The RFCS project has the following research objectives for the coal sector:

• Supporting the equitable transition of the coal sector and regions;
• Improving health and safety.
• Minimizing the environmental impact of coal mines in transition.

Proposals should cover at least one of the following aspects:

• technologies for metal or mineral recovery from pyrometallurgical, leaching or electrochemical processes, possibly including the recovery of critical raw materials from iron and steelmaking residues;
• residue valorisation in low-carbon production routes;
• scrap detection, separation, and management technologies and approaches combined with digitalisation / AI techniques;
• recycling at steel production facilities: rethinking recycling processes for new low-carbon installations;
• technologies and approaches for secondary carbon carriers in iron and steelmaking processes;
• applications of slags from BF-BOF, LF, and DR-EAF/ESF;
• dynamic environmental impact analysis, simulation and optimisation of by-product pre-treatment evaluation, digital tracking of secondary raw materials, and new management systems for circularity performance;
• use of raw materials with low iron content in smelting processes;
• scrap upcycling through the adaptation of efficient know-how-based metallurgy and downstream processes and products;
• repurposing of existing coking plant infrastructure at steel facilities for processing bio-based secondary carbon carriers (pyrolysis processes to produce biochar and a H2-rich syngas).

The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement: 50 %

Projects should normally range between 36 and 54 months. Projects of longer duration may be accepted in duly justified cases. Extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment.

• Education and training
• Energy
• Environment and Climate Change
• Industry
• Other Services
• Other Thematic Category
• Processing
• Research, Technological Development and Innovation

• Educational Institutions
• Large Enterprises
• Legal Entities
• Other Beneficiaries
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies, e.g. undertakings, public bodies, research organisations, higher or secondary education establishments or other legal entities) which carry out an RTD activity or substantially contribute to such an activity
• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  • non-EU countries :
    • countries associated to the RFCS (list of participating countries).

Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register — before submitting the proposal — and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, they will be requested to upload documents showing legal status and origin.

Consortium composition
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of a minimum of 2 independent applicants from 2 different eligible countries.

REA-RFCS@ec.europa.eu

• Funding & Tenders
• Call document