Environment governance

LIFE-2026 is a competitive call under the LIFE Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme funding Standard Action Projects focused on environmental governance. The topic has an indicative budget of €6,500,000 with individual project budgets expected between €0.7 million and €2 million and an EU contribution of up to 60 percent of eligible costs. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in eligible countries and proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Projects must select up to two sub-topics from governance decision support, compliance assurance, behavioural change, or enabling actions for replication and will be evaluated on relevance, impact, quality and resources.

Call: Circular Economy and Quality of Life - Standard Action Projects (SAP) — LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-GOV

Deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time

What it funds:Standard Action Projects that strengthen environmental governance to support the transition to a circular, energy-efficient, climate-resilient and toxic-free environment in line with the European Green Deal. Topics include public administration decision support and voluntary approaches, compliance assurance and access to justice, behavioural change and awareness-raising, and actions enabling replication and upscaling of proven solutions.

Who can apply:Eligible applicants are legal persons (public or private bodies, including international organisations) established in EU Member States, OCTs or countries associated to LIFE. Natural persons are not eligible. Participation of non-associated third countries is exceptional and must be justified ¹.

1. 1Scope: environmental governance projects only (projects under other LIFE topics are excluded).
2. 2Consortia: coordinator must be established in an eligible country; affiliated entities, subcontractors and associated partners may be used as described in the call documents.
3. 3Submission: single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the LIFE application templates.

Funding and project size:Topic budget for LIFE-2026: €6,500,000. Indicative project budget per award: €0.7–€2.0 million (estimated 5–6 projects). Overall LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV call envelope: €85,500,000 (both ENV-ENVIRONMENT and ENV-GOV topics combined) ¹.

Key practicals:open 21 April 2026; deadline 22 September 2026. Funding rate: up to 60% of eligible costs for Standard Action Projects. Applicants must use the call-specific Standard Application Form and mandatory annexes and comply with admissibility, eligibility and award criteria described in the Call Document and Online Manual ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, application templates and submission portal: [LIFE Funding & Tenders Portal||ec.europa.eu.

Administrative overview and deadlines

Call identifier:LIFE-2026. Call title: Circular Economy and Quality of Life - Standard Action Projects (SAP). Topic: Environment governance. Type of action: LIFE Project Grants — LIFE-PJG (LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based — LIFE-AG). Opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline date: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage deadline model). Submission channel: Funding & Tenders Portal electronic submission system. Project duration: 24 to 120 months (to be fixed in the Grant Agreement). Maximum funding rate for SAP actions: up to 60% of eligible costs. Submission requirements and templates are provided in the Portal Submission System; Part B (technical description) page limit: 120 pages.

Topic budget and indicative project size:Topic budget for LIFE-2026: €6,500,000. Indicative project budget range per grant: €700,000 to €2,000,000. Estimated number of grants to be funded under this topic: 5 to 6 projects ¹.

Scope, objectives and expected impact

Overall aim:facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy, a toxic-free environment, and to protect, restore and improve the quality of the environment in line with the European Green Deal and recent policy developments. Specific objective of LIFE-2026: support environmental governance projects under the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme focusing on one or more of the defined sub-topics in the call: Activities in support of public administrations’ decision-making and voluntary approaches for the public and the private sector; Environmental compliance assurance and access to justice; Behavioural change and awareness-raising initiatives; Enabling actions for the replication and upscaling of proven environmental solutions. Projects must select a maximum of two sub-topics for evaluation. The proposal will be evaluated against LIFE award criteria (Relevance, Impact, Quality, Resources).

Expected impact and indicators:Applicants must define, calculate, explain and achieve expected impacts as described under the Award criterion Impact and report via the LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs) database. Where relevant, projects must upload GIS files of implementation areas as deliverables. Use of Copernicus/Galileo/EGNOS is encouraged. Projects must quantify environmental outcomes and use Part C of the eGrant application for common KPIs plus project-specific KPIs.

