Commission adopts new coal and steel research guidelines
The European Commission has adopted a revision of the guidelines on coal and steel research. The proposal affects the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), which was set up in 2002 when the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty expired. Research activities carried out under this fund are financed by the interest accrued on the assets of the ECSC; this interest amounts to around €60 million annually. Just over a quarter (27%) of this goes to coal research with the remainder being spent on steel research. As the name suggests, the RFCS covers all aspects of coal and steel research, from production processes to application, and includes resource use, safety at work and environmental protection. It is a separate, complementary programme to the EU's research framework programmes. This revision of the guidelines is a requirement of the legislation which created the RFCS. However, the Commission believes that as the fund has worked well so far, a major overhaul is not necessary. 'This proposed revision of the technical guidelines looks to further the good results already achieved to date,' commented EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik. 'In our view no major overhaul is needed, but we are keen to make the programme as straightforward for its participants as possible.' The proposed revision foresees the simplification of certain procedures, for example by deleting accompanying measures which are already covered by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Financial support for pilot and demonstration projects is increased from 40% to 50%, and dedicated calls on issues that converge with FP7 priorities and the work programmes of the relevant European Technology Platforms (ETPs) will be allowed. Finally, the rules governing membership of the Advisory Groups and Programme Committee have been amended to reflect the recent enlargements of the EU. Participation in the RFCS programmes is simple; proposals can be submitted at any time up to 15 September every year and there is no limit for the project budget or the number of partners. Projects are evaluated by external experts and selected based on the quality of the research proposed. Projects are monitored via an annual peer review process. Between 2003 and 2006 some 227 projects received funding from the RFCS; 39 in the field of coal research and 188 in the field of steel research. Issues addressed by the coal research projects include coal mining, coal conversion, clean and efficient coal technologies and CO2 capture. For example, the COMTES 700 project aims to improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants by 50% over and above what is currently possible. The steel projects cover issues ranging from ore agglomeration and steelmaking processes to the design of new steel products and applications in automobiles, packaging and home appliances as well as in the building and construction industry. There is also a priority dedicated to factory-wide control, social and environmental issues. An example of a steel research project financed under the RFCS is ULCOS. Its ultimate goal is to build a pilot plant which will be able to produce steel with much lower CO2 emission levels.