The European Commission has launched the RFCS Annual Call 2026 (RFCS-2026) under the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), making available a total budget of €40 million to support research, demonstration and accompanying measures aimed at fostering the sustainable transition of the coal and steel sectors.

The call is structured around six topics, three dedicated to the coal sector and three to the steel sector.

For the coal sector, the following topics are available:

• RFCS-2026-01-AM – Coal Accompanying Measures, with a budget of €1 million, supporting dissemination and knowledge transfer activities that contribute to a just transition for coal regions.
• RFCS-2026-01-RPJ – Coal Research Projects, with a budget of €7 million, funding research projects (from TRL 1–3 to TRL 4–5) focused on supporting the transition of coal regions, improving health and safety, and reducing the environmental impacts of mining activities.
• RFCS-2026-01-PDP – Coal Pilot and Demonstration Projects, with a budget of €2.88 million, supporting pilot and demonstration projects (from TRL 4–5 to TRL 7–8).

For the steel sector, the available topics are:

• RFCS-2026-02-AM – Steel Accompanying Measures, with a budget of €1 million, supporting dissemination and knowledge transfer activities related to sustainable and low-carbon steel.
• RFCS-2026-02-RPJ – Steel Research Projects, with a budget of €20.5 million, funding research and innovation projects (from TRL 1–3 to TRL 4–5) focused on sustainable steelmaking processes, new steel applications, circular economy, environmental protection, skills development and improved working conditions.
• RFCS-2026-02-PDP – Steel Pilot and Demonstration Projects, with a budget of €7.62 million, supporting pilot and demonstration projects (from TRL 4–5 to TRL 7–8).

The deadline for submitting proposals is 16 September 2026.

Contact us to learn more at info.it@pnoinnovation.com