Circular Economy and Zero Pollution

LIFE-2026 is a single-stage call for Standard Action Projects under the LIFE Programme targeting Circular Economy and Zero Pollution with an indicative topic budget of €79,000,000 and project sizes typically €2–€10 million. The call opens 21 April 2026 and the submission deadline is 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, EEA countries or countries associated with the LIFE Programme and projects may receive up to 60% co-funding of eligible costs. Projects must address specified sub-topics (select up to two), include mandatory annexes and comply with LIFE reporting, evaluation and eligibility rules described in the Call Document.

What the call funds

Scope and objectives

Standard Action Projects (SAP) delivering practical demonstrations, pilots and upscaling of technical, policy or market solutions that accelerate the transition to a sustainable, circular, energy‑efficient and climate‑resilient economy, reduce pollution and protect or improve environment quality (topics include circular economy and waste recovery, water, air, soil, chemicals, industrial emissions, new European Bauhaus, etc.).

Funding rate:SAP projects: Maximum 60% co‑financing of eligible costs; specific funding rules and eligible cost categories are in the call document ¹.

1. 1Projects must target one topic from the call and may select up to two sub‑topics for evaluation.
2. 2Standard Action Projects can be technical, market‑oriented (close‑to‑market) or policy/governance enabling actions (governance projects are covered by a separate GOV topic).
3. 3LIFE project indicators and reporting (including GIS where relevant) are mandatory.

Who can apply

Legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries:EU Member States (and OCTs), countries associated to LIFE and certain third countries where explicitly allowed. Natural persons are not eligible; international organisations may participate. Applicants must register in the Portal Participant Register and meet the financial and operational capacity requirements.

Deadlines and budget

How to apply and key documents

Submit a single‑stage application via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the LIFE Standard application form (Parts A, B, C) and mandatory annexes. Read the Call Document, Model Grant Agreement and Portal Online Manual before preparing the proposal.

Useful link:Full topic page and call documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal Call page ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document, templates and annexes (application form, detailed budget table, participant information) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page; consult the Portal Online Manual and CINEA guidance for LIFE applicants.

Call identity and timeline

Call title:Circular Economy and Quality of Life - Standard Action Projects (SAP) (LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV). Topic: Circular Economy and Zero Pollution LIFE-2026. Programme: Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE). Type of action: LIFE Project Grants, LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG), LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG]. Deadline (single-stage): 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Planned opening date: 21 April 2026. Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Key budgetary figures:Indicative call budget for the Circular Economy and Zero Pollution topic: €79,000,000. Indicative project size range: €2,000,000 to €10,000,000 per project. Indicative number of projects: c. 31 for the environment topic. Overall call envelope across related topics for LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV: €85,500,000. Maximum funding rate for Standard Action Projects: 60% of eligible costs ¹.

Objectives, scope and priority themes

Overall aim:facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy, a toxic-free environment, and protect, restore and improve environmental quality in line with the European Green Deal and recent policy developments. Applicants must address one or more of the specific topics defined in the call: Circular Economy and Waste (including Recovery of Resources from Waste and Circular Economy and the Environment); Zero pollution and sustainable management of natural resources covering Air, Water, Soil, Noise, Chemicals, Industrial Emissions and Safety; and A new European Bauhaus. Applicants must select no more than two sub-topics in the application; only selected sub-topics will be considered in evaluation.

Activities that can be funded

This call targets Standard Action Projects (SAPs), i.e. traditional LIFE projects that develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches, contribute to best practice and policy implementation, and catalyse large-scale deployment and replication. Fundable activities include demonstration and scaling of technical solutions, pilot roll-out and replication pathways, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, monitoring and impact measurement, communication and dissemination, and preparatory work for financing and regulatory uptake. Financial support to third parties is only allowed if explicitly authorised in the call conditions and must follow strict rules.

Eligibility and applicant types

Eligible applicant types:public bodies, private enterprises (including SMEs and large companies), research organisations and universities, non-profit organisations and NGOs, international organisations, infrastructure entities, and other legal persons established in eligible countries. Natural persons are NOT eligible (except self-employed sole traders where the company has no separate legal personality and only if allowed in the call). Affiliated entities may participate under conditions. Associated partners, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions may be included in the consortium but their eligibility to claim grant varies by role and must follow the rules in the call and Model Grant Agreement.

