Climate Change Mitigation

LIFE-2026 funds Standard Action Projects for climate change mitigation with an indicative 2026 budget of €28,000,000 and an expected project size of €1–€5 million; the grant covers up to 60% of eligible costs. Projects must target TRL 5–9 and focus on priority areas such as recovery and recycling of F-gases, zero-emission mobility, decarbonisation of transport and industry, renewable energy and energy efficiency, land and coastal carbon management, and industrial carbon removal/CCUS. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, overseas countries and territories, EEA countries, or countries associated to the LIFE Programme, and proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 22 September 2026 at 17:00 CET. Proposals are evaluated on relevance, impact, quality and resources with individual thresholds and possible bonus points for cross-subprogramme synergies, outermost region implementation, upscaling EU-funded results, catalytic potential and essential transnational cooperation.

Call at a glance

Essential facts

Call:LIFE-2026 (Standard Action Projects). Deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission: EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds:Projects delivering demonstrable greenhouse gas mitigation and systemic shifts toward the European Green Deal objectives (examples below). Expected TRL range: 5–9. Funding covers implementation, demonstration, replication and upscaling activities ¹.

1. 1Recovery, reclamation and recycling of ozone-depleting substances and F-gases and demonstration of low‑GWP alternatives
2. 2Actions to accelerate the shift to zero‑emission road transport and decarbonise other transport modes; fostering intermodality and modal shift
3. 3Increase renewable energy generation and energy efficiency; sustainable biogas/biomethane from waste/residues
4. 4Reduce energy use and GHG intensity in industry and waste management (demonstrations at industrial scale)
5. 5Land and coastal management for emissions reduction and enhanced carbon removals, and long‑lived carbon storage in products
6. 6Industrial carbon removal, capture, utilisation and storage solutions (pilot to pre‑commercial)

Who can apply:Public and private legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States, overseas countries/territories linked to the EU, and countries associated to LIFE). International organisations and legal entities from non‑associated third countries may be eligible only if essential to the action. Natural persons are not eligible.

Budget and award:Indicative budget for the mitigation topic: €28,000,000 (2026). Project size typically €1–€5 million; funding rate up to 60% of eligible costs. Number of indicative grants for CCM: around 12 (subject to evaluation and available budget).

Eligible costs follow LIFE rules (personnel, subcontracts, purchases, equipment, indirect costs flat rate). Applications use the LIFE Project Grant model (budget‑based) and must complete required annexes (detailed budget table, participant information, etc.).

Key procedural points:Single‑stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal; Part B page limit and Part A templates must be respected. Evaluation on relevance, impact, quality and resources; minimum overall score required for funding. Grant preparation and legal/financial checks follow successful evaluation ¹.

1. 1Opening date: 21 April 2026; Deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
2. 2Submission channel: EU Funding & Tenders Portal (use call entry point)
3. 3Maximum funding rate for SAP: 60% (check call for any higher rates for specific priorities)
4. 4Prepare mandatory annexes: detailed budget table (LIFE), participant information; optional: letters of support, maps, business plans

For full eligibility, admissibility, budget rules and templates consult the official call documentation and use the Portal submission templates EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and annexes (LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA) including detailed scope, eligibility, budget split and application templates are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA-CCM call page.

Call summary and objectives

This is a single-stage Call for Proposals under the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) to fund Standard Action Projects (SAP) addressing Climate Change Mitigation (topic code LIFE-2026). Opening date: 21 April 2026. Submission deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. The call supports projects that deliver quantified mitigation objectives by project end and contribute to implementation of the European Green Deal and the EU Climate Law, including the intermediate emissions reduction target of at least 55% versus 1990 by 2030.

Expected outcome:Efficient delivery of the quantified objectives by the end of the project.

Scope and areas of intervention:Projects may target one or more of the specified mitigation areas: recovery, recycling and reclamation of ozone-depleting substances in foams and alternatives to fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) including recovery/recycling; actions supporting the shift to zero-emission road mobility; decarbonising other transport modes and fostering intermodality and modal shift; increasing renewable energy generation and improving energy efficiency (excluding activities reserved to the Clean Energy Transition sub-programme); reducing energy use and GHG emissions in industrial production and waste management; land and coastal management practices that impact emissions and carbon removals (including conserving/enhancing natural sinks and storage in long-lasting products); and industrial carbon removal, capture, use and storage (CCUS) solutions (e.g., enhanced rock weathering, biochar, modular bio-CCS, ocean alkalinity).