Eligibility and applicant types

Eligible applicants:legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries. Examples of eligible applicant types explicitly foreseen: public authorities, local/regional/national administrations, universities and research organisations, NGOs and non-profit organisations, SMEs and large enterprises, international organisations, bodies created under Union law. Natural persons are not eligible, except self-employed natural persons/sole traders where allowed and treated under specific cost rules. Entities from third countries not associated to LIFE may exceptionally participate if essential for the action. EU bodies (with the exception of the JRC in specific conditions) cannot be beneficiaries. Affiliates and associated partners are possible as per Article 8 and 9 of the LIFE MGA.

Eligible countries and geographic scope:Eligibility is defined in the Call document Section 6: EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories), EEA countries and countries associated to the LIFE Programme, and international organisations. Proposals must principally target activities in eligible countries; activities outside eligible countries are acceptable only if necessary to achieve objectives and ensure effectiveness of interventions implemented in eligible countries (e.g., migratory species, transboundary rivers).

Funding mechanism and financial rules

Funding type and form:grant (EU action grant, budget-based mixed actual-cost grant). Funding rate: maximum 60% of eligible costs for Standard Action Projects (SAPs). Co-funding: applicants must provide the remaining share (typically at least 40% of eligible costs) either from own funds, co-financiers or other sources. Eligible cost categories follow the LIFE General Model Grant Agreement: A Personnel (A1 employees/A2 natural person contracts/A3 secondments/A4 SME owners unit costs/A5 volunteers unit costs where applicable), B Subcontracting, C Purchases (C1 travel & subsistence, C2 equipment, C3 other goods, works and services), D Other costs (D.1 financial support to third parties, D.2 land purchase subject to strict conditions), and E Indirect costs flat-rate (7% of eligible direct costs, excluding volunteers and certain categories). VAT rules: non-deductible VAT may be eligible except where national rules deem VAT refundable; public bodies acting as public authority cannot declare VAT as eligible in many situations. Land purchase is only eligible under tightly defined conservation conditions.

1. 1Funding rate: maximum 60% for SAPs
2. 2Indirect costs: flat-rate 7% of eligible direct costs (categories A-D except volunteers and certain exempted items)
3. 3Eligible budget categories: Personnel, Subcontracting, Purchases (travel, equipment, goods/services), Other (financial support to third parties, land purchase in limited cases)
4. 4Maximum grant per beneficiary and overall budget are defined in Annex 2 to the Grant Agreement
5. 5No double funding from EU sources for the same activity

Consortium, partners and participation model

Consortium composition:SAPs are flexible and can be implemented by single beneficiaries or by consortia (multiple beneficiaries). The coordinator acts as the intermediary with the granting authority and is responsible for overall project coordination and for distributing payments to beneficiaries. Consortium agreements are mandatory where requested by the call or advised by the Agency; the Grant Agreement requires internal arrangements (consortium agreement recommended) to address internal organisation, decision-making, distribution of funds, and intellectual property and confidentiality issues. Affiliated entities may participate if declared and will be included in Annex 2. Associated partners, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties and third parties giving in-kind contributions are possible roles, each with defined rights and limitations.

Financial capacity and operational capacity checks:Financial capacity: the granting authority will perform financial capacity checks for coordinators except public bodies or for grants under €60,000. Request for further documents (audited accounts, P&L, balance sheet) may be made; measures may include prefinancing guarantees, staged prefinancing, or joint and several liability if capacity is insufficient. Operational capacity: applicants must demonstrate know-how, technical and managerial capacity for implementation via CVs, descriptions of previous relevant projects and key staff profiles; these are assessed under the Resources award criterion.