1. 1Eligible geography: EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories where applicable); countries associated to the LIFE Programme (EEA and other third countries that have concluded association agreements covering the call); international organisations are eligible. Entities from non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate if their involvement is essential to achieving the objectives and the call documentation permits it.
2. 2Coordinator requirement: the coordinator must be established in an eligible country.
3. 3Consortium composition: flexible — SAPs can be implemented by single beneficiaries or multi‑partner consortia; the call documentation provides details on roles, affiliated entities and associated partners; environmental governance-exclusive SAPs are covered under a different topic LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-GOV.

Funding type, form and co-funding

Primary funding type:grant (EU action grant). Form of grant: budget-based mixed actual-cost grant with possible unit cost and flat-rate elements, and limited use of other simplified financing methods where indicated by Annex 2 and 2a in the Model Grant Agreement. Funding rate: maximum 60% of eligible costs for Standard Action Projects. Co-funding requirement: yes — applicants must provide at least the remaining share of eligible costs from other sources (own budget, national/regional funds, third-party contributions). Co-financing should be described in the proposal and documented if the project is selected.

Project maturity, expected stage and typical activities

Expected project stage:development, demonstration, validation and deployment including close-to-market pilots and scaling actions. SAPs are often demonstrative or near-market where market uptake, replication and scaling are core goals. Projects should define TRLs where relevant, present operational scale testing, and include sustainability, exploitation and replication work packages.

Who should apply and target sectors

Target applicants include technology providers, municipalities and local/regional authorities, research organisations, industrial stakeholders, waste management and recycling companies, utilities, environmental NGOs, and public-private partnerships. Thematic/industry sectors targeted by this call include circular economy, waste management and recycling, resource recovery, chemicals and safe-by-design materials, air quality and transport, water management and reuse, soil and land restoration, noise reduction, industrial emissions and safety, construction and the New European Bauhaus, and related digital and monitoring technologies.

Explicitly mentioned countries and regions:EU Member States (all), Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the EU, EEA partner countries and third countries associated to the LIFE Programme. The call notes that third countries not associated may exceptionally participate if essential for action effectiveness. National Contact Points (NCPs) exist in participating countries and applicants are encouraged to involve them in proposals. LIFE Call page CINEA LIFE support ¹

Admissibility, eligibility checks and evaluation

Submission and evaluation model:single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. The procedure includes admissibility checks (page limits, correct templates), eligibility checks (participants, activities, countries), financial and operational capacity checks, and a merit-based evaluation by independent experts assisted by the evaluation committee. Successful proposals enter grant preparation with legal entity validation and certificate checks prior to signature.

1. 1Admissibility: follow Part B page limits (120 pages for Part B), Part A online fields, mandatory annexes (Detailed budget table (LIFE), Participant information (LIFE)). Use the templates available inside the Submission System.
2. 2Eligibility: applicants must be legal persons established in eligible countries and comply with other eligibility conditions set in section 6 of the Call document.
3. 3Financial and operational capacity: checks will be performed as set out in section 7 of the Call document; the coordinator usually undergoes financial capacity checks unless below threshold or public body.
4. 4Evaluation and award: scoring against four award criteria (Relevance, Impact, Quality, Resources), with individual thresholds and an overall weighted threshold (see Award criteria). Bonus points apply for cross-subprogramme synergies, remote regions, building on past EU projects, catalytic potential and transnational cooperation.

Award criteria and scoring

Award criteria:Relevance (0-20), Impact (0-20), Quality (0-20), Resources (0-20). Minimum thresholds per criterion: 10/20. Overall weighted pass threshold: 55 points after weighting. Bonus points: up to 2 points each for up to five bonuses (synergies, outermost regions or special regions, building on/upscaling other EU projects, exceptional catalytic potential, transnational cooperation). Evaluators prioritise ex aequo proposals using Impact, then Relevance, Quality, Resources scores.