Key administrative facts

Type of action:LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) under LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG) Model Grant Agreement. Deadline model: single-stage. Project duration: typically 24 to 120 months (indicative). Funding rate for SAP: maximum 60% of eligible costs. Projects should target TRL range 5-9. Applicants must submit electronic applications via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; paper submissions are not accepted. The call document, application templates (Part A and Part B), mandatory annexes and guidance documents are available on the Portal and CINEA/LIFE pages.

Available indicative budget (2026):Total indicative 2026 budget for the LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA call: €60,000,000 split indicatively as: €28,000,000 for LIFE-2026 (Climate Change Mitigation); €28,000,000 for LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA-CCA (Adaptation); €4,000,000 for LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA-GOV (Governance & Information). Indicative project size: €1–€5 millionfor CCM/CCA; €0.7–€2 millionfor GOV. Estimated number of CCM grants: ~12.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible entities:legal persons (public or private) established in eligible countries participating in LIFE. Coordinator must be established in an eligible country. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders in specific conditions. International organisations and legal entities created under EU law can participate. Entities from non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate where essential for implementation but generally must bear participation costs. Beneficiaries must register in the Participant Register and pass legal entity validation and, if required, financial capacity checks. Specific exclusion grounds and restrictions (e.g., entities subject to EU restrictive measures or conditionality regimes) apply and are described in the call documentation.

Where activities must take place (geographic eligibility):Activities must primarily take place in eligible countries (EU Member States, overseas countries and territories connected to the EU, and countries associated to LIFE). Activities outside eligible countries are allowed only when necessary to achieve the EU environmental and climate objectives (e.g., migratory species, transboundary rivers) and as allowed by association agreements.

Application process, documents and templates

Submission route:single-stage open call via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must use the Portal submission system templates. Required documents: Application Form Part A (online), Part B (technical description PDF uploaded to Portal — maximum 120 pages for Part B), Part C (online KPIs and data), Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table (LIFE template), Participant information (LIFE template). Optional annexes: Letters of support, maps, description of sites, lifecycle analyses, business plans, etc. Applicants must confirm mandates and sign declarations of honour before grant signature. The Portal Online Manual and CINEA guidance, FAQs and National Contact Points (NCPs) provide assistance.

Important templates and tables applicants must complete:Participant information form (to be uploaded as annex) with participant descriptions, profiles of key staff, previous relevant projects, affiliated entities/associated partners and tasks; Detailed Budget Table (LIFE Excel) including staff effort allocation by work package and beneficiary, personnel cost breakdown (A1–A5), subcontracting justification, other direct costs (travel, equipment, goods/services), financial support to third parties (if allowed by call), land purchase justification (if applicable), and depreciation rules for equipment. Personnel cost rules require person-months and daily-rate calculation methods; SME owner and volunteer costs use unit costs and country correction factors as specified in the LIFE MGA and Annex 2a. Equipment costs normally treated as depreciation; in exceptional cases full capitalised cost rules may apply (see call/Annex 2).

Where to apply and help:Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal (topic page LIFE-2026). Consult the Call Document, LIFE call fiche and LIFE General MGA v1.0, Online Manual, annotated grant agreement and reference documents on the Portal and CINEA website. Use National Contact Points for support, and consider partner search functionality on the Portal and Enterprise Europe Network. CINEA organises info sessions and webinars; FAQs and guidance are published on the LIFE and CINEA sites LIFE Calls and Guidance.

Evaluation, award criteria and timetable

Evaluation:single-stage, one-step evaluation by an evaluation committee assisted by independent external experts. Proposals are first screened for admissibility and eligibility and then scored against award criteria. Invitation to grant preparation is not a formal payment commitment; legal and financial checks follow (entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion, etc.). Proposals below budget threshold but passing evaluation may receive a Seal of Excellence.