Evaluation, award criteria and process

One-stage submission; independent experts and an evaluation committee will assess admissibility and eligibility first, then score proposals against the award criteria. Award criteria (0–20 points each): Relevance (weight 1), Impact (weight 1.5), Quality (weight 1), Resources (weight 1). Individual thresholds per criterion: 10/20. Overall weighted pass threshold: 55 points. Bonus points (up to 10 points across several categories) can be awarded for synergies between LIFE sub-programmes, outermost regions, up-scaling of EU-funded results, exceptional catalytic potential, and essential transnational cooperation. Ranking and tie-breaking are based on Impact, Relevance, Quality, Resources scores in that order.

Indicative timetable:evaluation results communicated Feb/March 2027; Grant Agreement signature May/June 2027. Invitation to grant preparation does not constitute formal commitment to fund until legal checks (entity validation, exclusion, financial capacity) are completed.

Application process and templates

Application method:submit electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Use the mandatory Standard Application Form templates in the Submission System: Part A (administrative, online), Part B (technical description PDF to upload), Part C (online KPIs and data), plus mandatory annexes. Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table (LIFE Excel), Participant information (LIFE Word), Maps (if relevant). Optional annexes: Letters of support, Description of sites, other annexes (LCA, business plans, lifecycle analysis, etc.). Part B formatting rules: A4, minimum Arial 10, margins at least 15 mm, page limit for Part B: 120 pages. The Proposal acronym must include the word LIFE. Proposals must be complete and in the correct templates; non-compliance may lead to inadmissibility.

1. 1Mandatory forms: Application Form Part A, Part B (call-specific template), Part C (Part C online indicators).
2. 2Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table (LIFE), Participant information (LIFE).
3. 3Optional annexes: Letters of support, description of sites, maps, other supporting evidence (LCA, business plan).
4. 4Submission channel and guidance: Funding & Tenders Portal, Online Manual and Portal helpdesk; National Contact Points available for support.
5. 5Proposal language: any official EU language (summary in English recommended); evaluators use English where required.

Costs, co-funding and eligibility detail

Cost eligibility:see Article 6 of the LIFE Model Grant Agreement. Core points: actual costs must be incurred during the action period and be identifiable, verifiable and recorded in accounts; personnel costs follow specified calculation methods (daily rates, time records). Unit costs and flat rates apply for SME owners and volunteers where allowed and as detailed in Annex 2a. Subcontracting and purchases must follow beneficiaries’ usual procurement rules and respect best value for money and no conflict of interest; public contracting rules apply where relevant. Indirect costs are a flat-rate of 7% of eligible direct costs (except volunteers and certain exempted items). Financial support to third parties is restricted and must meet call-specified ceilings and transparent selection criteria. Land purchase is exceptionally eligible only under strict conservation conditions and never increases indirect cost base.