Application procedure, templates and required documents

All proposals must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal using the submission screens and templates available in the Portal Submission System. Do not use the publicly available copies on the topic page; instead use the templates provided in the Submission System itself. The submission set comprises Part A (administrative forms entered online), Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF), Part C (online indicators and KPIs), mandatory annexes (Detailed budget table (LIFE), Participant information (LIFE)) and optional annexes (Letters of support, Maps, Description of sites, Lifecycle analyses, Business plans). The Application Form Part B structure is the LIFE SAP/OAG template; Part B must contain work packages, milestones and deliverables and include a mandatory work package on Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results. Part B page limit: 120 pages for full proposals.

1. 1Part A: administrative online data — participant list, coordinator info, summary budget, declarations.
2. 2Part B: technical PDF (use the LIFE SAP application form template). Key sections: Relevance, Impact, Implementation (work plan, WP descriptions, deliverables, timeline), Resources (budget justification), Other (ethics, security). Include mandatory WP for sustainability and monitoring and mandatory deliverables (project page, exploitation plan, LIFE KPI webtool extract).
3. 3Part C: online KPI and LIFE Project Indicators; ensure consistency between Part B and Part C.
4. 4Mandatory Annexes: Detailed budget table (LIFE detailed budget calculator), Participant information (LIFE participant information template).
5. 5Optional Annexes: Letters of support, Maps (high quality GIS maps if area-based), Description of sites/species (if relevant), business plans, life-cycle analyses, other supporting documents.
6. 6Templates and guidance: Model Grant Agreement (LIFE General MGA), Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), LIFE Reference Documents, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and FAQs are provided on the Portal and CINEA website.

Application form structure (Part B) — practical outline:Part B sections and core content to prepare: 1) Project summary and background; 2) Relevance: background, objectives, compliance with LIFE objectives and call topic, concept and methodology; 3) Impact: quantified expected impacts, baseline, methodology and LIFE Project Indicators; 4) Implementation: detailed work plan, work package descriptions, task lists, milestones, deliverables, timetable, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and reporting arrangements, communication and dissemination activities; 5) Resources: consortium composition, management structure, human resources, green management and environmental footprint, budget justification, risk management; 6) Other: ethics, security, declarations. Annexes: detailed budget table (per beneficiary and cost category), participant information, maps, letters of support, site descriptions, business plans and lifecycle analyses where applicable.

Budget specifics, eligible costs and financial rules

Eligible cost categories and rules follow the LIFE Model Grant Agreement:A. Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons; SME owners and volunteers may be declared using unit costs where allowed); B. Subcontracting costs (must respect procurement rules and be exceptional); C. Purchase costs (travel, accommodation, equipment and other goods/services); D. Other costs (financial support to third parties if allowed under call; land purchase only under strict conditions for conservation purposes); E. Indirect costs (flat-rate typically 7% on direct eligible costs excluding volunteer costs and land purchase where applicable). VAT non-deductible may be eligible only in specific cases. Equipment is normally declared as depreciation costs; full capitalised cost of equipment may be eligible only where specified in the call and Annex 2. Financial and operational capacity checks may be required and certificates may be requested according to thresholds in the Data Sheet and call documentation.

Consortium requirement, submission model and stages

Consortium requirement:the call allows single-beneficiary or multi-beneficiary consortia. There is no mandatory minimum number of partners unless specifically required for a sub-topic, but proposals must demonstrate they have the necessary operational capacity and partnerships to implement the project. Submission model: single-stage open call. Application stages and steps typically include: 1) admissibility check and eligibility check; 2) external expert evaluation and scoring based on the award criteria; 3) ranking and invitation to grant preparation for successful proposals; 4) grant preparation including legal entity validation, financial capacity checks, drafting and signing of the Grant Agreement. Grant preparation may require revision of budget, deliverables and annexes.

1. 1Number of application stages: single-stage submission (no separate concept note stage).
2. 2Evaluation stages: admissibility/eligibility; external expert review and panel ranking; possible clarification phase; invitation to grant preparation for shortlisted proposals; legal and financial checks.
3. 3Indicative timetable: evaluation results communicated Feb–Mar 2027; grant signature expected May–June 2027 (indicative).

