Boosting the clean energy transition in cities and regions

The LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL grant call is part of the EU's LIFE Clean Energy Transition initiative aimed at accelerating the clean energy transition in urban and regional areas. This program supports cities and regional authorities in developing and implementing decarbonization plans and strategies. The focus areas include enhancing local capacity and skills to reach clean energy targets within the framework of the European Green Deal.

Eligible applicants include local and regional authorities, public-private partnerships, non-profit organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises, and community stakeholders. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least three entities from three different eligible countries. The funding mechanism is a LIFE Action Grant, providing up to 1.75 million euros per project, with an overall budget of 7 million euros allocated to this specific opportunity. The maximum EU funding rate is set at 95%.

The grant application follows a single-stage open call process with a deadline of September 23, 2025. Projects can focus on two main scopes: the implementation of integrated decarbonization plans, which aims to mainstream sustainable energy measures and enhance regulatory frameworks, and the development of methodologies for local heating and cooling strategies, addressing the decarbonization of the heating sector.

Applicants must clearly outline the targeted cities and regions, describe the necessary actions and methods for their proposals, assess required financial resources, and demonstrate strong stakeholder engagement. Although success rates are not specified, the funding rate suggests a high level of support.

This initiative ultimately seeks to foster clean energy transitions that not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also address energy poverty while promoting social equity. By requiring collaborative multi-country efforts, it aims to foster knowledge sharing and scalability across the EU, aligning with broader sustainability goals.

The LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL call, under the Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and the LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2025-CET) call, aims to boost the clean energy transition in cities and regions. It is a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) with a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG] model. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date was April 24, 2025, and the deadline for submission is September 23, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The objective of this call is to support cities and regional authorities in developing and implementing decarbonisation plans and strategies for a clean energy transition. This support focuses on building the necessary capacity and skills within these authorities. Municipalities and regions are considered crucial for achieving the EU Green Deal, as highlighted in the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package and the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Directives (EED and RED). The call encourages actions that reinforce the capabilities of cities and regions to meet specific clean energy targets.

Proposals should align with relevant initiatives such as National Energy and Climate Plans, National Building Renovation Plans, and the Horizon Europe Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. Complementarity with other technical assistance and capacity building initiatives is also expected.

The call offers two distinct scopes for proposals:

Scope A: Implementation of integrated decarbonisation plans. This scope focuses on accelerating and mainstreaming the implementation of sustainable energy measures, building upon existing plans and strategies. It aims to enhance the public sector's role in energy efficiency, as described in Article 5(6) of the EED. Activities may include setting up relevant structures, establishing peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, delivering capacity building programs, improving regulatory frameworks, and deploying clean energy technologies.

Scope B: Development of methodologies, templates, blueprints, and strategies for local heating and cooling plans. This scope addresses the need for decarbonising the heating and cooling sector. It supports cities and regions in meeting objectives such as Article 25(6) of the EED, which requires local heating and cooling plans for municipalities with populations over 45,000. Activities may include building skills, facilitating data access, developing energy demand and supply outlooks, phasing out fossil gas, engaging market participants, accelerating administrative processes, and bundling efforts across governance levels.

For both scopes, proposals must:

Clearly identify targeted cities and regions, demonstrating their involvement and political commitment through letters of support.

Develop actions and methods that are readily deployable by cities and regions to help policymakers prioritise actions.

Outline the financial resources needed for implementing decarbonisation plans, ensuring resources are foreseen within public budgets and assessing financing solutions.

Foresee structured dialogues between governance levels and active involvement of public and private stakeholders, including citizens and local industry, to ensure a just and competitive transition.

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries. The Commission suggests that proposals request EU contributions up to EUR 1.75 million, but this does not exclude the submission or selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

The expected impact of the projects includes:

Implementation of clean energy transition measures.

Dedication of financial resources within local/regional budgets for clean energy transition.

Establishment of heating and cooling methodologies and fossil-free strategies.

Improved capacity and skills among policymakers and public officers.

Engagement of public and private stakeholders.

Delivery of capacity building programmes.

Creation or reinforcement of organisational structures.

Institutionalisation of dialogues and cooperation.

Memoranda of Understanding demonstrating political commitment.

Quantifiable impacts related to the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, such as primary and final energy savings, renewable energy generation, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and investments in sustainable energy.

