various aspects of steel production, including the development of breakthrough near-zero-carbon processes, advanced steel grades, environmental protection, resource conservation, and addressing workforce management in the industry.

The call emphasizes the need for proposals to assess industrial, economic, social, and environmental benefits, contributing to the EU's climate neutrality goals by 2050. Co-funding is generally required, though specific percentages are not disclosed. While success rates are not specifically provided, historical data suggests they may range between 10-39%.

In summary, this grant opportunity aims to drive innovation in the steel sector, fostering practices that align with sustainability and environmental protection while enhancing the competitiveness of the European steel industry. Detailed guidance on application submissions, eligibility conditions, and evaluation processes can be found in the associated call documents and online resources.

The RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects call, under the Research Fund for Coal & Steel (RFCS) Programme, aims to support the European Green Deal objectives by promoting near-zero-carbon steel production processes. The call is structured as RFCS Project Grants (RFCS-PJG) with a single-stage submission process. The opening date for submissions is June 18, 2025, and the deadline is September 24, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The type of Model Grant Agreement is RFCS Action Grant Budget-Based [RFCS-AG].

The call seeks to transform the EU into a fair, prosperous, resource-efficient, and competitive economy with no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, decoupling economic growth from resource use. Proposals should assess industrial, economic, social, and environmental benefits, as per Article 26 of the RFCS Regulation.

The research objectives for steel are guided by Council Decision 2008/376/EC, amended by Council Decision EU 2021/1094, focusing on:

Article 8: New, sustainable, and low-carbon steelmaking and finishing processes. Research should aim to develop, demonstrate, and improve near-zero-carbon steel production, enhancing product quality and productivity. Key areas include:

(a) Breakthrough near-zero-carbon iron- and steel-making processes, emphasizing carbon direct avoidance or smart carbon usage.

(b) Steel process and process chain optimization via instrumentation, modeling, control, automation, digitalization, big data, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies across various operations (reduction, pre-reduction, iron- and steel-making, recycled scrap melting, secondary metallurgy, casting, rolling, finishing, and coating).

(c) Steel process integration and process efficiency in near-zero-carbon steel production.

(d) Maintenance and reliability of steel production tools.

(e) Techniques for increasing recyclability, recycling, and reuse of steel, fostering a circular economy.

(f) Techniques for increasing energy efficiency through waste heat recovery, prevention of energy losses, hybrid heating, and energy management solutions.

(g) Innovative technologies and solutions for iron- and steel-making, promoting cross-sector activities, integrating zero-carbon energy production, or contributing to a clean hydrogen economy.

Article 9: Advanced steel grades and applications. Research should focus on meeting steel user requirements for new near-zero-carbon products and creating new market opportunities while reducing emissions and environmental impacts. Key areas include:

(a) New advanced steel grades.

(b) Improvement of steel properties (mechanical, physical, suitability for processing, applications, and working conditions).

(c) Prolonging service life by improving resistance to heat, corrosion, mechanical and thermal fatigue, and other deteriorating effects.

(d) Predictive simulation models on microstructures, mechanical properties, and production processes.

(e) Technologies relating to the forming, welding, and joining of steel and other materials.

(f) Standardization of testing and evaluation methods.

(g) High-performance steels for applications like mobility, including sustainability, eco-design methods, retrofitting, lightweight design, and safety solutions.

Article 10: Conservation of resources, protection of the environment, and circular economy. Research should integrate resource conservation, ecosystem preservation, circular economy transition, and safety issues into steel production and utilization. Key areas include:

(a) Techniques for recycling obsolete steel and by-products, improving steel scrap quality.

(b) Treatment of waste and recovery of valuable secondary raw materials (including slags) inside and outside steel plants.

(c) Pollution control and environmental protection in and around workplaces and steel plants (gaseous, solid, or liquid emissions, water management, noise, odours, dust).

(d) Design of steel grades and assembled structures for easy steel recovery for recycling or reuse.

(e) Utilization of process gases and elimination of waste gas emissions.

(f) Life cycle assessment and life cycle thinking concerning steel production and use.

Article 10a: Management of workforce and working conditions. Research should address:

(a) Developing and disseminating competencies for new near-zero-carbon steel production processes, such as digitalization, and lifelong learning.