Audit, reporting and legal framework

Reporting:continuous reporting via the Portal Continuous Reporting tool and periodic reporting (technical and financial reports) according to the schedule in the Data Sheet. Financial statements must be submitted in euro using defined exchange-rate rules. Certificates: CFS (Certificate on Financial Statements) may be required above financial thresholds set in the Data Sheet. Record-keeping: beneficiaries must keep original records and supporting documents for the period specified in the Data Sheet (normally 5 years; 3 years for small grants) and make them available for audits, reviews and investigations by the granting authority, OLAF, EPPO and the European Court of Auditors. The Grant Agreement used is the LIFE General Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) and the legal framework includes Regulation 2021/783 (LIFE Regulation) and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Answers to required classification and extraction questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Public authorities and administrations; universities and research institutes; non-profit organisations and NGOs; SMEs and large enterprises (private sector); international organisations; public-private partnerships and affiliated entities; self-employed natural persons (only in specific circumstances; see call and Annex 2a). Natural persons as sole applicants are not eligible.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (EU action grant; LIFE Project Grants; budget-based mixed actual-cost grant including unit cost and flat-rate elements where specified).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single-stage submission; the action may be implemented by a single beneficiary or by a consortium (both single-beneficiary and multi-beneficiary proposals are possible). A consortium is not mandatory but is allowed and often appropriate for governance projects requiring multiple stakeholders.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Applicants established in EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories), EEA countries and countries associated to the LIFE Programme; international organisations; third countries not associated to LIFE only exceptionally where participation is essential. Projects should primarily implement activities in eligible countries; cross-border actions allowed where justified.
5. 5Target Sector: Environmental governance within the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme; thematic areas include governance, compliance assurance, decision-making support for public administrations, behavioural change and awareness-raising, replication and upscaling of proven environmental solutions; cross-cutting links to circular economy, zero pollution, water, air, soil, chemicals, industrial emissions, built environment and New European Bauhaus aspects where relevant.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Explicit country/region mentions in the call and documents: EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), EEA countries, countries associated to the LIFE Programme, third countries associated to LIFE. Hungary is specifically referenced within EU conditionality examples; individual Member States and outermost regions are referred to as eligible or relevant regions. The call is EU-wide with association options.
7. 7Project Stage: Expected project maturity ranges from implementation, demonstration, replication and upscaling of proven solutions, policy support and governance capacity-building. Projects can be close-to-market but must focus on governance and uptake; TRL is relevant where technical demonstrations are included, but governance and capacity elements are central.
8. 8Funding Amount: Topic budget €6,500,000. Indicative project budgets €0.7–€2 million. Indicative number of grants: 5–6. Overall call envelope (all topics in the LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV call) €85,500,000 (with €79,000,000 for ENV-ENVIRONMENT topic and €6,500,000 for ENV-GOV).
9. 9Application Type: Open competitive call for proposals; single-stage submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal; applicants must use official Portal templates and submit electronically before the deadline.
10. 10Nature of Support: Financial (direct grant funding for eligible costs). Some non-financial services available externally (e.g., support from National Contact Points, Online Manual, IT helpdesk, and partner search tools) but the award provides monetary grants.
11. 11Application Stages: One-stage evaluation process (single-stage submission). Grant preparation stage follows selection and includes legal checks and possible adjustments.
12. 12Success Rates: Not explicitly stated in the call text. Indicative number of grants (5–6) vs. expected submissions suggests competitive selection; no official percentage success rate provided.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Yes. Maximum EU contribution is 60% of eligible costs; applicants must provide the remaining co-financing (minimum ~40% own/co-financer resources) unless specific higher funding rates are available under the call for certain cases.
14. 14Templates and Application Structure: Applicants must use Funding & Tenders Portal forms. Application structure: Part A (online administrative form and summarized budget), Part B (technical description PDF — structured sections for Relevance, Impact, Implementation, Resources, Other; mandatory work package on Sustainability/replication; page limit 120 pages for Part B), Part C (online KPIs and quantitative indicators), Mandatory annexes (Detailed budget table LIFE Excel, Participant information LIFE Word), Optional: Letters of support, Maps, Description of sites, Life cycle analyses, Business plans, Participant register data (PIC) and LEAR validations. Time and formatting rules: Arial minimum 10pt, A4, margins ≥15 mm; do not remove template instructions. The Participant Information and Detailed Budget templates are available in the Portal Reference Documents ¹.

Important compliance and practical notes

Key practical compliance points:proposals must select up to two sub-topics in the Standard application form section Compliance with LIFE programme objectives and call topic; alignment with LIFE objectives and expected impacts is evaluated under Award criterion 1 (Relevance) and Award criterion 2 (Impact). Proposals must use the mandatory templates available in the Submission System; failure to follow page limits, fonts or templates may lead to inadmissibility. Financial capacity checks, legal entity validation, exclusion checks and possible prefinancing guarantees may be required during grant preparation. Financial support to third parties is restricted and must follow call rules. Proposals involving land purchase must meet strict conditions documented in the call and Grant Agreement.

Support and help:consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, the LIFE Call document, the LIFE Reference Documents, the LIFE General Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA), Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), National Contact Points for LIFE, the CINEA LIFE applicant support pages and the Portal IT helpdesk. Partner search tools are available via the Portal Participant Register and the Agency’s partner search announcements.

