About RFCS
Since its creation in 2002, the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) supports research and innovation projects in the sectors of coal and steel.
Every year, the RFCS research programme supports industry-led projects bringing together large industrial companies, SMEs, startups, universities and research centres from across the European Union.
The RFCS has its own legal basis in Protocol n°37 to the Treaties and it stands outside the Multiannual Financial Framework. It is funded via the revenues generated by the assets of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in liquidation, which are used exclusively for research in the sectors related to the coal and steel industry, in accordance with the Protocol.
In 2021, the EU reviewed the rules applicable to the assets of the ECSC in liquidation and to the RFCS programme. The changes allowed the sale of assets to complement revenues until 2027 in order to provide an annual allocation of EUR 111 million to the RFCS research programme.
The 2021 reform also modernised the objectives of the programme to make them contribute to the EU ambition to decarbonise steel production and to accompany the Just Transition of coal-dependent regions. These objectives were aligned with the European Green Deal presented by the Commission in December 2019.
Calls for ‘Big Ticket’ innovation proposals were introduced to boost progress towards these goals. For steel, the ‘Big Ticket’ projects contribute to the public-private Clean Steel Partnership also supported through complementary calls for proposals under Horizon Europe.
Reform of 2026
The acute challenges faced by the European steel industry and the continued research needs to support the coal transition made a further reform necessary. The Commission announced the new reform in its Steel and Metals Action Plan of 19 March 2025 and adopted proposals on 8 December 2025. The reform was adopted by the Council of the EU on 29 June 2026 and the two new Council Decisions (2026/1545 and 2026/1561) were published on 17 July. The new rules for the RFCS programme will apply from the start of 2027.
The reform aims to simplify and accelerate investments in coal and steel research. The new RFCS programme will help to de-risk the major investments needed in research, innovation and decarbonisation projects, to maintain Europe’s technological and industrial leadership in the steel sector. It also complements other EU measures to help secure a robust steel production in Europe, promoting its strategic autonomy.
At the same time, the RFCS programme will keep supporting the just transition of coal mining regions in Europe. The reformed programme will become more attractive and impactful to drive a fair, clean and competitive transition.
Main features of the reform
- increased yearly allocations of up to EUR 120 million until 2034
- two-year work programmes providing better predictability, and less prescriptive calls for proposals with two deadlines per year
- higher co-funding rates aligned with those proposed for the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme: up to 70% for industry participants and up to 100% for SMEs and non-profit organisations, while maintaining the industry-led character of the projects
- explicit consideration of the security requirements attached to dual use proposals and projects (“dual use” research projects are projects which may have dual civilian and military applications).
- simplified objectives for coal and steel research as detailed below
Research objectives for coal and steel
- research projects for coal shall aim to accelerate the transition, by 2050, towards a climate-neutral Union economy, supporting the phasing out of fossil fuels, especially coal, while supporting the social, economic and ecological revitalisation of coal regions
- research projects for steel shall aim to develop, demonstrate and improve sustainable and low-carbon steelmaking and finishing processes, with a view to raising product quality, increasing productivity and decreasing strategic dependencies
Management of the programme
The RFCS programme is managed by the Commission with the support of the European Research Executive Agency and in cooperation with the following programme committee and advisory groups. The reform of RFCS maintains this committee and advisory structure.
- The Coal and Steel Committee (COSCO)
Composed of representatives of EU Member States. Its role is to assist the Commission in the overall management of the fund.
- The Coal and Steel Advisory Groups (CAG/SAG)
Composed of technical advisers appointed by the Commission. Their role is to advise the Commission. - Technical Groups (TG)
Composed of technical experts, appointed by the Commission. They support the Commission with monitoring of research/pilot or demonstration projects.
RFCS Work Programme for 2026
RFCS calls for proposal
Annual Call 2026
The RFCS Annual Call for proposals for 2026 opened for submission on 17 June 2026. The submission deadline is on 16 September 2026, 17.00 CEST Brussels time.
Information can be found at:
- RFCS-2026-01-AM Coal - Accompanying measures
- RFCS-2026-01-RPJ Coal - Research projects
- RFCS-2026-01-PDP Coal - Pilot and demonstration projects
- RFCS-2026-02-AM Steel - Accompanying measures
- RFCS-2026-02-RPJ Steel - Research projects
- RFCS-2026-02-PDP Steel – Pilot and demonstration projects
The Info Day for the RFCS Annual Call will be held on 8 July 2026. Information and registration at: RFCS Annual Call Info Day 2026.
Big Tickets Dual-Use Call 2026
The RFCS Big Tickets Dual-Use Call for proposals for 2026 opened for submission on 17 June 2026. The submission deadline is on 16 September 2026, 17.00 CEST Brussels time.
Information can be found at:
The Info Day for the RFCS Big Tickets Dual-Use Call will be held on 8 July 2026. Information and registration at: RFCS Annual Call Info Day 2026.
RFCS call for experts
The Call for expression of interest for expert evaluators for RFCS programme is open.
The RFCS is looking for highly qualified independent experts to act as evaluators with expertise and professional experience in one or more of the RFCS research objectives, in European Green Deal and socio-economic assessment.
To enroll as an expert, please register or update your profile in the Funding & Tender Portal and express your interest by sending an e-mail to REA-RFCS
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (REA-RFCS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) indicating your registration number.
To enroll as an expert for the RFCS, please register in the database of experts.
Contact
For general information about the programme, if you have questions or want to share your views please contact us at:
RTD-STEEL-COALec [dot] europa [dot] eu (RTD-STEEL-COAL[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
