Nature Governance and Information

The Nature Governance and Information call LIFE-2026 under the LIFE Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme funds Standard Action Projects to improve governance and information systems supporting EU nature and biodiversity legislation. The topic has an indicative budget of €7,500,000 with estimated project grants of €1,000,000 to €2,000,000 each (about five projects) and a maximum funding rate of 60% of eligible costs. Submissions are single-stage and must be made electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, with projects of up to 120 months possible. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, OCTs, EEA countries or countries associated to the LIFE Programme, and proposals must demonstrate measurable conservation impacts, long-term sustainability and readiness to report against LIFE Project Indicators.

What it funds

Scope and objectives

Standard Action Projects (SAP) under the LIFE Nature & Biodiversity sub-programme to improve governance and information. Activities may cover awareness-raising, compliance assurance, public participation and access to justice (Aarhus), and enabling measures for replication and upscaling of proven solutions.

Expected impacts:Projects must demonstrate measurable conservation benefit, long-term sustainability and potential for replication or upscaling. Proposals should define and quantify expected outputs and LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs) ¹.

Who can apply

Public or private legal entities established in eligible countries:EU Member States (including OCTs), countries associated to the LIFE programme and certain third countries where participation is justified. Natural persons are not eligible; international organisations may participate. Consortiums with coordinator and beneficiaries are expected.

How much and funding rules

Available budget and project size:Total call budget €173,500,000 across topics; the Nature Governance and Information topic has an indicative budget of €7,500,000. Indicative project size for this topic: €1–€2 millionper project.

1. 1Type of action: LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG), LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG)
2. 2Deadline: single-stage submission; project duration up to 120 months; maximum standard funding rate up to 60% (higher rates may apply in specific cases)

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the Application Form and required annexes; follow admissibility, eligibility and evaluation rules in the Call document and related templates.

Footnotes

1. 1See Call document, Application Form templates and LIFE Project Indicators guidance on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Call overview

Call title:Nature & Biodiversity - Standard Action Projects (SAP) — Topic LIFE-2026. Programme: LIFE Programme for the Environment and Climate Action. Type of action: LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG), LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG). Single-stage call. Opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Budget (call-level): €173 500 000 total across related Nature topics. Topic-specific indicative budget: €7 500 000 for LIFE-2026; indicative number of grants: ~5; indicative project budget range for this topic: approximately €1–€2 millionper project.

Purpose and scope

Objective:Contribute to the protection of nature and biodiversity by improving governance and information at all levels. The topic focuses on: raising awareness of the benefits of nature conservation (including Natura 2000); supporting compliance assurance, public participation and access to justice (Aarhus Convention); and enabling actions for replication and upscaling of proven solutions. Projects must be Standard Action Projects (SAP) aimed at the LIFE Nature & Biodiversity sub-programme objectives and must focus exclusively on governance and information projects; projects addressing other LIFE Nature objectives should apply under the LIFE-2026-SAP-NAT-NATURE topic.

Expected impact:Applicants must define, calculate, explain and achieve ambitious and credible impacts in terms of conservation benefit, ensuring long-term sustainability and replicability. Projects must report expected outputs and impacts using LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs) and may be asked to upload GIS files to spatially visualise interventions and impacts.

Who can apply and where

Eligible applicants:legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries. Eligible countries include EU Member States (including OCTs), EEA countries and countries associated to the LIFE Programme. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where national law treats them as legal entities for participation. International organisations are eligible. Entities from non-associated third countries may exceptionally be eligible only where participation is necessary to achieve the action’s objectives (for example for migratory species wintering areas). All beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register and undergo validation.

Geographic eligibility / Target countries:Primary geographic scope: EU and associated countries under the LIFE programme. Actions outside eligible countries are allowed only when necessary to achieve EU environmental objectives (e.g., migratory species wintering areas, transboundary rivers).