What is this opportunity about and how would you explain it?

This is a competitive EU grant opportunity under the LIFE Programme’s Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme aimed specifically at environmental governance projects LIFE-2026. It funds Standard Action Projects (SAP) that strengthen governance, compliance, decision-making, awareness, behavioural change and the enabling conditions needed to replicate and scale proven environmental solutions. Projects must clearly demonstrate relevance to LIFE objectives and measurable environmental impacts. The call expects robust project designs with a clear intervention logic, quantified indicators (LPIs), stakeholder engagement, and concrete plans for sustainability, replication and exploitation. Funding is provided as grants reimbursing eligible costs (up to 60% of eligible costs for SAPs); applicants must use Portal templates, meet admissibility and eligibility rules, and pass an expert evaluation against relevance, impact, quality and resource criteria. The topic has a dedicated budget of €6.5 million, with expected individual project budgets between €700,000 and €2 million. Proposals are submitted in a single-stage and applicants should plan to complete legal and financial checks during grant preparation if selected. The objective is to accelerate the uptake of governance solutions that enable the EU Green Deal and related environmental legislation and policies, by supporting public administrations, strengthening compliance assurance and enforcement, mobilising stakeholders and citizens, and creating the conditions for broader adoption of tested approaches.

The information above reproduces the call text, application structure, evaluation and financial rules as published by the European Commission/CINEA in the LIFE 2026 call documentation and related templates; applicants must read the official call document and all annexes on the Funding & Tenders Portal and follow the Portal Submission System templates and instructions when preparing and submitting proposals ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal and LIFE call documentation for LIFE-2026 (Call document, Standard application form and annex templates; LIFE Call fiche and Budget overview), topic and call pages on the Portal and CINEA LIFE support pages. Full documentation and templates available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for LIFE-2026 LIFE topic page.

Funding Opportunity Overview

The LIFE-2026 call for proposals supports Standard Action Projects (SAPs) focused on environmental governance under the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme. This call aims to facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy, a toxic-free environment, and to protect, restore and improve the quality of the environment in line with the European Green Deal and recent policy developments.

Call Details

Call Reference:LIFE-2026

Opening Date:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (approximately 150 days from opening)

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

Funding Programme:Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) 2021-2027

Funding Available

Total Budget for LIFE-2026:€6,500,000

Indicative Project Budget Range:€0.7 million to €2 million per project

Estimated Number of Projects to be Funded:5 to 6 projects

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

Project Duration and Timeline

Project Duration:Minimum 24 months to maximum 120 months (2 to 10 years), with extensions possible if duly justified

Expected Evaluation Results:February/March 2027

Expected Grant Agreement Signature:May/June 2027

Eligible Topics and Scope

Applicants must select a maximum of two sub-topics from the following four priority areas. Only the selected sub-topics will be considered in the evaluation.

• Activities in support of public administrations' decision-making and voluntary approaches for the public and private sector
• Environmental compliance assurance and access to justice
• Behavioural change and awareness-raising initiatives
• Enabling actions for the replication and upscaling of proven environmental solutions

Topic 1: Activities in Support of Public Administrations' Decision-Making and Voluntary Approaches

Projects should improve the capacity of public administration to manage, monitor and assess complex initiatives while promoting holistic environmental vision. This includes developing plans, programmes, initiatives, analyses and reviews such as national air pollution control programmes, air quality plans, sustainable urban mobility plans, river basin management plans, noise action plans, flood risk management plans, nitrate action plans, waste management plans, circular economy action plans, plastics action plans, and sustainable development action plans. Projects may also support implementation of voluntary instruments including Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs), Organisation Environmental Footprint Sectoral Rules (OEFSRs), EU Ecolabel promotion, reuse and repair services, green and circular public procurement, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) promotion, and building sustainability assessment using Level(s) framework. Additionally, projects may develop modelling and forecasting tools for air and water pollution, innovative data management solutions using sensors and artificial intelligence, and proactive drought management initiatives.