1. 1Relevance (0–20 points): alignment with LIFE sub-programme, concept and methodology, co-benefits and synergies.
2. 2Impact (0–20 points): ambition, credibility and sustainability of impacts, exploitation and catalytic potential (replication/upscaling).
3. 3Quality (0–20 points): work plan clarity and feasibility, stakeholder mobilisation, monitoring and reporting, communication/dissemination plans.
4. 4Resources (0–20 points): team composition and management, budget appropriateness and transparency, mitigation of project environmental footprint, value for money.

Thresholds and bonuses:individual criterion thresholds 10/20 (before weighting); overall weighted threshold 55 points. Bonus points (up to 10 total): cross-subprogramme synergies, implementation in Outermost Regions (or specific regional needs), builds on/up-scales EU-funded projects, exceptional catalytic potential, and essential transnational cooperation. Ranking tie-break: compare scores on Impact, then Relevance, Quality, Resources.

Indicative timetable:Call opening: 21 April 2026. Submission deadline: 22 September 2026 (17:00 Brussels time). Evaluation results: indicative March 2027. Grant Agreement signature: May–June 2027. Applicants should consult the Call Document for precise dates and any updates.

Financial, contractual and compliance details

Form of grant:budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs with potential unit cost/flat-rate/lump-sum elements as specified). Maximum funding rate: 60% for SAP. Grants must not generate profit; for-profit organisations must declare revenues and potential profit will be deducted from the final grant. Eligible cost categories: A Personnel (A1 employees; A2 natural persons under direct contract; A3 seconded persons; A4 SME owners/natural person beneficiaries unit costs; A5 Volunteers unit costs), B Subcontracting, C Purchases (C1 travel & subsistence, C2 equipment, C3 other goods/works/services), D Other (D.1 financial support to third parties if authorised in the call, D.2 land purchase under strict conditions), E Indirect costs (flat-rate; typically 7% of eligible direct costs unless otherwise stated).

Specific cost rules and requirements:personnel costs must be supported with time records (monthly declarations or reliable time-record systems) and calculated per accepted methods; SME owners and volunteer costs apply unit cost rules (Annex 2a and related Commission decisions); equipment costs normally declared as depreciation (exceptions only where specified); purchases and subcontracts must follow best value-for-money and avoid conflicts of interest; VAT non-deductible may be eligible except in limited cases; financial support to third parties is generally not allowed unless authorised in the call and then requires objective and transparent selection and limits per call. Land purchases are exceptional and subject to strict justification and long-term conservation commitments (e.g. entries in land registries or equivalent guarantees).

Reporting, payments and guarantees:Payments: prefinancing (initial, typically 30% of maximum grant amount by default) and additional prefinancing(s) and interim/final payments per schedule in the Data Sheet. Payments are made to the coordinator who distributes funds to beneficiaries. Coordinator remains responsible for financial flows and reporting. Financial capacity checks may be required for coordinators requesting >€60,000. Prefinancing guarantees may be requested depending on financial assessment. Certificates (CFS) may be required for interim/final payments when EU contribution requested ≥ threshold (typically €500,000 per beneficiary); exemptions and pillar-assessed regimes apply as specified in the call and LIFE MGA.

Reporting obligations:continuous reporting in the Portal, periodic technical and financial reports (including financial statements and supporting documents), submission of LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs) and KPIs in Part C of the application and during project implementation (first upload within 9 months from grant signature). All supporting documents and records must be retained for the period specified in the Data Sheet (typically five years after final payment; shorter periods may apply for small grants).

Selection and risk management

Eligibility and capacity checks:Proposals are checked for admissibility (page limits, templates) and eligibility (eligible countries, coordinator eligibility, eligibility of activities). Financial capacity checks are carried out per Article 7 of the Call Document and Rules for Legal Entity Validation. Operational capacity is assessed under award criteria (Resources). Exclusion grounds (fraud, bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, serious irregularities, sanctions) apply and can disqualify applicants. Pillar-assessed entities and international organisations have specific arrangements described in the LIFE MGA.

