RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects
Quick Facts
Email me updates on this grant
Get notified about:
- Deadline changes
- New FAQs & guidance
- Call reopened
- Q&A webinars
We'll only email you about this specific grant. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam.
Ready to Apply?
Get a personalized assessment of your eligibility and application strategy
See in 5 min if you're eligible for RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects💰 Funding Details
Funding Description – RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects (RFCS-2025-02-RPJ)
1. Purpose of the Grant
The RFCS Project Grant (RPJ) finances collaborative research & innovation actions that accelerate the transition to near-zero-carbon steelmaking in line with the European Green Deal. Supported projects must address at least one of the thematic areas in Articles 8–10a of the RFCS Regulation, e.g.
* Breakthrough low-carbon iron & steelmaking (carbon direct avoidance, smart carbon use, hydrogen-based routes)
* Digitalised process-chain optimisation, AI-driven quality control, predictive modelling
* Energy-efficiency (waste-heat recovery, hybrid heating, energy-management systems)
* Advanced steel grades, eco-design and lightweight solutions for mobility & construction
* Circular-economy approaches (scrap quality, by-product valorisation, LCA)
* Workforce skills, health & safety in new production environments
2. Budget & Funding Rate
* Indicative call envelope (all topics): normally €150–200 million/year (exact figure published in the annual RFCS Work Programme).
* EU co-funding rate (RPJ): up to 60 % of total eligible costs.
* Typical EU contribution per project: €2 – 7 million. No formal maximum, but proposals must be commensurate with objectives and demonstrate value for money.
* Project duration: 24 – 48 months (average ≈ 36 months).
* Cost categories: personnel, equipment depreciation, consumables, travel, sub-contracting, indirect costs (calculated with 25 % flat-rate).
3. Eligibility Snapshot
* Who can apply? Any legal entity established in an EU Member State or Associated Country (companies, research organisations, universities, public bodies, SMEs, NGOs).
* Consortium requirements: minimum 2 independent entities from 2 different eligible countries; industrial participation strongly recommended—proposals without at least one steelmaker or equipment supplier score poorly on impact.
* Exclusions/Ineligibilities: entities under EU restrictive measures, bankrupt organisations, or those failing financial/operational capacity checks.
* Multiple submissions: A single organisation may participate in several proposals, but avoid substantial overlap of work packages.
4. Evaluation & Award Criteria (weighting 0-15 each)
1. Excellence – scientific quality, innovation beyond state-of-the-art, clarity of objectives, credible methodology.
2. Impact – contribution to Green Deal targets, quantified GHG reduction, industrial scalability, socio-economic benefits, IP & exploitation plans, gender & skills aspects.
3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation – consortium competence, work-plan, risk mitigation, resources vs. objectives, sound budget.
Thresholds: 4/5 per criterion and overall ≥ 12/15.
5. Key Documents & Timeline
* Call document, Model Grant Agreement (RFCS-AG), Proposal templates (Part A/B), Evaluation form, Online Manual.
* Opening: 18 June 2025 | Deadline: 24 Sept 2025 – 17:00 (Brussels)
* Evaluation results: ≈ January 2026
* Grant signature: ≈ March 2026; projects start Q2 2026.
6. Compliance Essentials
* Embed Life-Cycle Assessment and GHG quantification in methodology.
* Provide a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) trajectory (typically TRL 3→6 for RPJ).
* Align with EU-wide standards (safety, environment, digital interoperability).
* Address open science, data-management and gender equality plans (if ≥ 50 staff).
---
7. Quick-Check List
✔ Thematic fit with Articles 8-10a
✔ Consortium ≥ 2 countries, strong industrial core
✔ Budget ≤ 60 % EU contribution, realistic cost breakdown
✔ Quantified impact: CO₂ t/y avoided, energy % saved, jobs created
✔ LCA, exploitation & IP strategy, risk register included
📊 At a Glance
Get Grant Updates
Get notified about:
- Deadline changes
- New FAQs & guidance
- Call reopened
- Q&A webinars
We'll only email you about this specific grant. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam.
🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-wide Advantages & Opportunities for RFCS-2025-02-RPJ Applicants
1. Single Market Access – 450+ Million Consumers
- Pan-European customer base: Steel grades or production technologies validated under the project can be commercialised across all 27 Member States without customs barriers or technical trade obstacles.
- First-mover advantage in green procurement: Large public buyers (rail, energy, defence, infrastructure) must comply with EU Green Deal, Fit-for-55, CBAM and green-public-procurement (GPP) rules. Demonstrating near-zero-carbon steel gives suppliers preferred-bidder status EU-wide.