Topic 2: Environmental Compliance Assurance and Access to Justice

Projects should establish or enhance cross-border, national or regional networks of environmental compliance assurance practitioners and experts. They should develop and implement strategies, policies and innovative tools to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with binding EU environmental instruments (excluding nature and biodiversity). Projects must ensure application of the polluter pays principle through environmental liability. Engagement with citizens and others to promote and monitor compliance and contribute to environmental liability application is also supported.

Topic 3: Behavioural Change and Awareness-Raising Initiatives

Projects must present substantial evidence that awareness level change is crucial for supporting correct implementation and future development of EU environmental policies and legislation. Awareness-raising activities should have the widest coverage relevant to the specific issue targeted. Environmental problems, EU policies, tools and legislation targeted should be directly linked to the European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, or Zero Pollution Action Plan. Projects should support education, peer-to-peer learning, training and awareness raising solutions, including creation of sector-specific training contents and best practices manuals.

Topic 4: Enabling Actions for Replication and Upscaling of Proven Environmental Solutions

Projects should prepare wider deployment, transfer or replication of solutions already tested or demonstrated under the LIFE Programme or other Union-funded initiatives. These actions must focus exclusively on enabling conditions for large-scale uptake and shall not include implementation of the replication itself. Projects should address removing administrative, regulatory, financial or organisational barriers; designing governance frameworks and cooperation mechanisms; preparing financing pathways for future implementation; or integrating proven solutions into public programmes, tenders, regulatory instruments, planning tools or funding schemes. One of the previous project beneficiaries must be the coordinator of the proposed project, or in well-justified cases, may participate as another beneficiary within the consortium.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country.

• EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories)
• Non-EU countries: EEA countries and countries associated with the LIFE Programme
• International organisations are eligible
• Entities from other countries may exceptionally participate if their participation is considered essential by the granting authority

Natural persons are NOT eligible, except self-employed persons (sole traders). EU bodies (except the European Commission Joint Research Centre) cannot be part of the consortium. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register and be validated by the Central Validation Service before proposal submission.

Consortium Composition

Projects can be submitted by a single organisation or by several entities working in collaboration. There is no minimum or maximum consortium size specified in the call, but applicants must demonstrate that the consortium has the necessary expertise, skills and resources to implement the project successfully.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement the project and contribute their share. Financial capacity checks will be conducted for coordinators (except public bodies and international organisations, and if the requested grant does not exceed €60,000). Applicants must demonstrate know-how, qualifications and resources to successfully implement the project, including sufficient experience in projects of comparable size and nature.

Exclusion Grounds

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

Application and Submission Requirements

Submission Method:Electronic submission only via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are NOT accepted.

Application Form Structure:Part A (administrative information, filled online), Part B (technical description, downloaded template to be completed and re-uploaded as PDF), and Part C (project data and KPIs, filled online)

Mandatory Annexes:Detailed budget table, participant information form

Optional Annexes:Letters of support, maps, description of sites, other annexes (e.g., lifecycle analysis, business plans)

Project Acronym Requirement:Project acronym must include the word LIFE

Page Limit:Maximum 120 pages for Part B. Evaluators will not consider additional pages.

Formatting Requirements:Minimum font size Arial 10 points, page size A4, margins at least 15 mm on all sides. Proposals must be readable, accessible and printable.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated using a single-stage submission and one-step evaluation procedure. An evaluation committee assisted by independent outside experts will assess all applications. Proposals will first be checked for admissibility and eligibility, then evaluated against operational capacity and award criteria, and ranked according to their scores.

Award Criteria and Scoring

Individual thresholds per criterion:10/20 points minimum for each of the four main criteria. Overall threshold: 55 points after weighting (without bonus points). Maximum total score: 90 to 100 points (including bonus points).