Success rates, indicative competitiveness and co-funding

Success rates:the Call document does not publish a fixed success rate for this topic. Historical LIFE competitive rates vary by topic and year; applicants should assume a competitive selection and prepare high-quality, targeted proposals. Co-funding: required — the maximum EU contribution is 60% of eligible costs, therefore applicants must provide the remaining share from other sources. Proposals with co-financing from other public or private sources and clear plans for exploitation, replication and mobilisation of additional finance will be favourably assessed under the Impact and Resources criteria.

Checks, certificates and legal/financial set-up

If selected, projects will enter grant preparation and the Model Grant Agreement (LIFE General MGA) will be the contract. Legal entity validation, financial capacity assessment and certificate requirements (e.g. certificates on financial statements — CFS — depending on grant size and beneficiary type) apply. Prefinancing may be paid to the coordinator, commonly 30% of the maximum grant amount, unless reduced or requested in instalments; prefinancing guarantees may be required depending on beneficiary type and financial risk. Reporting and payment arrangements include continuous reporting through the Portal and periodic reporting with financial statements and deliverables. Recoveries, liability regimes for recoveries and potential joint-and-several liability options are described in the MGA and Data Sheet.

Templates and tools applicants must use

Mandatory templates available in the Submission System:Standard application form (LIFE SAP application form), Detailed budget table (LIFE) Excel calculator, Participant information template (LIFE), Maps template (where relevant). Optional annex templates and guidance documents: Letters of support, Description of sites, Description of species/habitats (if relevant), LIFE Reference Documents, LIFE KPI guidance, Model Grant Agreement (LIFE General MGA v1.0), Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and FAQs. Use the Portal Submission System forms and templates for upload; failure to use the correct templates may lead to inadmissibility.

Practical preparation and support resources

Preparation support:consult CINEA LIFE support pages, national contact points (NCPs), Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and IT helpdesk for registration and submission issues. CINEA organises LIFE Info Days and topic-specific virtual information sessions. Partner search: use the Funding & Tenders Portal Participant Register, CINEA partner search announcements, Enterprise Europe Network and NCP events. Applicants are encouraged to add their NCP as a contact person in the Participants step of the application to facilitate support.

Application tips specific to this call

1. 1Clearly select and justify up to two sub-topics in the mandatory ‘Compliance with LIFE programme objectives and call topic’ section; only selected sub-topics are evaluated.
2. 2Ensure quantitative, coherent and verifiable impact indicators in Part C (LIFE Project Indicators) aligned with Part B, and include project-specific KPIs where relevant.
3. 3Include a robust Sustainability, Replication and Exploitation work package as mandatory and provide an exploitation/after-LIFE plan and LIFE KPI extracts as deliverables.
4. 4If land purchase is proposed, justify it against strict criteria in the call (only allowed in exceptional conservation cases) and provide land register evidence and long-term conservation guarantees.
5. 5Follow public procurement and subcontracting rules and justify subcontracting as exceptional where requested by the call.

Categorisation Q&A (extracted, structured answers)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: startups, SMEs and large enterprises; universities and research institutes; non-profits and NGOs; public bodies (local, regional, national authorities); international organisations; public-private partnerships; investors only as project partners where relevant; affiliated entities and associated partners as described in the call. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where specified.
2. 2Funding Type: grant (LIFE action grant — budget-based mixed actual cost grant).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: other (single beneficiary or consortium allowed). No mandatory minimum partners but consortia must demonstrate operational capacity; some actions may require multi-stakeholder partnerships for implementation and replication.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories), EEA and third countries associated to the LIFE Programme. Entities from non-associated third countries may be exceptionally eligible if essential; international organisations eligible.
5. 5Target Sector: circular economy, waste management and resource recovery, environment (air, water, soil, noise), chemicals and industrial emissions, construction and New European Bauhaus, transport and mobility where linked to air quality, water services and related areas; cross-cutting digital, monitoring and nature-based solutions.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: list includes EU Member States collectively; call references EEA/associated countries and Overseas Countries and Territories (no exclusive per-country list in the topic page).
7. 7Project Stage: development, demonstration, validation and close-to-market deployment; emphasis on operational scale demonstration and replication/roll-out.
8. 8Funding Amount: Topic budget €79,000,000; indicative project budgets €2–€10 millioneach; estimated number of grants ~31 for the environment topic. Overall LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV call envelope €85,500,000 across related topics.
9. 9Application Type: open call, single-stage via Funding & Tenders Portal submission system; electronic submission only.
10. 10Nature of Support: money (grant funding) with non-monetary support expected via capacity-building, access to EU networks, visibility and dissemination actions.
11. 11Application Stages: 3 to 4 (1 — admissibility/eligibility checks; 2 — external expert evaluation and scoring; 3 — ranking and invitation to grant preparation; 4 — grant preparation/legal and financial checks and signature).
12. 12Success Rates: not specified in the Call document for this topic; historic LIFE calls are competitive. Applicants should assume selective evaluation and prepare high-quality, well-justified and replicable proposals.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: yes — maximum EU funding 60% of eligible costs for SAP; applicants must co-finance the balance and declare co-financing sources; co-financiers should be documented in annexes where applicable.

