The Research Fund
for Coal and Steel (RFCS)
"Information how to prepare a proposal
– with focus on coal industry"
Wolfgang Schneider
Research Fund for Coal and Steel
DG RTD Directorate G - Industrial Technologies
2 – 3 July 2012, Romania
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Structure of Presentation
Evaluation steps & how to submit a proposal ?
- General information
- Observations & most common weak points
- Examples of successful proposals
- From paper to electronic submission
How to register as an expert in CORDIS ?
- Explanation of procedure
- Step by step guide
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Evaluations
• On site evaluation (Brussels)
• 1 week for coal
• 4 weeks for steel
• Around 25 to 30 Experts per week + 1 observer
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Requirement for experts selection
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Expertise & Competences
No conflict of interest
Ca. 50% renewal
Max. 3 consecutive participations
Geographical origins
Gender balance
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Eligibilitate şi criterii de selcţie
Eligibilitate
- Lungime şi format
0 = Respins/incomplet
1 = Slab
Selecţie
2 = Acceptabila
- Proiecte de C&D
5 criterii 3 = Bun
- Măsuri de acompaniament 4 criterii 4 = Foarte bun
5 = Excelent
Notare
- Pentru fiecare criteriu de la 0 la 5
- Dacă este prioritate anuală, se primeşte 1 punct bonus
BONUS
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Proiecte de Cercetare, Pilot & Demonstrare
5 criterii, note de la 0 la 5
1.
Abordare ştiinţifică şi tehnică
Prag : dacă nota < 3, propunerea este respinsă !
2.
Conţinut inovator
Prag: dacă nota < 3, propunerea este respinsă !
3.
4.
5.
Compatibilitate resurselor şi calitatea
partneriatului
Interes industrial, perspective ştiinţifice/tehnice
Valoarea adăugată pentru Comunitate, contribuţia
la politicile UE
+ 1 punct dacă propunerea cuprinde cel puţin una dintre priorităţile anuale
5
Măsuri de acompaniament
(= Diseminarea cunoştinţelor acumulate,
seminarii/conferinţe privind proiectele/priorităţile)
4 criterii, note de la 0 la 5
1. Contribuţia la obiectivele FCCO
2. Perspective ştiinţifice, tehnice şi socio-economice
3. Valoarea adăugată pentru Comunitate, contribuţia la
politicile UE
4. Informaţii privind bugetul şi resursele
Nu este niciun prag la fiecare criteriu, dar este un prag general
de 15/20 !
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Evaluation in 3 steps (1)
Each proposal is read and
evaluated independently by
3 evaluators
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Evaluation in 3 steps (2)
Each proposal is read and
evaluated independently by
3 evaluators
A meeting is convened by
a Commission officer
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Evaluation in 3 steps (3)
Each proposal is read and
evaluated independently by
3 evaluators
A meeting is convened by
a Commission officer with
the 3 evaluators
Outcome is summarised in
a consensus report
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Successful consensus report
• Agreed text reflecting the experts’ common
assessment
• No horse trading
• Share views and reach agreement
• Score according to the common text
The final score should reflect
the agreed text !
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Observation: Rejection of applications
Eligibility Criteria
• Length of proposal
• Form B1 (administrative overview) - maximum 5 pages
• Form B2 (proposal decription) - maximum 10 pages
if applicable:
• Form B3 mandatory info for resubmitted propoals (last
evaluation report, summary of changes made) maximum 2 pages
• Respect of format
• Form B4 (technical annex) - no additional documents in
whatever format
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Most common weak points
Criterion 1 (Scientific & technical approach)
• State-of-the-art
• Poorly described – position at European & worldwide level
• Existing patents not taken into account or referenced
• No prioritisation of reference list (Form A1)
• Feasibility
• Poor description/lack of vision on development & validation stages
• Methods & Techniques, Approach
• Experimental activities: link/integration & global objectives unclear
• Excessive modelisation & simulation on unvalidated concepts
“Threshold”
CRITERION
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Most common weak points
Criterion 2 (Innovative content)
• Often not so innovative – new ideas necessary
• Real innovative aspects remain unclear
• Incremental research & added value
• Perspective of a wider & general use of expected results: poorly
described
“Threshold”
CRITERION
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Most common weak points
Criterion 3 (Consistency of resources/quality of partnership)
• Project Scheduling
- Coherence of flow of tasks
- Timing: either lax, either ambitious
• Partnerships
- Industrial partners: often only pointed/specific contributions
- Universities: implication in industrial & economic project parts
- Plethoric & redundant partnerships
- « Sleeping » partners without real contribution
- (Real) Participation of industrial partners
• Workplan
- Deliverables
• Who is responsible for what?