Bonus Points Available

• Bonus 1 (2 points): Exceptional synergies and significant co-benefits between LIFE sub-programmes
• Bonus 2 (2 points): Primary implementation in Outermost Regions or other geographical areas with specific needs and vulnerabilities
• Bonus 3 (2 points): Substantially builds on or up-scales results of other EU funded projects
• Bonus 4 (2 points): Exceptional catalytic potential
• Bonus 5 (2 points): Transnational cooperation among eligible countries essential to guarantee achievement of project objectives

Relevance Criterion (0-20 points)

• Relevance to the objectives of the targeted LIFE sub-programme and to the specific priorities of the call
• Concept and methodology: soundness of the overall intervention logic
• Extent to which the proposal offers co-benefits and promotes synergies with other policy areas relevant for achieving environment and climate policy objectives

Impact Criterion (0-20 points)

• Ambition and credibility of impacts expected during and/or after the project, ensuring no substantial harm to other LIFE Programme objectives
• Sustainability of project results after project end and quality of measures for exploitation of project results
• Potential for project results to be replicated in the same or other sectors or places, or to be up-scaled by public or private actors or through mobilising larger investments or financial resources (catalytic potential)

Quality Criterion (0-20 points)

• Clarity, relevance and feasibility of the work plan; appropriate geographic focus of activities
• Identification and mobilisation of relevant stakeholders
• Quality of the plan to monitor and report impacts
• Appropriateness and quality of measures to communicate and disseminate the project and its results to different target groups

Resources Criterion (0-20 points)

• Composition of the project team in terms of expertise, skills and responsibilities and appropriateness of the management structure
• Appropriateness of the budget and resources and their consistency with the work plan
• Transparency of the budget with sufficiently described cost items
• Extent to which the project environmental impact is considered and mitigated, including through use of green procurement
• Value for money of the proposal

Budget and Cost Eligibility

Eligible Cost Categories

• A. Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, volunteers)
• B. Subcontracting costs
• C. Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services)
• D. Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, land purchase)
• E. Indirect costs (7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs)

Personnel Costs

Personnel costs are calculated as daily rate multiplied by number of day-equivalents worked on the action. Daily rate = annual personnel costs divided by 215. Maximum 215 day-equivalents per person per year. Supplementary payments are eligible if part of usual remuneration practices and applied consistently. SME owner and volunteer costs use unit cost methods as specified in Annex 2a.

Equipment Costs

Equipment costs are declared as full cost and depreciation for listed equipment. Only the portion corresponding to the rate of actual use for the action during the action duration can be taken into account. Renting or leasing equipment is eligible if costs do not exceed depreciation of similar equipment and do not include financing fees.

Ineligible Costs

• Costs not complying with eligibility conditions
• Return on capital and dividends
• Debt and debt service charges
• Provisions for future losses or debts
• Interest owed
• Currency exchange losses
• Bank costs for transfers
• Excessive or reckless expenditure
• Deductible or refundable VAT
• Costs incurred during grant agreement suspension
• In-kind contributions by third parties
• Costs declared under other EU grants (except Synergy actions and operating grants)
• Costs for staff of national administration for normal activities
• Travel and subsistence for EU institution staff

Grant Agreement and Payment Arrangements

Grant Form:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs with unit cost and flat-rate elements)

Funding Rate:Maximum 60% of eligible costs

Initial Prefinancing:Normally 30% of the maximum grant amount, paid 30 days from entry into force or financial guarantee (whichever is latest)

Additional Prefinancing:Linked to prefinancing reports, paid 60 days from receiving report or financial guarantee (whichever is latest)

Interim Payments:Paid 90 days from receiving periodic reports

Final Payment:Paid 90 days from receiving final periodic report

Prefinancing Guarantee:May be required, normally equal to or lower than prefinancing amount. Must be in euro from approved bank/financial institution in EU Member State.