Eligible applicant types (detailed)

Eligible applicant types include public authorities and bodies, research organisations, universities, NGOs and non-profit organisations, SMEs and large enterprises, international organisations, and other legal entities (private or public) established in eligible countries. Natural persons are not eligible except as sole traders where permitted. Associated partners, affiliated entities and subcontractors can participate under defined rules. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or EU conditionality measures blocking eligibility cannot participate.

Funding type and financial modalities

Primary funding type:Grant. Form: action grant — budget-based mixed actual-cost grant including actual costs with permitted use of unit costs, flat-rates or other forms only if described in Annex 2/2a. Funding rate: standard maximum up to 60% of eligible costs. Higher funding rates (up to 75%) can apply for projects targeting exclusively qualifying priority habitats or species under the Habitats/Birds Directives or equivalent threatened categories in red lists — applicants must justify eligibility for the higher rate in their proposal.

Indicative project budget and scale:Topic-level budget: €7 500 000. Indicative project award range for this topic: €1–€2 millionper grant. Projects requesting higher EU contributions (e.g., above €5 million) must present exceptionally convincing EU added value, impact and value-for-money justification.

Consortium, partnership and application format

Consortium requirement:single-stage single-step submission. The call uses a single-stage full proposal submission. A consortium is allowed and typically expected for SAP projects; single-beneficiary applications are also possible if the applicant can implement the action alone. Affiliated entities may participate and claim costs but must be declared and validated. Associated partners may participate without receiving EU funding. Subcontracting is allowed but should be exceptional and justified; subcontracting above a standard threshold must be justified and may require prior approval. Financial support to third parties is generally not allowed unless explicitly stated in the call document and Annex 1 (not applicable for this topic).

Application process and templates

Application method:Electronic submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system using the official Application Form templates provided in the Submission System. The topic-specific application form is the Standard application form (LIFE SAP and OAG). Proposals consist of Part A (administrative forms completed online), Part B (technical description — PDF upload, with page limit of 120 pages for Part B), Part C (online KPIs and programme indicators), and mandatory annexes such as the detailed budget table (Excel), participant information, maps, descriptions of sites and species/habitats, and letters of support as appropriate. Proposals must respect formatting rules in the templates. Applicants must confirm mandate to act for all participants and sign declarations of honour during grant preparation and grant signature.

Key templates and mandatory annexes:Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table (LIFE Detailed Budget Table template), Participant Information (template), Maps (template), Description of sites, Description of species and habitats, Letters of support (where appropriate). Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) and Application Form templates are available on the Portal; the specific application templates are available inside the Submission System and must be used.

Eligibility and admissibility checks

Admissibility conditions:Submission before the deadline; correct template usage; Part B page limit respected; complete submission of Part A, B, C and mandatory annexes. Proposals exceeding page limits will have excess pages disregarded. The Proposal page limit and layout requirements are described in the call document and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System. Eligibility conditions (applicant legal status, country, coordinator location) are described in the call document.

Evaluation, award criteria and procedure

Evaluation:Single-stage evaluation by independent experts and an evaluation committee. Formal admissibility and eligibility checks, then evaluation against award criteria and operational capacity. Invitation to grant preparation for successful proposals. Reserve list and Seal of Excellence for good proposals that cannot be funded due to budget limits. Timeline: evaluation results expected Feb–Mar 2027; grant agreement signature May–June 2027 (indicative).

Award criteria, thresholds and scoring:Award criteria (each scored): Relevance (0–20); Impact (0–20); Quality (0–20); Resources (0–20). Individual thresholds: 10/20 per criterion. Overall threshold after weighting: 55 points. Bonus points (up to 10 points total) may be awarded for exceptional synergies, outermost regions, building on/up-scaling other EU-funded projects, exceptional catalytic potential, and essential transnational cooperation. Maximum total score for full proposals 90–100 points depending on bonuses.

Assessment of financial and operational capacity

Financial capacity:Coordinators (and occasionally beneficiaries or affiliated entities) must demonstrate stable and sufficient resources; assessment is based on documents in the Participant Register (e.g., P&L, balance sheet, audited accounts). For grants above certain thresholds or risk indicators, the granting authority may request guarantees, joint and several liability, prefinancing paid in instalments, reduced or no prefinancing, or replacement of the beneficiary. Public bodies and projects requesting less than €60 000 may be exempt from financial capacity checks. Operational capacity: applicants must demonstrate the required technical and managerial experience and resources; capacity will be assessed via the Resources award criterion and Participant Information annex.