• Definition
- (Clear) Overall WP flow diagram is helpful
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Most common weak points
Criteria 4 & 5
(Industrial interest & Community added value/policies)
• Lack of knowledge of market deployment
• Evaluation of impact on competitiveness: poor or inexistant
• Quantitative assessment of economic impact: poor or inexistant
• Metrics of success missing (preferably with quantitative criteria) for
Go / No Go
• Publication strategy poor (communication, seminars/workshops,
website,…)
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Some remarks & advice
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Strong competition
High quality level of proposals
Long process: start early with experienced partners !
Descriptions should be short & concise, but don't expect the
evaluators to dig out necessary information
Explain improvements in case of resubmission
Test your application by ‘neutral’ proof-readers
Make use of the RFCS projects synopsis
Enrol as an expert (Evaluator)
Typical projects:
- Focused industrial subjects, almost problem solving
- Dedicated and manageable consortium (5/8 partners)
- Average funding ~ 1 – 2 M€
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How to submit a proposal
• Since 2011, RFCS proposals are to be submitted
electronically.
• To be able to apply to the RFCS, each beneficiary
needs a user ID and a Participant Identification
Code (PIC).
• Unless you have already one (through prior
participation in the RFCS or 7th Framework
Programme)  request and validate your PIC as
soon as possible through the Unique Registration
Facility (URF).
• Step by step description on RFCS website
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Expert Registration
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1 dedicated platform: CORDIS
For both FP and RFCS
Simple process
Provides detailed information
In English
REGISTER AS AN EXPERT
https://cordis.europa.eu/emmfp7/index.cfm
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- Register
- New
Expert
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- Name
- Birth date
- Email
- Password
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- Account
created
- Click
“Continue”
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IMPORTANT
Select
FP7 Expert
AND
Non-FP expert
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Fill in:
 Personal
details
 Linguistic
skills
 Activities &
Keywords
 Educational
background
 Experience
 Employment
history
 Interests
 Publications
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CĂRBUNE: Obiectivele programului de cercetare
Managementul
dependenţei
externe de
aprovizionarea cu energie
Îmbunătăţirea
competitivităţii
cărbunelui la nivel
comunitar
Sănătate şi siguranţă
în mine
Pictures ©
Shutterstock, 2010
Pictures ©
Shutterstock,
2010
Protecţia eficientă a
mediului
& îmbunătăţirea
utilizării cărbunelui
ca sursă “curată de energie”
Pictures ©
Shutterstock, 2010
Cărbunele înseamnă: Huilă - Lignit - Cocs - Brichete – Şisturi petroliere
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Overview about selected RFCS projects
List of selected projects relevant for coal
mining:
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DRYCOAL
COMTES 700
IMPREX
MINFIREX
CARBOLAB
OXYBURNER
ENCIO
EDAFFIC
UCG & CO2 STORAGE
NEMAEQ
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DRYCOAL
Commercial-Scale Testing of a Fluidized-Bed Drying
Plant for Highly Efficient Lignite-Fired Power Plants
2004 – 2009
6 Beneficiaries
• Budget 6,2 M€, Funding 2,5 M€
• Addresses climate protection (CO2 reduction) and
efficiency increase through pre-drying of lignite. The
improvement of efficiency is an important element in the
concepts related to CO2 capture technologies in order to
improve plant performance. Beside the efficiency
improvement achieved with the combustion of dry lignite
the dry lignite can be used as start-up fuel (replacing
costly start-up fuels like oil). Application of this
technology possible for new plants as well as for
retrofitting of existing plants.
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OXYBURNER
Design and test of an advanced economic, efficient,
and clean large-scale low NOx oxy-fuel burner
concept for lignite and sub-bituminous coals
2006 – 209
5 Beneficiaries
• Budget 1,4 M€, Funding 0,9 M€
• Oxy-fuel combustion is a promising technology for clean
coal technology and CO2 capture and can be adapted to both
new and existing pulverised coal-fired power stations. This
project focussed on burner design and developed an
advanced low NOx oxy-fuel burner concept for lignite and
sub-bituminous coals.
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COMTES 700
Component test facility for a 700° C power plant
2004 – 2011
6 Beneficiaries
• Budget 15,2 M€, Funding 6,1 M€
• Flagship project: The objective is to design,
manufacture, erect and operate a Component Test
Facility (CTF) to test high temperature resistant new
materials needed to realise a 700 C° and 350 bars
coal based power plant with efficiencies above 50%.
COMTES 700 is considered as the last step before the
actual demonstration of the 700 C° technology for
pulverised coal power plants at industrial scale
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ENCIO
European network for component integration
and optimisation
2011 – 2017
5 Beneficiaries
• Budget 24 M€, Funding 10 M€
• Flagship project: Transition from pilot to demo
plant for 700°C technology, last step before
construction of a 700°C power plant. Key goal:
concentrate all scientific and technological efforts
to make 700°C technology ready for deployment in
coal fired power plants. The project will focus on
practical investigations regarding manufacturing,
welding, repair and life-time concepts for thick
walled components. ENCIO can be seen as perfect
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transition from pilot towards demo features.
