Screening meeting of EU acquis Chapter 25 with Serbia Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS)
What is the RFCS? ECSC: From the past 1952-2002 ECSC Treaty Assets left: ~ 1.6 bn * ECSC: European Coal and Steel Community to the present: RFCS 2001: Treaty of Nice Transfer the ECSC assets Creation RFCS: Feb 2003
The RFCS Legal basis: COUNCIL DECISION of 29 April 2008 on the adoption of the Research Programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel and on the multiannual technical guidelines for this programme (2008/376/EC)
Overview of the programme Budget of ~50 M /year Promoting industrial research Open call for proposals for STEEL 72.8% COAL 27.2% Research projects (60% funding) Pilot & Demonstration projects (50% funding) Accompanying measures RFCS funding allocation In general, only member state entities are entitled to receive funding! (more info next slide) Deadline: in principle, September 15th of each year
RFCS LEGAL BASIS CHAPTER 3 - MULTIANNUAL TECHNICAL GUIDELINES SECTION 1 :Participation Article 11 : Member States Any undertaking, public body, research organisation or higher or secondary education establishment, or other legal entity, including natural persons, established within the territory of a Member State may participate in the Research Programme and apply for financial assistance, provided that they intend to carry out an RTD activity or can substantially contribute to such an activity. Article 12 : Candidate countries Any undertaking, public body, research organisation or higher or secondary education establishment, or other legal entity, including natural persons, in candidate countries shall be entitled to participate without receiving any financial contribution under the Research Programme, unless otherwise provided under the relevant European Agreements and their additional Protocols, and in the decisions of the various Association Councils.
New member states: participation and contribution Undertakings and Research organisations from new member states of the European Union participate fully in the activities of the Research Programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel as of the EU entry date Conditions of financial contribution to the Research Fund for Coal and Steel are set in the relevant adhesion Treaty Basis for the calculation: ratio between the Member State s production level of coal and steel and the total production level of coal and steel in the EU at a reference year (2002, end year of the ECSC Treaty). Payment contribution: usually made in several yearly instalments, as from accession
COAL: Programme Research Objectives Management of external dependence on energy supply Improving the competitive position of Community Coal Health and Safety in Mines Pictures Shutterstock, 2010 Pictures Shutterstock, 2010 Efficient protection of the environment & improvement of the use of coal as clean energy source Pictures Shutterstock, 2010 Coal means: Hardcoal - Lignite - Coke - Briquettes - Oil Shales 7
STEEL: Programme Research Objectives Conservation of resources and improvement of working conditions New and improved steelmaking and finishing techniques RTD and the utilisation of steel
Commission: DG RTD, Dir D, Unit D4 Management of the programme: 3 type of bodies assisting the Commission Coal and Steel Committee (COSCO) Coal and Steel Advisory Groups (CAG/SAG) 28 Member state representatives: give opinion on actions to be funded, etc. Representatives from stakeholders: give advice on the overall programme managament Technical Groups (TGC/TGS) Technical experts: give advice on project monitoring
Evaluations Negotiations Programme Timeline Call deadline: (usually 15 September) Budget cut-off Ranking PROJECT START Proposals received Eligibility check Threshold First Main ok list Coal / Steel Advisory Group Final List Commission Implementing Decision Coal and Steel Committee
PROJECT START First Annual report Mid term report TG advice on report approval n Annual Reports PROJECT END Draft Final Report TG advice on report approval Publishable Report Management of the programme: Project timeline First prefinancing (40%) Second prefinancing (40%, under conditions) Balance payment (20%, under conditions) Technical Group Monitoring (Yearly meetings, continuous assistance)
A relatively simple programme One model Grant Agreement One cost model: Real costs plus 35% overheads Funding Rate of 60% for research and 50% Pilot and Demonstration Direct payments to single beneficiaries All reports published on EU Bookshop
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