Legal, contractual and compliance framework

The Grant Agreement will be the LIFE Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) budget-based. The Grant Agreement covers funding rates, eligible costs, reporting and payment arrangements, durability and sustainability obligations, procurement rules, IPR and communication requirements, record keeping, audits and controls, and remedies in case of non-compliance. Beneficiaries must comply with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, LIFE Regulation 2021/783, the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025–2027 and other reference documents. Prefinancing guarantees may be requested; certificates on financial statements may be required for beneficiaries above thresholds. Audit, OLAF and EPPO investigations may apply.

Permitted and ineligible costs

Eligible costs follow the LIFE MGA and Annex 2 rules. Budget categories:A Personnel costs (A1 employees, A2 natural persons under contract, A3 seconded persons, A4 SME owners/natural person beneficiaries unit cost, A5 volunteers unit cost), B Subcontracting, C Purchase costs (C1 Travel & subsistence, C2 Equipment, C3 Other goods/works/services), D Other costs (D1 financial support to third parties where allowed, D2 land purchase where allowed and subject to strict conditions), E Indirect costs (flat-rate 7% of eligible direct costs excluding volunteers and some exempt categories). Equipment normally eligible via depreciation; some calls allow full capitalised cost for listed equipment subject to call rules. VAT: non-deductible VAT is eligible except VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority is not eligible. In-kind contributions are allowed but cost-neutral (cannot be declared as costs). Financial support to third parties is generally not allowed for this topic unless explicitly authorised.

Special topic-specific eligibility and conditions

This governance and information topic targets awareness, compliance assurance, public participation and access to justice, training and capacity building for compliance practitioners, promotion and replication of proven solutions, and enabling conditions for upscaling. Projects should, where relevant, prioritise actions that improve awareness of Natura 2000 and EU nature policies. Projects enabling replication must not themselves implement the replication; they prepare conditions for wide deployment. Proposals addressing public participation, access to justice and compliance assurance should include strategies, training and tools for stakeholders, judiciary, prosecutors and civil society. Projects must define measurable conservation-related impacts consistent with LIFE Project Indicators.

Sustainability, durability and long-term requirements

Applicants must ensure long-term sustainability of outcomes and maintenance of ecological effect where relevant. For investments into management or restoration of habitats/sites, ecological effects must be maintained for at least 20 years after project end and legal protection, long-term contractual agreements or equivalent land-use planning must secure this. Where land purchase is included, strict rules apply (e.g., long-term assignment to conservation, market price evidence, beneficiary competence, documentation at final report). Recurring management costs established by the project must have clear long-term financing arrangements or are at risk of ineligibility at final payment.

Project stage and expected maturity

Project stage expected:implementation/operational and demonstration of governance and information measures, replication preparedness and upscaling enabling actions. Projects should be beyond pure idea stage, showing readiness for deployment or scaling at regional/national/EU level. They can include preparatory work for replication and capacity building, development of digital or knowledge platforms, training curricula, legal guidance and compliance tools.

Application stages, timeline and success rates

Application stages:single-stage submission and evaluation (1). Indicative evaluation timeline: information on results Feb–Mar 2027; grant signature May–June 2027. Success rates: not published for this specific call; LIFE competitive success rates vary widely by topic and year. Applicants should assume selective competition; proposals must meet threshold scores and rank within available budget to be funded. Reserve lists may be used.

Co-funding and no-profit rule

Co-funding requirement:yes — beneficiaries must co-fund projects for the share not covered by the EU funding rate. The grant cannot produce profit: any net profit (revenue + grant - costs) must be reported and recovered per Grant Agreement rules. Funding rate typically 60% (higher rates available in specific circumstances explained above). Own resources, revenues generated by the project, third-party financial contributions are valid co-funding sources.

