CONSORTIUM
The consortium of 7 beneficiaries and an associated partner is quite big for an Accompanying Measure (AM) project. All these partners are well-known European research centres closely dedicated to the steel industry. The SUPER proposal, representing a further step forward in the ‘dissemination route’, will benefit of such an experience and long-time consolidated cooperation for its success. On the other hand, all the SUPER participants are and have always been, in various ways, in direct contact with the steel industry and other process industries and for this reason have a valuable and specific experience for orienting the results of the proposed project towards an effective industrial exploitation.
The VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH (BFI) is one of Europe's leading private sector institutes for applied research and development in the field of steel technology. BFI is a non-profit, limited liability company. The main objective of the institute’s work is the optimization of steel production processes under economic, quality and environmental aspects including Industry 4.0 topics. BFI has a staff of about 100 people, 70 % of them being scientists and engineers with long-term experience on the processes of the steel industry.
In SUPER, BFI is responsible for the management and coordination of the project. In addition, BFI supports K1-MET in reviewing recent R&D activities and updating technology roadmaps to identify future pathways of decarbonized steel production. BFI updates the ‘Green Steel for Europe’ decarbonization scenarios, which detail production volumes, CO₂ emissions and resource requirements based on the new technology pathways.
RINA Consulting - Centro Sviluppo Materiali (RINA-CSM) is a fully private innovation centre with extensive experiences for the development and application of innovative processes and materials, founded in 1963 by Italy's major steel manufacturers and end-users with the mission of developing steel technologies and applications. Today CSM is part of RINA-CSM, a global provider of classification, certification, testing, inspection and training services, operating in 170 offices in 65 countries. CSM is still a leading centre for applied research. Its research activities are mainly related to modelling and design of materials and products, optimization and development of processes and innovative pilot plants, and reduction of environmental impact. The traditional presence of CSM as the Italian reference pole in European research (RFCS and Framework Programs) results in hundreds of international collaboration agreements and contracts.
For SUPER purposes, RINA-CSM leverages its extensive experience and skills carbon-neutral production oriented, with its great score of projects at Institutional level, and support to stakeholders. RINA-CSM will bring in the project its competence in different fields, such as organisation of Steelmaster and Eurosteelmaster courses, support for the project outcomes dissemination for publication in relevant technical journals and for presentation in international conferences, execution and analysis of in-depth interviews with technical experts, contribution with partners to future activities and policy initiatives to leverage synergies.
K1-MET is a renowned metallurgical competence center for excellent metallurgical and environmental process development supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency with the framework of the COMET programme. K1-MET specializes in the fields of metallurgical and environmental process development, circularity, resource efficiency, decarbonization and digitalization of steelmaking. Close collaboration with industry and academic institutions, combining fundamental research, computer modeling, and laboratory-scale experimental trials up to industrial applications, forms the foundation for the company's successful growth over the last 25 years.
K1-MET contributes to SUPER its sector-coupling expertise, as well as its experience with technical roadmapping. K1-MET’s primary responsibilities include reviewing recent R&D initiatives to give a broad picture of present and upcoming technologies along with activities that facilitate industrial sector coupling.
The Social Research Center Dortmund (sfs) of TU Dortmund University (TUDO) in charge of the SUPER project is one of the long-established German research institutes in the field of social science labour and education research. Founded in 1946, the former state institute became a central scientific institution of the Technical University of Dortmund in 2007. The overarching guiding theme of the sfs' research work is social science innovation research. It examines how social innovations arise and how they relate to technological innovations. Another focus is on the question of the conditions and perspectives for realising economically, ecologically and socially sustainable development. sfs is involved in shaping social, technological and ecological processes of change and innovation.
In the SUPER project TUDO is contributing its extensive expertise in pro-active skills adjustment for a sustainable steel and process industry. TUDO is responsible for key tasks in evaluating SUPER recruitment and training activities based on existing initiatives (e.g. ESSA, SPIRE-SAIS, Skills4EII) and in providing scientific support for online training via platforms such as steelHub and SKILLS4Planet.