The funding rate for Other Action Grants (OAGs) is 95%.

Conditions for participation include:

Admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in the call document and application form.

Eligibility of countries, as described in the call document.

Other eligibility conditions, also detailed in the call document.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, as described in the call document.

Evaluation and award processes, submission guidelines, award criteria, scoring, and indicative timelines, all outlined in the call document and online manual.

Legal and financial setup of the grants, as described in the call document.

Applicants should consult the call document and annexes for detailed information on these conditions.

The call provides a budget overview for various topics under the LIFE-2025-CET, including:

LIFE-2025-CET-BETTERRENO: EUR 6,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-BUILDSKILLS: EUR 6,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-DHC: EUR 6,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-ENERCOM: EUR 7,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-ENERPOV: EUR 6,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-EUCF: EUR 15,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-INDUSTRY: EUR 9,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL: EUR 7,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-OSS: EUR 10,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-PDA: EUR 8,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-POLICY: EUR 4,000,000

LIFE-2025-CET-PRIVAFIN: EUR 7,000,000

The call also facilitates partner searches through the Funding & Tenders Portal, where organizations can publish partner requests.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to empower cities and regions in their clean energy transition by providing financial support and resources for developing and implementing effective decarbonisation plans. It encourages collaborative projects that involve multiple stakeholders and align with EU and global sustainability goals. The call is structured around two main scopes: implementing integrated decarbonisation plans and developing local heating and cooling strategies. Applicants must form a consortium of at least three entities from different eligible countries and demonstrate a clear commitment from the targeted cities and regions. The EU considers that proposals requesting a contribution of up to EUR 1.75 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are cities and regional authorities. The call also mentions the involvement of public and private stakeholders, including citizens, communities, and local/regional industry, businesses, and energy operators. Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities).

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) and Other Action Grants (OAGs). The Model Grant Agreement is a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG].

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is for applicants from different eligible countries, with a minimum of 3 countries represented in the consortium. The text does not explicitly define which countries are eligible, but it is implied that they are EU member states or countries associated with the LIFE program.

Target Sector: The target sector is clean energy transition, focusing on supporting cities and regional authorities in delivering and implementing decarbonisation plans and strategies. This includes energy efficiency, renewable energy, heating and cooling, and related policy and capacity building.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity does not explicitly mention any specific countries. However, it refers to National Energy and Climate Plans and National Building Renovation Plans, implying that the opportunity is targeted towards countries that have these plans in place, which are primarily EU member states.

Project Stage: The project stage ranges from implementation of existing plans and strategies (Scope A) to the development of methodologies, templates, blueprints, and strategies (Scope B). This suggests that the opportunity targets projects in the development, validation, and demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.75 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. However, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. The total budget allocated to the LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL topic is EUR 7,000,000. Other related topics have different budget allocations, ranging from EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 15,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The funding rate is indicated as 95% for Other Action Grants (OAGs). This seems exceptionally high and may refer to the percentage of costs covered rather than the success rate of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, it mentions that proposals should outline the scale of financial resources needed to implement decarbonisation plans and strategies and foresee the necessary financial resources within their public budget, suggesting that some level of financial commitment from the applicants is expected.

Summary:

This opportunity, under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2025-CET) call, aims to bolster the clean energy transition in cities and regions by providing financial support and resources to local and regional authorities. The program focuses on enhancing the capacity and skills of these authorities to develop and implement effective decarbonisation plans and strategies. The call is structured around two main scopes: implementing integrated decarbonisation plans (Scope A) and developing methodologies for local heating and cooling plans (Scope B).

Eligible applicants include cities and regional authorities, and proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least three entities from three different eligible countries. The funding mechanism is a LIFE Project Grant, with the EU contributing up to EUR 1.75 million per project, although other amounts can be requested. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of September 23, 2025.

The program seeks to achieve significant impacts, including the implementation of clean energy transition measures, the allocation of financial resources for these measures, the establishment of heating and cooling strategies, and the engagement of various stakeholders. The overarching goal is to support the EU Green Deal and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 by fostering sustainable cities and communities through energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. The success rate is indicated as 95%, but this figure should be interpreted cautiously, as it may refer to the percentage of costs covered rather than the application success rate.