ARCOR
Association for Research on Corrosion and Corrosion Protection
ARCOR is a French law 1901 association, created to bring together industrial companies wishing to participate in shared research programmes on corrosion and protection solutions. Founded in 2003, it today brings together 83 member companies from the most demanding sectors worldwide, and runs a portfolio of 9 active industrial research consortia, representing an annual budget of €891k in 2025.
Why join ARCOR?
Corrosion represents a colossal cost for global industry — estimated at more than €2,500 billion per year worldwide. Anticipating and controlling this risk requires continuous research: identifying new, more resistant materials, qualifying anti-corrosion solutions adapted to new applications, understanding degradation mechanisms in unprecedented environments (hydrogen, CCUS, electrolysis, biological environments, etc.). Carrying out this work alone represents a considerable investment, often disproportionate to actual needs.
This is precisely the value of cost-shared research: by pooling their resources within the MRCs, ARCOR members collectively access programmes of a scale that none of them could fund alone, while directly steering the work towards their own industrial concerns. Every euro invested is thus multiplied by the number of participants, and the results obtained are immediately operational for the entire group.
What ARCOR collaborative research delivers in practice
- Discover and qualify new materials and alloys with improved corrosion resistance in severe or emerging environments
- Develop and validate new anti-corrosion solutions: coatings, inhibitors, surface treatments, cathodic protection systems
- Assess the compatibility of existing materials with new energy carriers (hydrogen, ammonia, captured CO₂) or new industrial processes
- Build long-term performance databases, essential for the design and service life of equipment
- Anticipate regulatory and standardisation developments by contributing to the production of internationally recognised reference data
- Reduce maintenance and replacement costs through better material selection from the design stage
Other membership benefits
- Access to test facilities unique in Europe, operated by the French Corrosion Institute in Brest and by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
- Guaranteed confidentiality within each MRC: the results and data produced are strictly reserved for its participating members
- Scientific dissemination intent: the work is intended to be shared (publications, conferences) subject to the prior unanimous agreement of the members of the MRC concerned
- Preferential rates on studies and services carried out at the French Corrosion Institute outside MRC programmes
A leading industrial network bringing together 83 major groups, equipment manufacturers and material suppliers on a global scale
How it works — The Member Research Consortia (MRC)
ARCOR is organised around Member Research Consortia (MRCs), each dedicated to a specific corrosion topic. Each MRC operates according to the following principles:
Annual membership fee
€7,000 excl. VAT per member and per MRC in 2026. The MRC budget is directly proportional to the number of participants. For example: the Marine MRC represents €110k/year, the Automotive MRC €266k/year. More than 95% of the membership budget is directly allocated to carrying out the studies selected by the members of each MRC during programme votes.
Governance
Members vote on the directions and work programmes proposed by the French Corrosion Institute. The FCI provides the technical coordination and carries out the work (in-house or through subcontracting). The FCI has no voting rights on the direction of the work.
Meetings
Generally twice a year: a videoconference meeting and an in-person meeting during the ARCOR Days, also accessible remotely. The ARCOR Days are the opportunity to hold the association’s Annual General Meeting, open to all members.
Confidentiality
The results, work and documents produced within an MRC are strictly confidential to its members. Information exchanged between members of the same MRC is not, by nature, confidential between them — each member undertakes to ensure that it is allowed to disclose it to the MRC. This work may not be communicated outside the MRC without consent.
Dissemination
MRC work is intended to be disseminated (conference presentations, publications in specialised journals). Any dissemination initiative is subject to prior consultation of the members of the MRC concerned. The absence of objection within two months is deemed consent; opposition from a single member is enough to constitute a refusal.
Commitment
The minimum membership is 3 years, renewable annually thereafter by tacit renewal with 6 months’ notice.
Active MRCs
MRCs managed by ARCOR — French Corrosion Institute
| MRC | Since | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Coil | 1991 | Corrosion of pre-painted steels (coil coating) |
| Marine | 2004 | Marine and offshore corrosion, port structures and seawater systems |
| CCUS & H₂S | 2011 | CO₂ capture & storage and H₂S environments |
| Paint | 2012 | Paints and coatings for steel structures in atmospheric and immersion service |
| Aerospace | 2017 | Corrosion in the aerospace industry |
| Soil | 2018 | Soil corrosion and cathodic protection |
| Hydrogen | 2022 | Material behaviour in gaseous hydrogen |
| Brines & Waters | 2025 | Material corrosion in brines and industrial waters (new) |
| Naval Paint | 2025 | Naval and marine paint qualification campaigns (new) |
| Water Electrolysis | 2026 | Corrosion and protection in low-temperature water electrolysers (PEM/AEM) |
| Biorefinery | 2022 | Corrosion in biorefinery production (co-managed with IKKI) |
MRCs managed by IKKI — RISE (Sweden)
| MRC | Since | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive | 1990s | Corrosion in the transport and automotive industry |
| CPPI | 1980s | Process industry and pulp & paper |
| Cpp | 1987 | Corrosion properties of polymers |
| CorrProt | 1990s | Corrosion protection |
| SurfTech | 2012 | Surface technology |
| Brass | 2019 | Brass alloys |
| Biorefinery | 2022 | Corrosion in biorefinery production |
Membership terms
-
ARCOR membership is open to any legal entity governed by private or public law. Two access routes are possible:
-
Direct membership via the French Corrosion Institute
For companies wishing to join the MRCs managed by ARCOR/FCI.