EIT Raw Materials GmbH (EIT), Germany, with head quarter in Berlin (Germany) EIT RawMaterials is the biggest network in the raw materials field. We are a European network consistent of Universities, Research organisations and companies in the raw materials field. Being at the intersection of education and industry is positioning us to deliver suitable talent to the industry, our focus on innovation in the sector lead to establishing education programs focussing on innovation and decarbonisation such as the Race. EIT will deliver the RACE program which focusses on raw materials related Master students. The Race program was running since 2019 bringing together different value chain actors and the related talent. The students will visit different companies and an RTO related to the steel cycle steel making, steel products and decarbonisation of the industry. Students will work on company challenges related also to the challenges of decarbonisation discussed in the project. Furthermore, the students will give an insight into the perception of the steel industry by the young generation. The positive impact the Race can have towards the perception of the steel sector amongst the young generation will be evaluated.
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA), Italy, is an autonomous, special statute public university operating in the field of applied sciences with the aims of promoting the development of culture, scientific and technological research, and innovation. SSSA is participating in the SUPER project through the Sustainability and Climate Interdisciplinary Center (SCIC), which promotes an interdisciplinary research strategy to effectively address global sustainability challenges. Complementary expertise is provided by several research groups, among which is the Information and communications technology (ICT) center for Complex Industrial Systems and Processes (ICT-COISP) of the Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, and Photonics Institute (TeCIP). This team, which was founded in 2001, focuses on the application of advanced modelling and simulations system for monitoring, management, optimization and control of processes for steel production also targeting improved environmental sustainability of the steel production cycle and implementation of Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis and Energy Efficiency solutions. Researchers and professors belonging to CISC also participate in projects related to steel production, by bringing competencies on evaluation of environmental sustainability of novel technologies and operating practices through the LCA methodology and assessment of their social impact.
SSSA contributes to SUPER thanks to its know-how on sector-coupling, digitalization, and assessment of novel technologies.
Łukasiewicz – Upper Silesian Institute of Technology was established on April 1, 2022, through the consolidation of three research institutes, each with a rich history and strong expertise in its respective field. The oldest of these is the Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy (IMŻ), founded in 1945, which played a key role in the development of the Polish steel industry and metallurgical research. The Welding Institute, also founded in 1945 in Gliwice, became a national center of excellence for welding technologies and innovations. The third founding pillar is the Institute of Electrical Drives and Machines KOMEL, established in 1948, which specialized in the design, testing, and implementation of advanced electric machines and drive systems, particularly for the transportation and heavy industry sectors. The merger of these institutions created a strong R&D unit capable of meeting the modern needs of industry and a knowledge-based economy.
The Institute focuses on developing advanced technologies and solutions for industry, particularly in the fields of materials engineering and metallurgy, welding and joining technologies, industrial digitalization, automation and robotics, cybersecurity, information technologies, and sustainable development. A key aspect of its mission is to support industrial transformation towards climate neutrality, including the decarbonization of the steel sector.
Łukasiewicz – GIT conducts both applied research and implementation projects, working closely with businesses, public institutions, and academic partners in Poland and abroad. The Institute plays a vital role in driving innovation in heavy industry and the digital economy, addressing the challenges of Industry 4.0 and the European Green Deal.
In the SUPER project GIT is involved in part of the RACE project. It is hosting the RACE event in the last week of August 2025. It is supporting EIT RAM in organising this event.
European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP), Belgium, comprises major stakeholders in the European steel industry. Members are major steel manufacturers; universities and research institutions active in steel research; major users of steel such as car manufacturers; and public bodies like the European Commission and national governments. The technology platform, located in Belgium, is focused on supporting collaborative projects, research and innovation in the European steel industry. ESTEP is also facilitating the co-programmed European Partnership for Clean Steel.
ESTEP contributes to SUPER as key enabler with its central role within the EU steel community network.