Templates and application structure (how to prepare your submission)

Use Portal forms and templates available in the Submission System. Part A is filled online and includes administrative data, participants table and summary budget. Part B (technical description) must be downloaded from the Portal template, completed and uploaded as a PDF. Part B structure (standard LIFE SAP template) includes: Project summary; 1. Relevance (background, objectives, methodology, compliance with call); 2. Impact (ambition, credibility, sustainability, exploitation, replication/upscaling); 3. Implementation (work plan, work packages, stakeholders, monitoring, dissemination); 4. Resources (consortium, management, green management, budget, risks); 5. Other (ethics, security); 6. Declarations. Mandatory annexes include the Detailed Budget Table (LIFE Excel), Participant Information form (detailed participant descriptions and key staff), and other requested annexes (maps, site descriptions, letters) as relevant. Part B page limit: max 120 pages (Part B) — appendices do not count if specified; follow formatting rules (A4, Arial ≥10 pt, margins) and do not delete instruction text in templates.

1. 1Complete the Participant Register and ensure LEAR appointment and legal entity validation before submission.
2. 2Fill Part A online and ensure summarised budget balances with annexed detailed budget table.
3. 3Prepare Part B using the SAP template and respect the 120-page limit.
4. 4Attach mandatory annexes (detailed budget table, participant information) and optional annexes as needed (letters of support, maps, site descriptions).
5. 5Ensure all participants sign mandates and will sign declarations of honour upon grant preparation.

How the application forms look and structure to help applicants:Application Form Part A: structured online screens (General information, Participants, Budget, Other questions). Part B: narrative technical description with explicit sections (Relevance, Impact, Implementation, Resources, Other). Mandatory Annexes: Detailed Budget Table (LIFE Excel) with personnel effort allocation (person-months per WP and beneficiary), personnel cost breakdown (A1–A5), subcontracting tables and justification, other direct costs (travel, equipment, other goods/services), financial support to third parties (if allowed) and land purchase details (if applicable). Participant Information Annex: free-text tables for each participant containing legal name, description, key staff profiles, up to five relevant previous projects, affiliated entities/associated partners description and tasks (not bound by page limit). Use the Portal Online Manual and LIFE annotated MGA for clarifications.

