The Technology Development Programme (TDP) is a pre-commercial procurement (PCP). PCP challenges innovative players on the market, via an open, transparent and competitive process, to develop new solutions for a technologically demanding mid- to long-term challenge that is in the public interest and requires new Research and Developments (R&D) services, as there are typically no solutions on or close to the market yet. PCP consists in competitive development in stages to identify the solutions offering the best value for money. R&D contracts are awarded to several competing contractors at the same time to compare different approaches to solving the challenge, with the number of competing contractors being reduced after each stage. The TDP Call 2025 consists of six Actions. Each TDP Action will be implemented by means of direct contracts comprising three stages. Following the tendering phase, a direct contract for Stage 1 will be awarded to one or more contractors. Only contractors that successfully completed one stage will be eligible to proceed to the next stage, provided that the price remains within the ceiling price for each stage.

TDP Call 2025 Action 1: Development of a Fast High Current DC Circuit Breaker

This action concerns the development of a prototype Fast high current dc Circuit Breaker (FCB), able to interrupt in less than 1 millisecond a dc current of more than 50 kA with a reapplied voltage of more than 6 kV. Such a fast dc circuit breaker is used for the back-up protection of superconducting magnets in case of quench. Within this action, the design of an FCB with the characteristics indicated in the technical specification will be developed, and a prototype will be manufactured and tested. Stage 1: State of the Art; Stage 2: Design; Stage 3: Manufacturing and Testing.