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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focused on the coal sector's just transition, health and safety improvements, and minimizing environmental impacts.
Core Objective: Support the European Union's transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050 by funding research projects in the coal sector, specifically addressing phasing out fossil fuels, developing alternative activities on former mine sites, and mitigating environmental damage from coal mines.
Target Recipient Type: Not explicitly defined in the provided information, but typically includes research organizations, academic institutions, industrial entities, and SMEs engaged in relevant research.
Geographic Scope: Projects supporting the transition towards a 'climate-neutral Union economy' and strengthening 'European leadership' imply eligibility for organizations within EU Member States.
Key Filtering Criteria: Proposals must align with specific research objectives under Articles 4, 5, and 6, focusing on technological and non-technological solutions for coal sector transition, health and safety, and environmental impact minimization.
Grant Frequency: 'RFCS-2025' indicates this is an annual or recurring call under the broader RFCS program, providing a program context of continuous support for coal and steel research.

Financial Structure

Budget for this specific topic (RFCS-2025-01-RPJ): 7,000,000.0 EUR.
Minimum Grant Amount: Not specified per project.
Maximum Grant Amount: Not specified per project.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: Not specified.
Eligible and Ineligible Costs: Described in 'section 10 of the call document' ('Legal and financial set-up of the grants').
Co-financing Requirements: Not specified in the provided information but typically a requirement for EU grants; details would be in the full call document.
Financial Reporting Requirements: Described in 'section 10 of the call document'.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility

Organization Type: Not explicitly defined for specific types (e.g., SME, NGO). However, given the nature of 'RFCS Project Grants' and 'Research Projects', eligible entities typically include:
- Universities
- Research organizations
- Enterprises (including SMEs)
- Public bodies involved in research or relevant activities
- Other entities capable of conducting industrial research and experimental development.
Organizational Size: Not specified. Likely open to various sizes depending on capacity to conduct research.
Geographic Location: Organizations from countries described in 'section 6 of the call document'. Given the context of a 'climate-neutral Union economy', this refers to EU Member States and potentially associated countries.

Technical Requirements

Technical Expertise: Required to address the specific research objectives outlined in Articles 4, 5, and 6 (e.g., carbon dioxide capture, geothermal energy, waste management, health and safety in mining, environmental remediation).
Infrastructure: Implied requirement for facilities and equipment necessary to conduct industrial research and experimental development activities related to coal and environmental impact.

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and Operational Capacity: Must meet criteria described in 'section 7 of the call document'.
General Exclusion: Must not fall under exclusion criteria described in 'section 7 of the call document'.

Application Process

Application Process Timeline

Planned Opening Date: 2025-06-18
Application Deadline: 2025-09-24 00:00:00+00 (Brussels time)
Submission Procedure: Single-stage application process.

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposal Page Limit and Layout: Described in 'section 5 of the call document' and detailed in Part B of the Application Form.
Application Form: Specific application form (RFCS) available in the Submission System.
Detailed Budget Table: A specific 'Detailed budget table (RFCS)' is required.
Content of Evaluation Forms: Refer to 'Annex 3 of the Call document' for the Content of Evaluation Forms (RFCS).

Submission Format and Platform

Submission System: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Support and Assistance

Call-specific Support: Contact details for this call are to be provided.
General Support: IT Helpdesk for technical questions (e.g., login, submission issues); Online Manual for step-by-step guidance on Portal processes.

Post-Award Requirements

Grant Agreement: Projects will be subject to the RFCS Model Grant Agreement (MGA) and the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Reporting Obligations: Reporting schedule and frequency are described in 'section 10 of the call document'.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Requirements will be specified in the grant agreement.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Scoring and Thresholds: Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in 'section 9 of the call document'.

Project Content & Impact

Anticipated Benefits: Each proposal must include an assessment of anticipated industrial, economic, social, and environmental benefits (as per Article 26 of the RFCS Regulation, 'Content of proposals'). This is a key scoring factor.
Alignment with Objectives (Articles 4, 5, 6): Projects will be evaluated on their direct contribution to:
- Supporting the just transition of the coal sector and regions (Article 4): Focus on climate neutrality, fossil fuel phasing out, alternative activities on mine sites, environmental damage avoidance, CO2 capture/use/storage, geothermal energy, non-energetic uses of mining wastes, repurposing infrastructure, and reskilling/upskilling programs.
- Improving health and safety (Article 5): Addressing safety in closing/former mines, working conditions, occupational health, diseases related to mining activities, and protective measures.
- Minimising the environmental impacts of coal mines in transition (Article 6): Reducing impacts on atmosphere, water, and soils; preserving/restoring natural resources; avoiding/minimising greenhouse gas emissions (especially methane); managing/reusing mining waste; purifying mine drainage water; restoring environment of former installations.
Climate and Environmental Benefits: Research activities under Article 4 must present tangible climate and environmental benefits in line with the objective of climate neutrality by 2050.
Innovation and Technology Transfer: Projects demonstrating new and improved technologies and strengthening European leadership in managing the transition through technological and non-technological solutions, including technology and non-technology transfer, are preferred.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Legal Framework: Projects must comply with the 'RFCS Decision 2008/376EU' (amended by Council Decision EU 2021/1094) and the 'EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509'.
Permits and Authorizations: Any necessary permits and authorizations must be obtained, as implied by regulatory compliance requirements.

Environmental and Ethical Standards

Environmental Alignment: Strong emphasis on alignment with the European Green Deal objectives, aiming for a climate-neutral Union economy by 2050 and decoupling economic growth from resource use.
Climate Neutrality: Proposals must demonstrate contribution to climate neutrality by 2050.
Ethical Standards: Implied requirement to adhere to EU ethical guidelines for research.

Special Considerations

Just Transition Focus: Projects should specifically support the 'just transition' of the coal sector, ensuring social and economic impacts on workers and regions affected by coal phase-out are addressed.
Societal Impact: Projects are encouraged to contribute to re-skilling programmes and job creation in new economic sectors for workers impacted by coal phase-out.
Resource Efficiency: Emphasis on research that promotes resource efficiency, circular economy principles (e.g., managing and reusing mining waste, fly ash, desulphurisation products).
Health and Safety: Dedicated focus on improving health and safety conditions in coal mines (both active and in closure) and addressing health issues in coal regions.
European Leadership: Objectives include strengthening European leadership in managing the transition of coal mines and related infrastructure through technological and non-technological solutions.
Risk Tolerance: Implicitly, research projects may involve higher risk, but risk management is not explicitly detailed in the provided information.

Grant Details