Templates: how application forms look and structure to follow

Use the official submission templates inside the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Key templates and structure: Application Form Part A (online administrative data): participant register PICs, coordinator details, summary budget, declarations. Application Form Part B (technical PDF — mandatory): use the LIFE SAP template; main sections include Project summary, 1. Relevance (background, objectives, compliance with LIFE and call topic, concept & methodology), 2. Impact (quantified expected impacts, KPIs, sustainability, exploitation and replication), 3. Implementation (work plan, detailed work packages with objectives, tasks, deliverables, milestones, timetable), 4. Resources (consortium description, management, green management, detailed budget narrative, risk management), 5. Other (ethics, security). Annexes required: Detailed Budget Table (LIFE Excel detailed budget table with staff allocation, personnel costs split, subcontracting, other direct costs, equipment, travel and subsistence, in-kind contributions fields), Participant Information (LIFE template with organisation description, key staff, relevant projects), optional annexes: Letters of support, Maps, Description of sites, business plans, life-cycle analyses. Deliverables and milestone labelling conventions and dissemination levels are defined in the Part B template. Part C: online KPI and LIFE Project Indicator entry fields must be completed and consistent with Part B.

Summary and explanation: What is this opportunity about?

This LIFE 2026 Standard Action Projects (SAP) call topic Circular Economy and Zero Pollution funds operational, demonstrative and replicable projects that accelerate the EU’s transition to circular, non-toxic and resource-efficient systems and improve environmental quality (air, water, soil, noise, chemicals and industrial emissions). It supports projects that demonstrate scalable technical, policy or business solutions, mobilise stakeholders and investment, and ensure uptake and replication across regions and sectors. The call is single-stage, competitively evaluated against Relevance, Impact, Quality and Resources criteria, with an indicative €79 million budget for the topic and typical project awards between €2–€10 million. Applicants must prepare a full proposal using Portal templates (Part A online, Part B PDF, Part C indicators) and mandatory annexes, demonstrate operational and financial capacity, and plan co-financing for the non-EU share of eligible costs. Projects are expected to quantify environmental impacts using LIFE Project Indicators and to include robust sustainability, exploitation, replication and monitoring plans.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, Model Grant Agreement, templates and Portal Submission System are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page and CINEA LIFE pages. See the topic page for LIFE-2026 for full details and the Call document: ec.europa.eu

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a call for Standard Action Projects (SAPs) under the LIFE Programme for the Environment and Climate Action, specifically targeting the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme. The call aims to facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy, a toxic-free environment, and protection and improvement of environmental quality in line with the European Green Deal.

Call Details

Call Identifier:LIFE-2026

Opening Date:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Type:Single-stage submission via EU Funding and Tenders Portal

Funding Budget

Total Available Budget:€79,000,000 (of which €4,000,000 is reserved for the New European Bauhaus sub-topic)

Indicative Project Budget Range:€2 million to €10 million per project

Estimated Number of Projects to be Funded:Approximately 31 projects

Funding Rate:Maximum 60% of eligible costs

Project Duration and Timeline

Project Duration:Minimum 24 months to maximum 120 months (extensions possible if justified)

Evaluation Results:February/March 2027

Grant Agreement Signature:May/June 2027

Eligible Topics and Priorities

Applicants must select a maximum of two sub-topics from the following priority areas:

• Circular Economy and Waste: Recovery of Resources from Waste; Circular Economy and the Environment
• Zero Pollution and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources: Air; Water; Soil; Noise; Chemicals; Industrial Emissions and Safety; A New European Bauhaus

Projects focusing exclusively on environmental governance are excluded from this call and should be submitted under LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-GOV instead.

