RFCS-2026-02-PDP Steel Pilot and demonstration projects
RFCS-2026-02-PDP funds pilot and demonstration steel projects advancing TRL 4-5 to 7-8 bridging research and commercialization.
This call supports pilot and demonstration projects in the steel sector. Projects should develop installations from pilot scale to industrial scale. The goal is to advance technology readiness from mid-level to near-commercial levels.
Likely relevant for
- Steel industry R&D teams
- Industrial pilot project developers
- Demonstration project coordinators
- Technology commercialization experts
Project signals
What it funds
- Pilot projects for construction, operation, and development of steel installations at pilot scale
- Demonstration projects for construction and/or operation of industrial-scale steel installations
- Projects bridging research, innovation, and commercialization in steel sector
- Activities starting at TRL 4-5 and targeting TRL 7-8 by project end
Expected outcomes
- Industrial, economic, social, and environmental benefits as per Council Decision 2008/376/EC
- Advancement of steel technologies towards market readiness
- Improved sustainability and circular economy in steel production
Who can apply / participate
- Industrial companies
- Research organizations
- Consortia involving multiple stakeholders
- Check call document section 6 for consortium eligibility and composition rules
- Eligible countries as defined in call document section 6
- Proposals must comply with RFCS objectives for steel per Council Decision 2008/376/EC
- Projects should target TRL 4-5 to 7-8 advancement
- Specific funding rates
- Maximum grant amounts
- Exact consortium size requirements
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility criteria in section 6 of call document
- Budget and funding rates
- Consortium composition and country eligibility
Money
Approximate budget of €7.62 million allocated for this call in 2026.
- Total budget for RFCS-2026-02-PDP — 7620000EURBudget for the year 2026
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model.
- Proposal page limits and layout as per section 5 of call document and Part B of Application Form.
- Eligibility and admissibility conditions detailed in sections 6 and 7 of call document.
- Evaluation criteria and award process described in sections 8 and 9 of call document.
- Legal and financial setup in section 10 of call document.
- Call document and annexes available in submission system.
- Prepare proposal according to call document and application form templates.
- Submit proposal via Funding & Tenders Portal before deadline 16 September 2026.
- Ensure compliance with eligibility and admissibility criteria.
- Contact REA-RFCS@ec.europa.eu for support if needed.
- Check eligibility conditions carefully before applying.
- Budget and funding rates must be verified in official call documents.
- Consortium composition rules apply as per call document.
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 17:20 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.
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Official source text
Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.
Topic description
Expected Impact: Each proposal must include an assessment of the expected industrial, economic, social and environmental benefits (Article 26 of Council Decision 2008/376/EC). Objective: Proposals submitted under this topic should relate to one or more of the RFCS objectives for steel as set out in Council Decision 2008/376/EC . Scope: Pilot projects target the construction, operation and development of installations on an appropriate scale. Demonstration projects cover the construction and/or operation of industrial-scale installations. Both pilot and demonstration projects aim to bridge the gap between research and innovation and commercialisation. Pilot and demonstration activities are expected to start at TRL 4-5 and achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project.
Conditions and documents
Conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in section 5 of the call document.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible countries
described in section 6 of the call document.
3. Other eligibility conditions
described in section 6 of the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in section 7 of the call document.
5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
described in section 9 of the call document.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in section 4 of the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
described in section 10 of the call document.
Call document and annexes:
Application form templates
Standard application form (RFCS) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Additional documents:
Support information
For help related to this call, please contact REA-RFCS@ec.europa.eu Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals . IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.
Raw budget overview
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