CFAs: DAC Fleet Retrofitting and Retrofit Capacity Plan Grant Programme

Scope

• The project stemming from this topic shall address all the following workstreams:
  • Workstream 1: Fleet retrofitting readiness
    • The project should collect and analyse the status of wagons and locomotives in operations in Europe. The processed information should consider the number of wagons and locomotives, the usage, the technical state and its retrofitting ability (fleet retrofitting readiness). The project shall deliver a sound assessment on the retrofitting readiness of wagons and locomotives which will serve as the basis for the strategic sector alignment, in the context of the EDDP, on the future DAC deployment plans. The project shall cover for its assessment the following elements (non-exhaustive list):
      • Locomotives difference between shunting and mainline ones and the possibility to have hybrid coupling or DAC only;
      • Wagons based on the type of traffic (Core Wagonload System (CWS), intermodal);
    • TSI compliance and safety level achieved (e.g. inner-coupling for rakes).
  • Workstream 2: DAC Retrofitting capacity plan
    • The project should identify the required workshop capacity and locations (in Europe), workforce skills for retrofitting of locomotives, freight wagons and other on track machines, as well as the planned/required retrofitting rolling stock quantities. The outputs of the workstream 1 are an important element to take into account in the analysis.
    • It should also propose a DAC retrofitting plan considering the optimisation of workshop locations and the major sidings/terminals in Europe (e.g. through predominant traffic type) use, and related vehicle fleets. A gap analysis should be performed and required countermeasures analysed, with the aim to propose alternative technical and operational solutions.
    • The project should develop a comprehensive retrofitting capacity plan, including concrete operational and technical recommendations (including timing) per traffic type (Block Train, Single Wagon Load) and concerned fleet. The plan should include (non-exhaustive list):
      • an allocation of vehicles per retrofitting workshops;
      • an identification of the rolling stock, timing and retrofitting process per type/vehicle;
      • an estimate of the foreseen DAC components quantity required per retrofitting location.
    • Additionally, the project should propose further recommendation based on the analysis on how mobile workshops could cover (in part) the retrofit needs and their impact on:
      • Retrofitting plan on infrastructure (e.g. buffer stop retrofitting plan, changes needed to shunting yards/sidings and planning).
      • Requirements for the wagons for operations at shunting yards (e.g. uncoupling button or lever at the side).

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant)

Expected Outcomes

• During the past years and within the scope of the S2R freight innovation pillar (IP5), rail stakeholders have been working on the freight Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC). This solution, in addition to the mechanical and pneumatic coupling, will integrate digital communications and energy for the rail freight segment. DAC is an enabler that will enhance the performance and safety of rail freight as it will eliminate manual interventions and, by transmitting data and power through the freight train consist, it will allow addressing the operational gaps to increase the competitiveness of rail freight.
• The project stemming from this topic should deliver :
  • a plan for a full-scale European DAC upgrading/retrofitting of existing freight locomotives and freight wagons;
  • the identification and assessment of the retrofitting capacity, and develop an implementation plan.

Eligible Activities

• Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and must not:
  • aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes;
  • intend to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (except for research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be financed);
  • intend to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research, or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.
• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’).
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies.
  • Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.
  • Training and mobility actions (TMA) — Activities that aim to improve the skills, knowledge and career prospects of researchers, based on mobility between countries and, if relevant, between sectors or disciplines.
  • Pre-commercial procurement actions (PCP) — Activities that aim to help a transnational buyers’ group to strengthen the public procurement of research, development, validation and, possibly, the first deployment of new solutions that can significantly improve quality and efficiency in areas of public interest, while opening market opportunities for industry and researchers active in Europe.
  • Public procurement of innovative solutions actions (PPI) — Activities that aim to strengthen the ability of a transnational buyers’ group to deploy innovative solutions early by overcoming the fragmentation of demand for such solutions and sharing the risks and costs of acting as early adopters, while opening market opportunities for industry

Eligibility Criteria

• Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
• A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
    • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
    • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe:
    • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Specific cases:
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call conditions provide otherwise.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. Unless their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority, other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding.

For more information, visit European Commission.