Who Can Apply

Eligible Participants

• Legal entities (public or private bodies)
• Established in EU Member States, EEA countries, or countries associated with the LIFE Programme
• The coordinator must be established in an eligible country
• International organisations are eligible
• Entities without legal personality may participate under specific conditions

Natural persons are NOT eligible, except self-employed persons (sole traders). EU bodies (except the Joint Research Centre) cannot be part of the consortium.

Consortium Composition

Projects may involve multiple beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, and subcontractors. At least one beneficiary must be the coordinator. All participants must be registered in the Participant Register before proposal submission.

Eligible Activities and Scope

Standard Action Projects (SAPs) under this call must develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches, contribute to the knowledge base and best practices, support implementation of EU legislation and policy, and catalyse large-scale deployment of successful solutions. Projects can be close-to-market, requiring explicit market-oriented approaches with information on production capacity, reference market, and economic feasibility.

Circular Economy and Waste Topics

Recovery of Resources from Waste:Implementing innovative solutions for value-added recycled materials, components or products including WEEE, batteries, end-of-life vehicles, construction materials, plastics, bio-waste, textiles, composite materials, critical raw materials, and packaging. Also includes identification, tracking, separation, prevention and decontamination of waste containing hazardous substances.

Circular Economy and the Environment:Implementation of business and consumption models supporting value chains; new extended producer responsibility schemes; designs mitigating environmental impacts; solutions for product durability, reuse and repair; reduction of single-use products; circular business models; demand for secondary raw materials; industrial symbiosis; and digital product passports.

Zero Pollution Topics

Air:Air quality improvement and emission reduction of particulate matter; sustainable road transport mobility; sustainable mobility other than road transport; reduction of ammonia and other emissions from agriculture.

Water:Integrated approaches for Water Framework Directive implementation; flood risk management; marine strategy implementation; wastewater collection and treatment; water resource management; water quality and quantity improvements; marine and coastal water management; water services innovation.

Soil:Actions to maintain or enhance soil health; restoration and protection of soil; prevention of soil degradation; cost-effective investigation and remediation of contaminated sites; soil health certification; unsealing of sealed areas.

Noise:Substantial reduction of noise in densely populated urban areas through low noise surfaces, barriers, or reduction from railway and airport traffic.

Chemicals:Prevention and reduction of hazardous substances impact; safe and sustainable by design approaches; green and digital technologies; advanced materials; low-carbon industrial production.

Industrial Emissions and Safety:Application of pollution prevention and abatement techniques; implementation of Seveso III Directive through cost-effective risk mapping tools.

A New European Bauhaus:Holistic reduction of environmental impacts of buildings and urbanisation; reducing environmental impact at building stock level; increasing sustainability of fashion; circular districts; biodiversity-friendly practices.

Eligible Costs and Budget Categories

• Personnel costs: Employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, and volunteers (with unit costs)
• Subcontracting costs: For action tasks, awarded using best value for money practices
• Travel and subsistence: Actual costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence
• Equipment: Full cost and depreciation for listed equipment (as per call specifications)
• Other goods, works and services: Consumables, supplies, promotion, dissemination, translations, publications
• Indirect costs: 7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs (categories A-D, except volunteers and exempted categories)
• Land purchase: For Natura 2000 network improvement (specific conditions apply)

Financial support to third parties is NOT allowed under this call. VAT is eligible if non-deductible or non-refundable.

