Rfcs-2026-steel-big Tickets Under The Clean Industrial Deal

Expected Impact:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following impacts:

• progress towards the goals of the European Green Deal in line with the European Commission policy guidelines applicable to the steel industry for the full decarbonisation of the steel sector;
• progress towards the goals of the Clean Industrial Deal;
• support innovation and competitiveness in the steel sector as a strategic element for strengthening the European industrial base and autonomy.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• quantify the CO₂ reduction and other positive environmental effects achieved in the steel sector;
• make it technically and economically feasible for novel technologies and processes to produce products of at least the same quality as that achieved using current industrial processes, as demonstrated and validated on a suitable scale;
• demonstrate, where relevant, positive health and safety effects of the technology and/or the approach pursued;
• outline a scalable deployment plan for the technology, supported by a viable business case;
• disseminate results widely and contribute to the development of skills and the creation/conversion of jobs.

Objective:

Recycling technologies.

Proposals should cover at least one of the following aspects:

• technologies for metal or mineral recovery from pyrometallurgical, leaching or electrochemical processes, possibly including the recovery of critical raw materials from iron and steelmaking residues;
• residue valorisation in low-carbon production routes;
• scrap detection, separation, and management technologies and approaches combined with digitalisation / AI techniques;
• recycling at steel production facilities: rethinking recycling processes for new low-carbon installations;
• technologies and approaches for secondary carbon carriers in iron and steelmaking processes;
• applications of slags from BF-BOF, LF, and DR-EAF/ESF;
• dynamic environmental impact analysis, simulation and optimisation of by-product pre-treatment evaluation, digital tracking of secondary raw materials, and new management systems for circularity performance;
• use of raw materials with low iron content in smelting processes;
• scrap upcycling through the adaptation of efficient know-how-based metallurgy and downstream processes and products;
• repurposing of existing coking plant infrastructure at steel facilities for processing bio-based secondary carbon carriers (pyrolysis processes to produce biochar and a H₂-rich syngas).

Scope:

• Applicants may submit proposals for either pilot or demonstration projects (see Articles 15 and 16 of Council Decision (EU) 2008/376/EC).
• Proposals must relate to the application of innovative technologies related to at least one of the objectives.
• Proposals are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project.
• Proposals must be consistent with the general and specific objectives listed in the memorandum of understanding for the European Partnership on Clean Steel launched under Horizon Europe.
• Proposals must include an exploitation strategy outlining the possible industrial integration of the outcomes of the project (including the pilot/demonstrators) and a preliminary assessment of their economic viability.
• Targeted improvements (relative to existing installations or, for new projects, the relevant Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) benchmark) must be clearly quantified and demonstrated through energy system and material balance assessments (including emissions), which must be clearly defined by the applicants.