Membership via IKKI (RISE)
For companies wishing to participate in MRCs managed by RISE in Sweden, with the possibility of cross-access to ARCOR MRCs.
Membership involves a minimum commitment of 3 years, renewable thereafter by annual tacit renewal with 6 months’ notice. New memberships are subject to approval by the Board of Directors.
ARCOR 2025 Members
83 member companies — more than 15 nationalities represented
ARCOR members come from more than 15 countries: France, Norway, United States, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Luxembourg, and others.
Airbus Defence and Space · Airbus Helicopters · Airbus Operation · Aker BP · Aker Solutions · AkzoNobel Car Refinishes B.V. · AkzoNobel Hilden GmbH · AkzoNobel UK · Alleima (formerly AB Sandvik) · Aperam · ArcelorMittal (AC & CS) · ArcelorMittal Global R&D (AMMR) · ArcelorMittal Global R&D Esch/Alzette · ArcelorMittal Global R&D Gent (OCAS) · BAC Corrosion · Baker Hughes · Becker Industrial Coatings Ltd. · Bluescope Steel Ltd · Boeing Company · BS Coatings · Chemetall · Constellium · Direction centrale du service de soutien de la flotte (DCSSF) · Direction générale de l’Armement (DGA) · Électricité de France (EDF) · Equinor · GE Power Conversion · Geostock · Grundfos Holding · Hempel · Henkel Technologies · Hyundai Steel · IFP Énergies nouvelles (IFPEN) · Industeel, Groupe ArcelorMittal · JFE Steel · Jotun · Liebherr · Maestria · National Oilwell Varco (NOV) · Natran (GRTgaz) · Naval Group · Nippon Steel Corporation · NOF Metal Coatings Europe · Nordion Energi AB (Swedgas) · NV Bekaert · Orano TN International · Outokumpu Stainless · Petrobras · PPG France Business · PPG Industries Ltd · Primco · Renault SAS · Safran · Saipem · Schlumberger · Shell · SIAPP · SNCZ · Socomore · SPEIRA GmbH · SSAB Europe · Stellantis (PSA) · Storengy · Subsea 7 · Tata Steel Nederland Technology BV · Tata Steel UK · Technip Energies · Technip FMC · Tenaris · Terega · Ternium Sidérar · Thales Underwater Systems · The Sherwin Williams Company · TotalEnergies · Trapil · UGITECH · Vallourec · VERI (Veolia) · VM Building Solutions · voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG · voestalpine Stahl · Volvo Penta · Wintershall Norge / Harbour Energy
Governance
ARCOR is a French law 1901 association, with its registered office at Technopôle de Brest Iroise, 220 rue Rivoalon, 29200 Brest. It has a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee elected every three years by the General Assembly.
2025 Executive Committee
President: Danièle Quantin
Vice-Presidents: Jérôme Peultier (Vallourec) & Hervé Marchebois (Totalenergies)
Secretary: Erwan Diler (French Corrosion Institute)
Treasurer: Kevin Morvan (French Corrosion Institute)
Contact us
For any information or membership request:
Erwan Diler — erwan.diler@institut-corrosion.fr — +33 (0)2 98 05 15 52
Competition law compliance — Antitrust statement
ARCOR is an association bringing together companies that are competitors in certain sectors. As such, it is committed to strict compliance with applicable competition law and antitrust rules. Each participant in ARCOR’s work and meetings certifies that they have been trained and informed on these matters, and are fully aware that agreements and coordinated behaviour between competitors that restrict or limit competition are illegal and subject to sanctions.
Consequently, it is strictly forbidden during ARCOR meetings to discuss:
Prices and commercial terms
- Past, current or future prices, discounts and rebates
- Reactions to supplier price changes or pass-through of costs to customers
Production and capacities
- Individual production levels, production capacities or utilisation rates
- Current or future aggregated production or capacity levels
- Sector statistics, except under the supervision of external legal counsel
- Investments
Strategies and sensitive commercial data
- Inappropriate concerted actions
- Sensitive information relating to customers or suppliers
- Outlook on future demand for specific products allowing conclusions to be drawn about the competitive situation or actions of individual companies
- Forward-looking individual operational or commercial strategies
- Sensitive commercial data relating to the current or future position of individual companies: production shutdowns, costs, strategies, bids, sales, orders, stocks, market shares or exports
This statement is reiterated at every ARCOR meeting. Each participant personally undertakes to comply with it.