FINOCAS is a joint venture between the Flemish Region and ArcelorMittal Belgium. OCAS (OnderzoeksCentrum voor de Aanwending van Staal) and ENDURES are research centres of FINOCAS, equipped with state-of-the-art R&D facilities. OCAS (Zelzate, BE) anticipates its customer’s needs by developing alloys and coatings, by producing and testing samples and co-developing steel applications. ENDURES (Den Helder, NL) is a contract research company specialising in applied research on marine corrosion and antifouling. Both R&D centres combine their expertise in the field of materials science to extend their service offer and provide custom-made solutions adding value, reduce costs and prevent materials damage for their customers.

FINOCAS focuses on society's needs: energy transition; durability and lifetime prediction; and environment. This is reflected in the OCAS R&D activities for a variety of stakeholders in the wind and renewable energies, solar power and notably hydrogen, both as reductant in the process industry as well as energy carrier. With hydrogen being considered as the main decarbonisation alternative for the hard-to-abate sectors, OCAS is working on the compatibility of steels and other metals with hydrogen and developing hydrogen resistant steel grades for the hydrogen economy. At the same time OCAS is designing new steel-based solutions to build the backbone for the decarbonisation efforts to transport CO2 for the implementation of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

ENDURES has a C3/C4 seaside testing location to expose samples to maritime exposure conditions both aerial and immersed, as well in the tidal or splash zone. ENDURES also has a raft for efficacy tests of antifouling paints and can carry out lab experiments in running natural seawater.

By working together, FINOCAS and its subsidiaries strengthen each other for the benefit of their customers.