Ineligible Costs

• Costs not meeting general eligibility conditions
• Return on capital and dividends
• Debt and debt service charges
• Provisions for future losses
• Interest owed and currency exchange losses
• Bank costs for transfers
• Deductible or refundable VAT
• Costs during grant agreement suspension
• Costs declared under other EU grants (except Synergy actions)
• Staff costs for normal administration activities
• Travel and subsistence for EU institution staff

Application Requirements

Mandatory Documents

• Application Form Part A (administrative information, filled online)
• Application Form Part B (technical description, maximum 120 pages)
• Part C (project data and KPI contributions, filled online)
• Detailed budget table (mandatory annex)
• Participant information (mandatory annex)
• Letters of support (optional but recommended)
• Maps and site descriptions (if applicable)
• Other annexes as needed (lifecycle analysis, business plans, etc.)

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted. The project acronym must include the word LIFE.

Admissibility Conditions

• Submitted before the deadline via the Portal
• Complete with all requested information and annexes
• Using correct templates from the Submission System
• Readable, accessible and printable
• Complying with page limits and formatting rules (minimum Arial 10 points, A4 size, 15mm margins)

Eligibility Criteria

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement the project. Financial capacity checks will be conducted based on documents such as profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, audit reports, and business plans. Public bodies and international organisations are normally exempt from financial capacity checks. Operational capacity will be assessed based on staff qualifications, experience, and previous projects of comparable size and nature.

Exclusion Grounds

Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations cannot participate. These include bankruptcy, breach of tax or social security obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, links to criminal organisations, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies in complying with EU contracts, irregularities, or intentional resistance to investigations.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Award Criteria and Scoring

Bonus points (up to 10 additional points) are available for:exceptional synergies with other LIFE sub-programmes (2 points); implementation in Outermost Regions or areas with specific needs (2 points); building on or upscaling results of other EU funded projects (2 points); exceptional catalytic potential (2 points); transnational cooperation essential for project objectives (2 points).

Relevance Criterion (0-20 points)

• Relevance to LIFE sub-programme objectives and call priorities
• Soundness of overall intervention logic
• Co-benefits and synergies with other policy areas

Impact Criterion (0-20 points)

• Ambition and credibility of expected impacts during and after project
• Ensuring no substantial harm to other LIFE Programme objectives
• Sustainability of project results after project end
• Quality of exploitation measures
• Replication potential in same or other sectors/places
• Upscaling potential through public/private actors or larger investments

Quality Criterion (0-20 points)

• Clarity, relevance and feasibility of work plan
• Appropriate geographic focus
• Identification and mobilisation of relevant stakeholders
• Quality of impact monitoring and reporting plan
• Communication and dissemination measures for different target groups

Resources Criterion (0-20 points)

• Project team composition in terms of expertise, skills and responsibilities
• Appropriateness of management structure
• Appropriateness of budget and resources consistency with work plan
• Budget transparency and cost item description
• Project environmental impact consideration and mitigation
• Value for money of the proposal

Grant Agreement and Implementation

Grant Form and Payment Arrangements

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred. Initial prefinancing (approximately 30% of maximum grant amount) is paid 30 days from entry into force or financial guarantee, whichever is latest. Additional prefinancing payments may be linked to prefinancing reports. Interim payments are made 90 days from receiving periodic reports. Final payment is made 90 days from receiving the final periodic report.

Prefinancing Guarantees

If required, prefinancing guarantees will be set during grant preparation, normally equal to or lower than the prefinancing amount. Guarantees must be in euros from approved banks/financial institutions in EU Member States. The guarantee is released at the end of the grant.

Reporting Requirements

Beneficiaries must submit continuous reporting through the Portal, periodic technical reports and financial statements. Reporting deadlines are 60 days after the end of each reporting period. All reports must be in the language of the Agreement. Currency conversion uses double conversion method.

Certificates and Audits

Certificates on financial statements (CFS) may be required if the requested EU contribution to costs is €500,000 or more. Operational verification reports (OVR) and systems and process audits (SPA) may also be required depending on grant characteristics. The granting authority reserves the right to conduct checks, reviews, audits and investigations up to 5 years after final payment.

Liability and Recoveries

Beneficiaries are jointly responsible for technical implementation. Financial responsibility for recoveries is governed by the liability regime set in the Grant Agreement. Limited joint and several liability applies to other beneficiaries up to their maximum grant amount. The coordinator is responsible for final payment; individual beneficiaries are responsible for their own debts.