No-Profit Rule:Grants may NOT produce profit. For-profit organisations must declare revenues; if profit exists, it will be deducted from final grant amount.

Late Payment Interest:ECB rate plus 3.5%

Reporting and Monitoring Requirements

Beneficiaries must report on their expected outputs and impacts using LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs). These indicators contribute to evaluating the impact of LIFE proposals on environmental and socio-economic levels. Applicants should review relevant indicators in Part C of the eGrant application and complete them with estimated project impact. Part C data must be coherent with the description of impacts in Part B of the Application Form.

If relevant, projects must upload a Geographic Information System (GIS) file and associated data of the specific geographical area where the intervention took place as a deliverable in the final report. This map should enable spatial visualisation of the impact already reported in the LIFE Project Indicators database. LIFE projects are encouraged to make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and related timing data and services.

Key Mandatory Deliverables

• Dedicated project page on beneficiaries' websites
• Exploitation plan including replication component or business plan including replication component
• Extract of project data from LIFE KPI webtool (month 9 and end of project)
• In case of land purchase, digital copies of land register with conservation clause

Important Conditions and Restrictions

Maximum of Two Sub-Topics:Applicants must select a maximum of two sub-topics from the four priority areas. Only the selected sub-topics will be considered in the evaluation.

Financial Support to Third Parties:NOT allowed under this call

Consortium Agreement:Required for multi-beneficiary projects

Liability for Recoveries:Limited joint and several liability of other beneficiaries up to the maximum grant amount of the beneficiary, or unconditional joint and several liability up to the maximum grant amount for the action, or individual financial responsibility (each beneficiary liable only for its own debts)

Applicable Law:EU law and law of Belgium for standard regime

Dispute Settlement:EU General Court and EU Court of Justice (on appeal) for EU beneficiaries; Courts of Brussels, Belgium for non-EU beneficiaries

Record-Keeping and Audit Requirements

Beneficiaries must keep records on all work done and costs declared for 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000). The granting authority may conduct checks, reviews and audits up to 5 years after final payment. OLAF, EPPO and ECA may also conduct audits and investigations. Beneficiaries must provide access to records and supporting documents upon request.

Communication and Dissemination

Beneficiaries must define target audiences and describe planned communication and dissemination activities to promote the action and its results and maximise impact. Visibility of EU funding must be ensured through use of the European flag and funding statement. A communication and dissemination plan is mandatory, and additional communication and dissemination activities are required. Special logos may be used as specified in Annex 5.

Sustainability and Exploitation of Results

Beneficiaries must describe their strategy to sustain project results after EU funding ends. This includes identifying which parts of the project should be continued or maintained, how this will be achieved, and what resources will be necessary. An exploitation plan including a replication component or business plan including a replication component is a mandatory deliverable. Projects must describe the potential for results to be replicated in the same or other sectors or places, and the potential for results to be up-scaled by public or private actors or through mobilising larger investments or financial resources.

Contact and Support

Applicants are encouraged to consult the FAQs on the LIFE website and get in touch with their National Contact Point (NCP) for support. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal provides an Online Manual with step-by-step guidance through proposal preparation and evaluation. An IT Helpdesk is available for technical questions regarding the Portal. The Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA) provides detailed annotations on all provisions in the Grant Agreement.

Additional Resources and References

Applicants should review the LIFE database to consult the list of previously funded projects. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal provides access to all relevant call documentation, templates, and guidance documents. The LIFE Regulation 2021/783, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025-2027 provide the regulatory framework for this call. The Model Grant Agreement and all other relevant templates are available on the Portal Reference Documents section.

Footnotes

1. 1The overall budget for the LIFE Programme for 2025-2027 is €2.3 billion. The LIFE-2026 call represents a portion of this funding dedicated specifically to environmental governance projects. The call is part of the broader LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV call, which also includes LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-ENVIRONMENT with a budget of €79 million for circular economy and zero pollution projects.