Cerame-Unie is a dissemination partner in two Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) projects which started in October 2013, one of which is ReStaR. ReStaR aims to improve, promote and ensure the reliability, precision and efficiency of the current European refractory testing standards which form the base of the technical data sheets for refractory products. An extensive investigation of the current EN testing methods, designs of experiments and interlaboratory test, more specifically collaborative tests, is the key approach.

The ReStaR project – “Review and improvement of testing Standards for Refractory products” – was launched at the PRE office in Brussels in October 2013. Representatives from the 13 different partners attended a two-day meeting. Following a six month negotiation period with the European Commission, the ReStaR project officially began on 1 October 2013 and will last for 24 months. The total budget for the project is € 1.6 million, of which more than € 1.2 million is funded through the FP7 programme “Research for the benefit of SME associations”.

Project milestones

• A first project status meeting was held in April 2014 in Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany.
• A mid-term meeting was held in October 2014 in Moncel les Lunéville, France.
• A third progress meeting was organised in 2014 in Gliwice, Poland.
• The final ReStaR meeting will take place in Vienna, Austria in September 2015.

Further information can be found on the project website.