Research & development

During 2010, the work on the cooperative research projects for a duration period of three years continued; these projects started in previous years and receive funding from the European Union (art. 55 ECSC) and have now been merged to form the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS).

Such research relates to issues regarding agglomeration, coke ovens, blast furnaces, steelwork, hot rolling, cold cycle, use of steel in infrastructures and rolling cylinders.

The presence of ILVA S.p.A. within the framework of the funded research covers a total number of 23 ongoing projects (to be ended in 2010). In 2010 that part of research activities, partly financed by the 6^th Framework Program of the European Community and managed by the ULCOS (Ultra Low CO² Steel making) consortium, of which ILVA S.p.A. is a core member, came to an end. The consortium also manages two important demonstration projects on innovative technologies for the production of blast furnace and direct reduction molten pig iron, aimed at reducing CO² emissions in steel production.
The members of the ULCOS consortium have decided to sign an agreement to implement the most promising technology resulting from research projects on a pilot and industrial scale, during the period 2011-2016.

As representative of the RIVA Group, ILVA S.p.A. also participated in the activities of the “European Steel Technology Platform” which is the main tool for defining the priorities of the relevant research activities in the iron and steel sector that can be funded under the 7^th Framework Program of the European Commission (2007 - 2013).

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