Categorisation answers (structured)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants are legal entities (public bodies, national/regional/local authorities, research organisations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, non-profit organisations), international organisations and entities established under EU law. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where company has no separate legal personality. Associated partners, subcontractors and third parties can be involved in defined roles; affiliated entities may participate under specific rules. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country and all participants must register in the Participant Register and be validated.
2. 2Funding Type: Primary mechanism is a grant (LIFE Project Grants — LIFE-PJG), budget-based mixed actual cost grant that can include unit cost, flat-rate or lump-sum elements as specified in Annex 2/2a and the LIFE MGA.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single-stage submission; consortium composition is flexible. The call accepts single-beneficiary and multi-beneficiary consortia. Consortiums are common for SAPs but a single applicant can submit if appropriate. Some interventions encourage partnerships (e.g., transnational cooperation). The coordinator role is mandatory for multi-beneficiary projects.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Geographic eligibility covers EU Member States (including OCTs), countries associated to the LIFE Programme (EEA/associated countries listed in call document) and, exceptionally, third countries not associated where their participation is essential to achieve objectives. Primary focus is EU/associated countries.
5. 5Target Sector: Thematic sectors targeted include climate mitigation across sectors: transport (road zero-emission, other modes, intermodality), energy (renewables, energy efficiency), industry (industrial decarbonisation, EIIs, waste management), circular economy (recovery/recycling of ODS and F-gases from foams and equipment), land use and coastal management (carbon removals and sinks in soils/forests, carbon storage in long-lived products), carbon removal and CCUS technologies (biochar, enhanced weathering, modular bioCCS, ocean alkalinity), and cross-cutting governance/innovation/skills. This is primarily climate and energy plus industrial and land-use sectors.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Explicit countries are not listed for eligible entities in the topic text; eligibility refers to EU Member States, overseas countries and territories linked to the EU, and countries associated to the LIFE programme. The call documentation explains eligible countries and association rules. Specific regional mentions include Outermost Regions and examples of outermost regions (Canary Islands, La Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Madeira, French Guiana, Azores, Mayotte, Saint Martin) where bonuses may apply.
7. 7Project Stage: Expected TRL/Maturity: projects should address TRL range 5–9 (demonstration to near-commercial / scale-up). Projects may include demonstration, pilot, testing in real industrial environments, market-oriented close-to-market activities, up to market deployment and replication activities.
8. 8Funding Amount: Rough funding range: typical LIFE SAP project size indicated €1–€5 millionfor CCM and CCA topics; GOV projects €0.7–€2 million. For the 2026 call, the CCM topic has an indicative budget of €28 million with estimated ~12 projects.
9. 9Application Type: Open call — single-stage. Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must use the Portal templates; no paper submissions. Partner search and NCP support available. Call is public and competitive.
10. 10Nature of Support: Direct monetary support (grant funding) to beneficiaries (reimbursement of eligible costs up to funding rate). Non-monetary support includes guidance, capacity-building and networking through LIFE and CINEA channels, but the core offered benefit is monetary grant support. Financial support to third parties is generally not allowed under this call (and where previously allowed, conditions changed for 2026 call); the call document specifies whether financial support to third parties is permitted for individual topics.
11. 11Application Stages: Number of stages: 1 (single-stage submission). Evaluation is a one-step evaluation process (admissibility/eligibility check then scoring and ranking). Post-evaluation grant preparation may include clarifications and legal/financial checks.
12. 12Success Rates: Success rates are not published for the specific 2026 call in the scraped text. Indicative competitive bands: with €28 million and an average project size €1–€5 million, and expected ~12 projects, overall success rate depends on volume of quality proposals; applicants should expect competitive selection and refer to past LIFE call statistics for average historic success rates (varies by topic/year).
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Yes. Co-funding from applicants is required because LIFE grants reimburse up to the funding rate (maximum 60% for SAPs). The remaining eligible costs must be covered by beneficiaries’ own resources or other funding sources. Co-funding contributions and in-kind contributions must be documented as specified in the application and budget annex.
14. 14Templates: Application forms and templates: Applicants must use the Funding & Tenders Portal forms: Application Form Part A (online administrative forms) and Part B (technical description PDF using the LIFE SAP template). Mandatory annexes include Detailed Budget Table (LIFE Excel template) and Participant information (LIFE template). The Participant Information annex contains free-text fields for project name/acronym, legal name/short name, description of participant and role, key staff profiles, up to five relevant past projects, and description of affiliated entities/associated partners. The Detailed Budget Table requires staff effort allocation per work package and beneficiary (person-months), personnel cost breakdown (A1–A5 including SME owner and volunteer unit cost rules), subcontracting details and justification, other direct cost line items (travel & subsistence, equipment, goods/services), financial support to third parties (if allowed by the call), land purchase justification (if applicable), and indirect cost calculation (flat-rate). The Part B template has structured sections and mandatory work-packages including a dedicated sustainability/replication/exploitation WP and (for Nature) monitoring and evaluation WP. The call document and Online Manual provide additional instructions and page/layout limits.

The above structured categorisation pulls directly from the LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA call documentation, the LIFE application templates (Part A and Part B), the LIFE detailed budget table template and the LIFE General Model Grant Agreement (MGA). Applicants must carefully consult the Call Document, the online Portal templates, the LIFE MGA and related reference documents before preparing and submitting a proposal LIFE Call Document and Templates Participant information template Detailed budget table LIFE call fiche PDF LIFE MGA Funding & Tenders Portal Topic Page CINEA - Support for applicants ¹

• Do not exceed Part B page limits; use correct templates from the Submission System.
• Ensure detailed budget table and participant information annexes are complete and consistent with online Part A.
• Document and justify land purchase, financial support to third parties or large equipment rules where relevant.
• Prepare clear work packages with mandatory sustainability/replication WP and, where relevant, monitoring WP.
• Record person-months, staff profiles and matching evidence for operational capacity and resource scoring.