IMPREX
Improved extraction ratios for deep coal mines
2008 – 2011
7 Beneficiaries
• Budget 2,4 M€, Funding 1,4 M€
• Improve coal recovery ratios in European deep
mines significantly in a safe and efficient manner;
more sustainable use of European coal reserves and
reduce reliance upon imported energy; improving
means allowing to extract significant tonnages in the
extensive
areas
of
coal
which
are
left
around/between longwall panels and improving the
ability to maximise the extraction of thick coal
seams where large tonnages of coal are currently
abandoned in the goaf
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EDAFFIC
Early detection and fighting of fires in belt
conveyors
• 2008 – 2011
• 7 Beneficiaries
• Budget 2,2 M€, Funding 1,3 M€
• Incidents and accidents involving conveyor belt fires
cause major infrastructure damage and production losses
to mining companies all around the world; research will
deal with the specific topics of fire in conveyor belts and
related ventilation issues;
a multidisciplinary and
comprehensive approach including prevention, early
detection, combustion process, new belt materials, fire
fighting, ventilation use in fire fighting or managing
smoke,
inertization,
environmental
hazards
and
occupational safety
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MINFIREX
Minimising risk for and reducing impact of fire
and explosion hazards in underground coal
mining
2010 – 2013
• Budget 2,6 M€, Funding 1,5 M€
• 7 Beneficiaries
• Fires and explosions are still major cause of injuries and
fatalities in underground coal mining. But also operation
downtimes and productions losses are caused by fires.
The project aims at developing strategies to prevent fires
and explosions and developing innovative detection
measures and fire fighting methods especially for hidden
fires; including an innovative extinguishing system
ensuring effective protection against propagation of fires
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or explosions.
UCG & CO2 STORAGE
Study of deep underground coal gasification and
the permanent storage of CO2 in the affected
areas
2010 to 2012
• 7 Beneficiaries
• Budget 3,1 M€, Funding 1,8 M€
• Evaluate the potential of deep lying coal seams for the
development of UCG and to show that the UCG in deep coal
mines can reuse the same boreholes (with technical
modifications) for the injection and permanent storage of
CO2. Initial estimates suggest that at 1600m, all the CO2
produced during gasification could be re-injected and
stored in liquid form. State-of-the-art geo-mechanic, hydro
geological and UCG cavity growth models will be developed
and validated for application to possible future
demonstration sites.
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CARBOLAB
Improving the knowledge of carbon storage and
coal bed methane production by "in situ"
underground tests
• 2009 to 2013
• 5 Beneficiaries
• Budget 4,1 M€, Funding 2,5 M€
• Improve knowledge of physical and chemical processes
involved in the Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (ECBM) technique,
by means of a series of “in situ” tests of CO2 injection and
CBM production in an underground coal mine; High-quality
data shall be obtained for:
• −
Development of improved models simulating the
mechanical, physical/chemical behaviour of coal & gases
• −
Identification and sizing of the physical parameters during
and after the injection experiments
• −
Long term risk assessment of the CO2 storage.
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NEMAEQ
New mechanisation and automation of longwall
and drivage equipment
• 2006 to 2009
• 8 Beneficiaries
• Budget 3,8 M€, Funding 2,3 M€
• Success story: Complete automation, including optimised
mechanisation of longwall workings and roadway
drivages, are key factors for improving mine productivity.
This successful project developed a fully automated coal
shearer together with the related side equipment. The
research resulted in considerably improved productivity
of ca. 50% within European Coal mines.
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Concluzii
Cercetarea
importante
Comunităţii
cărbune şi
prietenoase
şi dezvoltarea tehnică sunt mijloace foarte
pentru suportul obiectivelor energetice ale
din punctul de vedere al aprovizionării cu
a transformării şi utilizării competitive şi
cu mediul.
Deşi bugetul FCCO este mai mic decât al altor programe,
acesta este un instrument de succes pentru îmbunătăţirea
cunoştinţelor şi pentru dezvoltarea unor tehnologii aplicabile
în domeniul cărbunelui.
FCCO este disponibil în fiecare an pentru proiecte de
cercetare, pilot şi demonstrare care susţin proiectele legate
de domeniul cărbunelui.
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Site-uri utile pentru FCCO
Website-ul FCCO
- http://cordis.europa.eu/coal-steel-rtd/
Pachetul informativ
- http://cordis.europa.eu/coal-steel-rtd/infopack_en.html
Ultimele rapoarte tehnice publicate:
- http://bookshop.europa.eu/
- http://cordis.europa.eu/library/
Rezumatele proiectelor FCCO în curs
- http://cordis.europa.eu/coal-steel-rtd/synopsis_en.html
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Thank you for your attention
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!