- Shorter route to standardisation (EN/ISO): Results can feed CEN/TC 459 & ISO TC 17 processes, accelerating EU-wide market entry compared with fragmented national approval tracks.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
- Mandatory consortium logic: RFCS grants strongly reward consortia that mix steelmakers, equipment OEMs, tech SMEs, research organisations and end-users from ≥3 Member States.
- Industrial symbiosis corridors: Linking hydrogen valleys (DE–NL–BE), renewable-powered DRI hubs (SE, ES, PT) and scrap-based EAF clusters (IT, PL) allows pilots to run in optimal locations and share OPEX/CAPEX risks.
- Workforce up-skilling at scale: Joint training packages developed under Article 10a can be rolled out through EU steel platforms (ESTEP, EUROFER) and Erasmus+ alliances, creating a mobile talent pool.
3. Alignment with Core EU Strategies
- European Green Deal & Fit-for-55: Direct contribution to 2030 Climate Target Plan (-55 % GHG). Projects can claim strategic relevance points during evaluation.
- EU Hydrogen Strategy: Options (8g) for clean H2-based iron production qualify for access to Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) H2 infrastructure and lower renewable-H2 offtake costs.
- Digital Europe & Data Spaces: Activities (8b, 9d) on AI/Big-Data process optimisation can plug into the upcoming EU Manufacturing Data Space, ensuring interoperability and GDPR-compliant data governance.
- Circular Economy Action Plan: Work under Articles 8e & 10 supports the Sustainable Product Regulation and end-of-waste criteria for ferrous scrap, easing market acceptance.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
- Unified environmental permitting: Results that satisfy EU-ETS, IED and future Industrial Carbon Management legislation can be replicated without redesign per country.
- CBAM readiness: Developing near-zero-carbon steel now positions firms ahead of CBAM fee escalations (2026-2034), giving an EU-wide competitive hedge.
- Pan-European H&S standards: Article 10a outputs can feed EU-OSHA guidelines, reducing compliance duplication.
5. Access to the EU Innovation Ecosystem
- World-class RIs: Use pilot lines at Swerim (SE), CETIC (FR), Fraunhofer (DE), AIMEN (ES) etc., with preferential rates for EU projects.
- Clusters & Alliances: Leverage Smart Specialisation Partnerships on Advanced Materials, EIT Manufacturing, Clean Hydrogen Alliance for mentors, investors and testbeds.
- Open science mandates: Horizon-aligned data-management plans mean immediate visibility in Open Research Europe, boosting citations and uptake.
6. Funding Synergies & Blending Options
- Innovation Fund (Ł ETS revenues): Scale-up of RFCS pilots to >20 kt/y demo scale can obtain 60-70 % CAPEX support.
- Horizon Europe Cluster 4 calls: Follow-on TRL 6-8 activities (e.g., AI-controlled EAFs) are eligible; RFCS scoring recognises clear “pathway to Horizon”.
- Cohesion Policy (ERDF/JTF): Regions with coal/steel transition plans (e.g., Silesia, Asturias) can co-finance deployment infrastructure up to 85 %.
- InvestEU & EIB Green Loans: Post-grant commercial deployment benefits from EU-wide green taxonomy alignment, lowering financing costs by 30–80 bps.
7. Scale & Impact Potential
- EU emissions leverage: The 30 largest EU steel plants emit ~95 Mt CO₂ / yr. A single technology validated through RFCS and replicated EU-wide can abate up to 10 Mt CO₂ / yr by 2030.
- Replication toolkit: Article 26 requires impact assessment; by standardising LCA and techno-economic models, replication across EU plants is accelerated, reducing time-to-impact by ~3 years.
- Export multiplier: Compliance with strict EU standards gives “green premium” in global markets, boosting EU trade balance.
8. Strategic Recommendations for Maximising EU-Level Advantages
1. Build a geographically balanced consortium (at least 4 MS + 1 Assoc. Country) to score high on excellence & impact.
2. Demonstrate policy contribution explicitly linking KPIs to EU climate targets, ETS price forecasts and CBAM timelines.
3. Plan funding cascade early: map TRL progression—RFCS (TRL 3-6) → Horizon Europe (TRL 5-7) → Innovation Fund (TRL 7-9) → InvestEU/EIB (commercial scale).
4. Integrate standardisation work packages (CEN/ISO liaison) to speed single-market access.
5. Embed open innovation & skills platforms to align with Pact for Skills and Digital Europe, securing additional digital-training vouchers.
Bottom Line: Competing under RFCS-2025-02-RPJ from an EU rather than national perspective unlocks unparalleled market size, regulatory certainty, blended financing options and a deep innovation network—dramatically increasing the probability that breakthrough near-zero-carbon steel technologies reach commercial deployment across Europe before 2030.
🏷️ Keywords
Ready to Apply?
Get a personalized assessment of your eligibility and application strategy
See in 5 min if you're eligible for RFCS-2025 Steel Research Projects