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it:This LIFE call funds operational, demonstration and market-uptake projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions across priority areas consistent with the European Green Deal and EU Climate Law. It finances actions that are ready for demonstration or deployment (TRL 5–9), including technical pilots (heat pumps with low-GWP refrigerants, alternatives to SF6, F-gas recovery and recycling), transport electrification and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, intermodal and synchromodality solutions, renewable energy and biomethane projects (from waste/feedstocks in line with sustainability rules), industrial decarbonisation and circular approaches (improved recycling, reuse, waste-to-energy with sustainability safeguards), land-based carbon removals and carbon farming approaches that can be monitored/certified, and industrial carbon removal/CCUS pilot technologies. Applicants should propose quantifiable, credible impacts (GHG reductions or removals), robust monitoring and LIFE KPI reporting, a clear pathway to sustain and replicate results (business models, policy uptake, standards), and a consortium with the operational capacity to implement the project. Funding is a co-financing grant; applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity and comply with LIFE legal and financial rules and open, transparent procurement/subcontracting practices.

Footnotes

1. 1Access the full Call Document, templates and the LIFE reference documents on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for LIFE-2026 and on the CINEA LIFE support pages for detailed instructions and downloadable annex templates.

Opportunity Overview

The LIFE-2026 call for proposals funds Standard Action Projects addressing climate change mitigation under the EU Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE). This opportunity supports the implementation of the European Green Deal by contributing to the EU Climate Law objectives and the intermediate Union climate target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.

Key Funding Details

Total Budget Available:€28,000,000 allocated to climate change mitigation projects for 2026.

Project Budget Range:€1-€5 millionper project, with an estimated 12 projects to be funded.

Funding Rate:Maximum 60% of eligible costs. Applicants must secure co-financing for the remaining 40%.

Project Duration:Between 24 and 120 months, with extensions possible if duly justified.

Submission Timeline

Call Opening:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:22 September 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time)

Evaluation Results:Expected March 2027

Grant Agreement Signature:May/June 2027

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in EU Member States, overseas countries and territories, EEA countries, or countries associated with the LIFE Programme. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons (sole traders). All applicants must register in the Participant Register and be validated by the Central Validation Service before proposal submission.

Areas of Intervention

The call supports projects addressing seven priority areas for climate change mitigation:

• Recovery, recycling and reclamation of ozone-depleting substances in foams and alternatives to fluorinated greenhouse gases
• Actions supporting shift to zero-emission mobility in road transport
• Decarbonising other transport modes, fostering intermodality and modal shift
• Increasing generation and use of renewable energy and improvement of energy efficiency
• Actions reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in industrial production and waste management
• Development and implementation of land and coastal management practices impacting emissions and carbon removals
• Industrial solutions for carbon removal, carbon capture, use and/or storage

Eligible Activities and Scope

Projects must address Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-9 range. Activities should demonstrate innovative techniques, methods and approaches that are new compared to state of the art at Member State and sector level, implemented at operational scale. Projects can be close-to-market, requiring explicit market-oriented approaches with specific information on production capacity, reference market, and economic feasibility. Third countries associated with LIFE Programme may participate, with assessment conducted in line with relevant association agreements.

Consortium Requirements

Projects can be submitted by single organisations or consortia of multiple entities. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must have stable and sufficient resources to implement projects successfully. Operational capacity will be assessed based on staff qualifications, experience, and previous projects of comparable size and nature. Financial capacity checks apply to all coordinators except public bodies and international organisations, unless the requested grant exceeds €60,000.

Eligible Costs and Budget Categories

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred. Budget categories include:

• Personnel costs: employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, and volunteers
• Subcontracting costs for action tasks
• Purchase costs: travel and subsistence (actual costs), equipment (depreciation or full cost for listed equipment), other goods and services
• Other cost categories: land purchase (subject to specific conditions)
• Indirect costs: flat-rate of 7% of eligible direct costs (excluding volunteers and land purchase)

Cost Eligibility Conditions:Costs must be actually incurred during the project period, identifiable and verifiable in beneficiary accounts, comply with applicable national law on taxes and labour, be reasonable and justified, and comply with sound financial management principles. Equipment purchased at full cost must be maintained for at least 5 years after project end or until fully depreciated, whichever is earlier (durability clause).

Ineligible Costs:Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call. VAT is eligible only if non-deductible. Costs for separate project websites are ineligible, though communication costs on participants' websites are eligible.