(b) Improving working conditions, including health, safety, and ergonomics.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout, as described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are detailed in section 6 of the call document, along with other eligibility conditions. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are in section 7.

The evaluation and award process, including submission and evaluation, is described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in section 9. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in section 4. Legal and financial setup of grants is in section 10.

Key documents include the Call Document, Standard Application Form (RFCS), Detailed Budget Table (RFCS), Content of Evaluation Forms (RFCS] Annex 3, RFCS Model Grant Agreement (MGA), RFCS Decision 2008/376, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for 2025 includes:

RFCS-2025-01-AM: RFCS Project Grants, 1,000,000 EUR

RFCS-2025-01-PDP: RFCS Project Grants, 2,880,000 EUR

RFCS-2025-01-RPJ: RFCS Project Grants, 7,000,000 EUR

RFCS-2025-02-AM: RFCS Project Grants, 1,000,000 EUR

RFCS-2025-02-PDP: RFCS Project Grants, 7,620,000 EUR

RFCS-2025-02-RPJ: RFCS Project Grants, 20,500,000 EUR

There are currently no partner search announcements. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the provided submission button, selecting the appropriate action type and model grant agreement.

For help, applicants can consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, contact the IT Helpdesk, or refer to the Online Manual.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to drive research and innovation in the steel industry to align with the European Green Deal's objectives. It focuses on developing near-zero-carbon steel production processes, improving steel grades and applications, promoting resource conservation and circular economy practices, and enhancing workforce skills and working conditions. The call invites proposals for project grants across various budget levels, encouraging applicants to contribute to a sustainable and competitive European steel industry. The application process involves careful consideration of admissibility conditions, eligibility criteria, and evaluation processes, with detailed guidance provided in the call documents and online resources.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the research objectives and the nature of the Research Fund for Coal & Steel (RFCS), it can be inferred that eligible applicants may include: research institutes, universities, large enterprises, SMEs, and other relevant organizations involved in steel research and development.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically "RFCS Project Grants" (RFCS-PJG). The type of Model Grant Agreement is "RFCS Action Grant Budget-Based [RFCS-AG]".

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. Further details would be needed from the call documents to determine if a consortium is mandatory, preferred, or if single applicants are also eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated in the provided text. To determine the geographic eligibility, section 6 of the call document should be consulted. However, given that this is an EU funding opportunity, it is highly likely that applicants from EU member states and possibly associated countries are eligible.

Target Sector: The program targets the steel sector, with a focus on research and technological development to achieve near-zero-carbon and sustainable steel production processes. This includes areas such as: new steelmaking processes, advanced steel grades, conservation of resources, environmental protection, and workforce management.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. The focus is on the European Union's objectives under the European Green Deal.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity appears to span from development to demonstration. The call aims to support research projects that "develop, demonstrate and improve near-zero-carbon steel production processes." This suggests that projects should be beyond the initial idea stage and have a clear path towards demonstration and potential industrial application.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. The budget overview lists the following topics and their respective budgets for the year 2025:
RFCS-2025-01-AM: €1,000,000
RFCS-2025-01-PDP: €2,880,000
RFCS-2025-01-RPJ: €7,000,000
RFCS-2025-02-AM: €1,000,000
RFCS-2025-02-PDP: €7,620,000
RFCS-2025-02-RPJ: €20,500,000
Therefore, the funding range varies from €1M to €20.5M depending on the topic.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The opening date for submissions is June 18, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 24, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research and development projects.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:
This EU funding opportunity, under the Research Fund for Coal & Steel (RFCS) program, aims to support research and technological development projects that contribute to the European Green Deal objectives by promoting near-zero-carbon and sustainable steel production processes. The call is open for submissions from June 18, 2025, to September 24, 2025. The funding is provided through RFCS Project Grants (RFCS-PJG), with varying budgets for different topics, ranging from €1 million to €20.5 million. The call targets a wide array of research areas, including new steelmaking processes, advanced steel grades, resource conservation, environmental protection, and workforce management. Applicants are expected to assess the industrial, economic, social, and environmental benefits of their proposals. The application process is a single-stage electronic submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The call encourages projects that develop, demonstrate, and improve steel production processes, aligning with the EU's goal of achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2050.