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Digital REFractory FRAmework for a Carbon neutral and Resilient indusTry in EURope.

Objective

Europe’s high-temperature industries (steel, cement, glass) depend on refractory materials for safe, efficient, and sustainable operations. As the EU undergoes Green and Digital Transitions, the refractory sector faces urgent challenges: decarbonisation, circularity, and digitalisation. Current practices are limited by empirical design, fragmented data, and low recycling rates, while new regulations require traceability and lower carbon footprints.
REFFRACTEUR brings together a unique consortium covering the entire refractory value chain, from raw materials to end-users, across academia and industry. The project will train 15 Doctoral Candidates through an innovative programme combining advanced research in materials science, process engineering, digital tools (AI, digital twins), and sustainability (life cycle assessment). Each researcher will benefit from dual academic/industrial supervision and spend at least 50% of their time in industry, ensuring strong intersectoral skills and real-world impact.
REFFRACTEUR will deliver: (1) new sustainable refractory materials with improved durability and recyclability; (2) the first unified circularity framework for refractories, integrating digital product passports and life cycle assessment; (3) validated digital twins and AI-based decision-support systems for predictive maintenance and energy optimisation; and (4) an open, standardised data backbone to accelerate innovation and knowledge transfer.
By embedding training, research, and innovation in a single European network, REFFRACTEUR will strengthen Europe’s industrial sovereignty, reduce dependency on critical raw materials, and position the EU as a global leader in sustainable, digitalised refractory technologies. The project’s outcomes will directly support the EU’s climate, circular economy, and skills agendas, creating lasting impact for industry, society, and future researchers.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN-ID - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks - Industrial Doctorates

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01

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Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 629 338,32
Address
RUE MICHEL ANGE 3
75794 Paris
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (16)

Partners (10)