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Proposals are evaluated against four main criteria, each scored 0-20 points, with individual thresholds of 10 points and overall threshold of 55 points (after weighting):

• Relevance (weight 1): alignment with LIFE objectives and call priorities, soundness of intervention logic, co-benefits and synergies
• Impact (weight 1.5): ambition and credibility of expected impacts, sustainability of results, replication and upscaling potential
• Quality (weight 1): clarity and feasibility of work plan, stakeholder mobilisation, impact monitoring, communication and dissemination
• Resources (weight 1): project team composition and expertise, budget appropriateness, transparency, environmental impact mitigation, value for money

Bonus Points:Up to 10 additional points available for exceptional synergies between LIFE sub-programmes, implementation in outermost regions, building on EU-funded projects, exceptional catalytic potential, and transnational cooperation ¹.

Application Process

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline. Paper submissions are not accepted. Applications must include Part A (administrative information, filled online), Part B (technical description, maximum 120 pages), Part C (project data and KPIs, filled online), and mandatory annexes (detailed budget table, participant information). All forms must use correct templates from the Submission System.

Mandatory Annexes:Detailed budget table and participant information forms are required. Optional annexes include letters of support, maps, site descriptions, and other supporting documents such as lifecycle analyses or business plans.

Project Acronym Requirement:The project acronym must include the word LIFE.

Grant Agreement and Implementation

Grant Form:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant with 60% funding rate.

Prefinancing:Initial prefinancing of approximately 30% of maximum grant amount paid 30 days from entry into force or financial guarantee (whichever is latest). Additional prefinancing may be available linked to prefinancing reports.

Reporting and Payments:Projects must submit periodic reports (typically at interim and final stages) within 60 days of reporting period end. Interim payments made 90 days from receiving periodic report. Final payment calculated after project completion, with recovery of any overpayment if actual costs are lower than claimed.

No-Profit Rule:Grants may not produce profit. For-profit organisations must declare revenues, and any surplus will be deducted from final grant amount.

Key Obligations and Requirements

Beneficiaries must implement projects in accordance with the Grant Agreement and applicable EU, national and international law. Key obligations include:

• Proper implementation of action as described in Annex 1
• Conflict of interest management and disclosure
• Confidentiality and security of sensitive information
• Compliance with ethics and EU values
• Data protection compliance
• Intellectual property rights management
• Communication, dissemination and visibility of EU funding
• Record-keeping for 5 years after final payment
• Cooperation with audits, checks and investigations by granting authority, European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and European Court of Auditors

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations cannot participate. Exclusion grounds 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, and creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent legal obligations.

Expected Project Impacts

Applicants must define, calculate and explain expected impacts during and up to 5 years after project end. Impacts should be quantified using specific indicators and targets. All proposals must report on outputs and impacts using LIFE Project Indicators (LPI), contributing to environmental and socio-economic evaluation. Applicants should complete Part C of application forms with estimated impacts, ensuring coherence with Part B technical descriptions.

Support and Guidance

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Call Document, Model Grant Agreement, EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), and EU Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual. National Contact Points (NCPs) provide support; applicants can add NCP contact information in the Participants step of the application. The IT Helpdesk assists with technical submission issues. FAQs are available on the LIFE website.

Important Considerations for Applicants

Proposals must demonstrate clear intervention logic linking activities to intended outcomes and impacts. Close-to-market projects must include specific market information (production capacity, reference market, economic feasibility). Projects should avoid maladaptation and ensure no substantial harm to other LIFE Programme objectives. Synergies with other EU initiatives, particularly Horizon Europe and EU Missions, are encouraged. Double funding from EU budget is prohibited except under EU Synergies actions. Applicants must confirm no other EU grants cover the same project or parts thereof.

Footnotes

1. 1Bonus points are awarded as follows: Bonus 1 (2 points) for exceptional synergies and significant co-benefits between LIFE sub-programmes; Bonus 2 (2 points) for primary implementation in outermost regions or other areas with specific needs and vulnerabilities; Bonus 3 (2 points) for substantially building on or upscaling results of other EU-funded projects; Bonus 4 (2 points) for exceptional catalytic potential; Bonus 5 (2 points) for transnational cooperation among eligible countries essential to achieve project objectives.