Reaction Wall of the European Laboratory of Structural Assessment - ELSA

The ELSA Reaction Wall is a facility of unique dimensions and capabilities in Europe and worldwide, capable of conducting experimental tests on full-scale specimens for the safety assessment of structures against earthquakes and other natural and man-made hazards.

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Priority topics of the Reaction Wall

1. Safe and green renovation of buildings for the New European Bauhaus
2. Sustainable materials (e.g., recycled, biodegradable, low-carbon) and new technologies (e.g., design for deconstruction, multifunctional building envelopes, structural glass, advanced manufacturing, 3D printing) in buildings and construction
3. Design and retrofit for resilience (e.g., modular construction, damage-free structures, self-healing structures, influence of non-structural elements, cumulative damage, ageing construction, coupled mechanical and thermal actions, integration of structural stability, energy efficiency and new architectural/security demands, …)
4. Resilience of transport infrastructure, including military mobility
5. Resilience of built infrastructure against multiple hazards, including climate change
6. Advanced testing methods (e.g., hybrid testing)

Definition and conditions of access

Access to the research infrastructure is provided in terms of Units of Access, which are specific to the type and nature of each JRC research facility. In general, the Units of Access can represent measures like days or weeks of use, hours or sessions of instrument time, processing time, or gigabytes of data transmitted.

For the Reaction Wall facility, the access unit corresponds to a 'day' of experimental activities, e.g. to perform tests to fulfil the objectives of the project. These activities typically involve the use of the structural control system and the data acquisition system of the laboratory connected to the loading system and to the instrumentation. The test preparations days are not computed as access days.

• Estimated total Days allocated to the call:  20
• Estimated average number of Days per User Access Project: 10 
• Estimated maximum duration of the User Access Project: 12 months 

Estimated additional costs excluding consumables and other expenses: 

• Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 5847 € / Day*
• Research infrastructure operated by users: not possible 

Support to users for travel and subsistence

The JRC may provide a financial or in-kind contribution to support Users from User Institutions located in a country eligible for the Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence actions under the Horizon Europe programme to cover their costs of travel and subsistence (T&S) related to the User Stay Days, subject to the availability of funds, personnel and other resources. 

Namely the countries are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and all Associated Countries with equivalent characteristics in terms of R&I performance (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and once associated Morocco, as well as the Outermost Regions (defined in Art. 349 TFEU). 

A User Stay Day is a day of physical presence of a User at the concerned Research Infrastructure for Access related to the User Access Project. A User Stay Day counts as a registered entry to the JRC site where the Research Infrastructure is located. 

• Estimated total number of short-term User Stay Days eligible for T&S allocated to the call: 20
• Estimated total number of long-term User Stay Days eligible for T&S allocated to the call: 0 

A short-term stay corresponds to a stay of up to 10 User Stay Days. 

A long-term stay corresponds to a stay exceeding 15 User Stay Days, up to a maximum of 200 User Stay Days. 

For more information on the support offered to users please consult the Rules on the contribution to travel and subsistence expenses of external users.

The Lead User is welcomed to fill in the user travel and subsistence form and send it to JRC-OPEN-ELSA@ec.europa.eu by the closing date of the call. For more information, the lead user may contact the JRC research infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-ELSA@ec.europa.eu.

Allocation of intellectual property rights:

• The JRC and the entitled party (person or organisation that has been granted access) become co-owners in equal shares of all raw data, treated data and documentation data developed with respect to the access.

Eligibility criteria

• The Lead User Institution and User Institutions (see definitions in the Framework) must be from an EU Member State, or country associated to the Horizon Europe programme  (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland*, Türkiye, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom).
• The Lead User Institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from a Small-Medium-Enterprise (SME).
• User Institutions belonging to international organisations provided that the JRC has concluded a Collaboration instrument that ensures reciprocity for Access of Users from the JRC and User Institutions to their respective Research Infrastructures. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of User Institutions belonging to international organisations in the absence of a Collaboration instrument under the conditions specified in the Framework.
• User Institutions established in an EU Member State or in a country associated to the Horizon Europe programme must not be directly or indirectly controlled by non-associated third countries, or by legal entities of non-associated third countries. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of User Institutions controlled directly or indirectly by non-associated third countries, or by legal entities of non-associated third countries.
• Individual Users must be nationals of an EU Member State or a country associated to the Horizon Europe programme. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of Users that are not nationals of EU Member States, or of a country associated to the Horizon Europe programme, for overriding justified reasons.
• Ethical considerations in accordance with EU Law, in particular Art. 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, and applicable laws and regulations in the EU Member States.
• The proposal submission form is complete and complies with the instructions.
• * Swiss institutions can apply as from now. However, the actual participation in the activities will be subject to the conclusion of the agreement between the EU/Horizon Europe and Switzerland on Union Programmes, currently in the process of formal adoption.

Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following selection criteria: 

• Scientific implementation (50 points) 
• Collaboration and access by new User Institutions (20 points) 
• Strategic relevance (30 points) 

How to apply

The proposal must be prepared using the Relevance-driven Proposal Submission Form.

During preparation of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to:

• Read the "Framework for Access to the Physical Research Infrastructures of the JRC" and all related documents in the Framework for Access page.
• Contact the research infrastructure to assess feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure at the e-mail address: at JRC-OPEN-ELSA@ec.europa.eu.

The proposal should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS@ec.europa.eu by the closing date of the call.