Mandatory Project Components

• Work Package 1: Project management and coordination (mandatory)
• Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results work package (mandatory)
• Monitoring and evaluation work package (for Nature and Biodiversity projects)
• Communication, dissemination and visibility activities
• Impact monitoring and reporting
• LIFE Project Indicators (LPI) reporting within first 9 months and at project end
• Geographic Information System (GIS) files for spatial impact visualisation (if relevant)

Specific Obligations

Intellectual Property Rights

The granting authority has rights of use on project results for policy, information, communication, dissemination and publicity purposes. Beneficiaries retain ownership of results but must grant access rights to the granting authority.

Communication and Visibility

Beneficiaries must prepare a communication and dissemination plan and implement additional communication activities. The European flag and funding statement must be visible in all project communications. A dedicated project page on beneficiaries' websites is mandatory.

Durability

Project results must be sustained after EU funding ends. Equipment purchased must be maintained and used for 5 years after project end. Land purchased must be reserved for long-term uses consistent with LIFE Programme objectives.

Conflict of Interest

Beneficiaries must avoid conflicts of interest and declare any potential conflicts. Subcontracting and purchasing must be awarded using best value for money practices with no conflicts of interest.

Ethics and Values

Projects must respect EU values and comply with applicable EU, international and national law. Activities must comply with EU policy interests and priorities on environment, social, security, industrial and trade policy.

Data Protection and Confidentiality

Beneficiaries must comply with data protection regulations when processing personal data. Sensitive information must be protected according to Grant Agreement terms. Classified information must be handled in accordance with EU classification rules.

Record-Keeping and Audits

Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documents for 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000). Records must be kept in accordance with applicable national law and accounting standards. The granting authority, European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and European Court of Auditors have audit rights.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Cost Rejection and Grant Reduction

Ineligible costs will be rejected. Grant amounts may be reduced if beneficiaries fail to comply with obligations. Reductions can range from partial to complete grant withdrawal depending on severity.

Payment Suspension and Termination

Payment deadlines may be suspended if beneficiaries fail to submit required reports or information. Payment may be suspended if serious deficiencies are found. The Grant Agreement may be suspended or terminated if beneficiaries breach material obligations or if circumstances make proper implementation impossible.

Administrative Sanctions

Non-compliance may result in administrative sanctions, damages claims, or referral to OLAF for investigation. Beneficiaries may be excluded from future EU funding.

Force Majeure

Beneficiaries may be exempted from certain obligations if prevented by force majeure (unforeseeable circumstances beyond their control). Force majeure must be reported immediately to the granting authority with supporting evidence.

Applicable Law and Dispute Settlement

The standard applicable law is EU law plus the law of Belgium. For EU beneficiaries, disputes are settled by the EU General Court and EU Court of Justice (on appeal). For non-EU beneficiaries, disputes are settled by courts of Brussels, Belgium, unless an international agreement provides otherwise. Arbitration may be available for specific beneficiaries if selected in the Grant Agreement.

Key Dates and Contacts

Call Opening:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Portal:EU Funding and Tenders Portal (eGrants system)

Managing Authority:European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)

Support Resources:National Contact Points (NCPs) for each country; Online Manual for Portal procedures; LIFE Reference Documents; AGA (Annotated Grant Agreement); FAQs on LIFE website; IT Helpdesk for technical issues

Additional Information

The EU reserves the right not to award all available funds or to redistribute them between call priorities depending on proposals received and evaluation results. Proposals that pass evaluation but are below the budget threshold will be awarded a Seal of Excellence. Information about proposals may be shared with the LIFE programme committee, including applicant names, countries, project titles, eligible costs, funding requested, and evaluation scores.

For more detailed information, applicants should consult the full Call document, Model Grant Agreement, Online Manual, and other reference documents available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Contact your National Contact Point for country-specific guidance and support.

Footnotes

1. 1The EU Circular Economy Act is expected to be adopted in autumn 2026 and will establish common rules for circular solutions across the European single market, increasing supply of and stimulating demand for high-quality recycled materials, refurbished products and other circular solutions. This call is aligned with these upcoming policy developments.