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Reaction Wall, European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA)

The central feature of the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) is the Reaction Wall. It consists of a reinforced concrete vertical wall and a horizontal floor rigidly connected together to test the vulnerability of buildings to...

Details

Status
Closed
Reference
2021-1-RD-ELSA-ReactionWall
Publication date
2 February 2022 in Ispra, Italy
Opening date
Deadline model
Single-stage
Deadline date
15 February 2022, 01:00 (CET)

Description

We invite cross-boundary proposals for projects to experiment, prototype and demonstrate ideas for the New European Bauhaus. The JRC ELSA Reaction Wall and the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory will serve as collaboration platform to stimulate creativity and innovation in the built environment.

The central feature of the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) is the Reaction Wall. It consists of a reinforced concrete vertical wall and a horizontal floor rigidly connected together to test the vulnerability of buildings to earthquakes and other threats to structural stability.

Reaction Wall at the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA)

In this call for proposals, ELSA is collaborating with the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory to provide access to techniques such as electron microscopy, X-Ray diffraction, X-Ray photoelectron microscopy and BET for the structural and morphology characterisation of smart and sustainable materials including nanomaterials in buildings and constructions.

The Nanobiotechnology Laboratory features state-of-the-art equipped facilities designed to foster interdisciplinary studies. A special emphasis lies on characterisation of nanomaterials, micro-nanoplastics, advanced materials and their interactions with biological systems, as well as on the detection, identification and characterisation of nanomaterials in food and consumer products.

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Priority topics of the Reaction Wall
  1. Safe and green renovation of buildings for the New European Bauhaus
  2. Smart and sustainable materials including nanomaterials in buildings and construction – projects under this topic will use both the ELSA Reaction Wall and the JRC Nanobiotechnology Laboratory
  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, integration of structural stability, energy efficiency and new architectural/security demands)
  4. Safety of built infrastructure against multiple hazards, including climate change
  5. New materials and technologies (e.g., design for deconstruction, multifunctional building envelopes, structural glass, advanced manufacturing, 3D printing)
  6. Sustainable materials for construction (e.g., recycled concrete, biodegradable and sustainable materials, low-carbon steel and concrete)
  7. Application of advanced testing methods (e.g., hybrid testing)

Definition and conditions of access

Access to the research infrastructure is granted on the basis of Access Units (e.g. days or weeks of use, hours or sessions of beam time, processing time and gigabytes of data transmitted, etc.). Access Units are specific to the type and nature of each JRC research infrastructure that provides access.

For the Reaction Wall, 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.

  • Estimated total number of Access Units (days) allocated to the call: 16
  • Average number of Access Units (days) per Project: 8
  • Estimated costs excluding consumables and expenses:
    • Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 5847 € / Day
    • Research infrastructure operated by users: Not possible

The users will be responsible for the costs associated to the construction, demolition and disposal of the test specimen.

The number of Access Days for a project will depend on the size and number of specimens, number and capacity of actuators, number of instruments and tests, modifications of instrumentation set-up between tests, etc. The following examples are purely indicative:

  • four tests on a single specimen using four actuators and 50 instruments: 4 access days,
  • four tests on two specimens (two tests on each specimen) using two actuators and 80 instruments: 5 access days,
  • four tests on a single specimen using four actuators and 80 instruments, change of instrumentation set-up after each test: 7 access days.

    The users will be responsible for the costs associated to the construction, demolition and disposal of the test specimen.

    For the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory the Unit of Access is 'Instrument days’, which correspond to the use of one (1) instrument during one (1) day.

    • Estimated total number of Instrument days allocated to the call: 10
    • Estimated number of Instrument days per project: 2 (i.e. 1 instruments for 2 days)

    Estimated costs excluding consumables and expenses:

    • Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 219 € / instrument day*
    • Research infrastructure operated by users: 68 € / instrument day*

    Payment of the additional costs will be waived for User Access Projects where the Lead User Institution and 2/3 or more of the User Institutions (including the Lead User Institution) are located in a country eligible for the “Widening participation and spreading excellence Programme” (see list of countries in the section “Support of users for travel and subsistence”). In case of one or two User Institutions (including the Lead User Institutions), this requirement is only applied to the Lead User Institution.

    Support of users for travel and subsistence

    The JRC may provide a financial or in-kind contribution to support Users 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 to Users from User Institutions established in a country eligible for the Widening participation and spreading excellence Programme. Eligible countries are 'widening countries' or 'low R&I performing countries' as established in Art. 2 (17) of regulation (EU) 2021/695:

    Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

    Associated countries: eligible countries based on an indicator and published in the work programme.

    Legal entities from outermost regions as defined in Article 349 TFUE: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

    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 at the ELSA Reaction Wall eligible for T&S allocated to the call: 30
    • Estimated total number of long-term User Stay Days at the ELSA Reaction Wall eligible for T&S allocated to the call: 0
    • Estimated total number of short-term User Stay Days at the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory eligible for T&S allocated to the priority: 10
    • Estimated total number of long-term User Stay Days Nanobiotechnology Laboratory eligible for T&S allocated to the call: 0

    Long-term stays are primarily for students and have a duration exceeding 20 User Stay Days.

    The Lead User is invited to fill in the User travel and subsistence form for short-term User Stay Days at the ELSA Reaction Wall and send it to JRC-OPEN-ELSAatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-ELSA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the closing date of the call. For more information the Lead User may contact the JRC Research Infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-ELSAatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-ELSA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).

    For projects under the priority topic ‘Nanomaterials in buildings and construction’, the Lead User is invited to fill in the User travel and subsistence form for short-term User Stay Days at the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory and send it to JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECHatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECH[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the closing date of the call. For more information the Lead User may contact the JRC Research Infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECHatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECH[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]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

    *At the time of publishing this call, association negotiations are being processed or association is imminent with the following countries (listed in the alphabetical order):

    Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

    User Institutions established in these countries are eligible to participate in the calls for proposals and shall be treated in the evaluations as if already associated from the launch date of the call.

    The implementation of this action, however, will be conditional upon the effective association of each country. Accordingly, the signature of the Research Infrastructure Access Agreement with User Institutions from these countries, or the participation of User Institutions from these countries in the Open Access action will only be possible once the association of the country has become effective.

    For more information and for an updated list of countries reflecting the status of the negotiations for association, please consult the “List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe” and the "Horizon Europe Programme Guide".

    Selection criteria

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

    • Scientific implementation (50 points)
    • Collaboration and access to new Users (20 points)
    • Strategic relevance to the JRC (15 points)
    • Strategic importance for Europe (15 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 of Access to Joint Research Centre physical Research Infrastructures" and all related documents in the Framework for Access page.
    • Contact the ELSA Reaction Wall research infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-ELSAatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-ELSA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) to assess the number of access days and feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure.
    • For proposals under the priority topic ‘Nanomaterials in buildings and construction’, contact also the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory research infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECHatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-NANOBIOTECH[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) to assess feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure.
    • The proposal should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESSatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the closing date of the call.

    The User Selection Committee will only evaluate proposals that are complete and comply with the instructions in the proposal submission form.

    Communication of the assessment of proposals:2022-03-15 00:00:00

    Related Content

    Selection Criteria Background Documents

    The 6 Priorities of the European Commission

    JRC Thematic Focus Areas