Evaluation and scoring advice

Evaluation focuses on:clear and measurable conservation-related objectives, a credible theory of change and methodology, stakeholder involvement and capacity building, detailed work plan and milestones, robust monitoring and reporting (including LPIs), cost-efficiency and budget transparency, sustainability and upscaling pathway, and clear evidence of legal and financial arrangements to secure long-term conservation effects. Demonstrate alignment with relevant national Prioritised Action Frameworks, restoration plans, Natura 2000 measures, EU Biodiversity Strategy targets, and other EU policy priorities where applicable.

Templates and application structure (how forms look)

Application structure:Part A — Administrative forms completed in the Portal (participants, budget summary, declarations). Part B — Technical description using the LIFE SAP/OAG Application Form template (download, complete and upload as PDF). Part C — online programme KPIs and LPI entries. Mandatory annexes: Detailed Budget Table (Excel template with staff effort allocation, personnel costs categories, subcontracting, other direct costs, travel, equipment, financial support to third parties, land purchase — if any), Participant Information form (descriptions, key staff, previous projects), Maps, Description of sites, Description of species and habitats, Letters of support. Part B template includes sections on Relevance, Impact, Implementation (work packages, deliverables, timetable), Resources (consortium, management, budget), and Other (ethics, security). Part B page limit: 120 pages.

1. 1Prepare Participant Register and obtain PICs for all beneficiaries and affiliated entities
2. 2Use the specific Application Form templates in the Submission System
3. 3Complete Part A online, prepare Part B PDF within 120 pages and Part C KPIs online
4. 4Attach mandatory annexes using the official templates (Detailed budget table, Participant information, maps, species/habitats description, letters of support)
5. 5Ensure legality of co-funding and long-term sustainability evidence (contracts, letters of commitment from competent authorities)
6. 6Validate financial capacity documents where requested and prepare for certificate requirements if thresholds are met

Key risks and common causes of ineligibility

Common issues leading to rejection or reduced score:failure to use correct templates or exceed page limits; incomplete annexes (missing detailed budget, participant information, maps, species/habitat descriptions where required); insufficient demonstration of long-term sustainability or legal protection for habitat investments; unclear or non-credible conservation impact indicators; weak cost justification or non-transparent budgets; missing or inadequate letters of commitment from competent authorities for site designation or Natura 2000 updates; inadequate stakeholder involvement; failure to demonstrate operational or financial capacity; inclusion of ineligible costs (deductible VAT, payments to public bodies ineligible unless justified, double funding).

Mentioned countries and regional scope

Explicit countries:none listed specifically in the topic text. Geographic eligibility: EU Member States and Overseas Countries and Territories where applicable; EEA and countries associated to the LIFE Programme; third countries may be allowed in exceptional circumstances for actions necessary to achieve EU objectives. Region specified: EU and associated countries. Applicants should consult the call document for the definitive list of eligible countries and association status.

Success factors and advice to applicants

Strong proposals typically:set SMART conservation objectives; quantify conservation benefits and link them to LPIs; detail methodology and monitoring; show legal and financial arrangements for long-term sustainability (20-year rule for many habitat investments); present cost-effective and justified budgets with detailed budget table; engage and secure commitments from competent authorities and stakeholders; include replication and upscaling pathways and explain EU added value; demonstrate operational and financial capacity; ensure compliance with biodiversity and land purchase rules where relevant; show clear dissemination and communication plans and use of Copernicus or other earth observation tools where relevant.

Application support and contact points

Primary submission and application system:Funding & Tenders Portal. Support: Portal Online Manual, IT Helpdesk (for technical issues), CINEA LIFE enquiries mailbox (CINEA-LIFE-ENQUIRIES@ec.europa.eu) for non-IT questions, LIFE National Contact Points for national-level advice. The Submission System contains the specific application templates and Annex templates.

Categorisation answers (structured)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Public authorities and bodies, universities, research institutes, NGOs/nonprofits, SMEs, large enterprises, international organisations, affiliated entities and associated partners. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where permitted.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (LIFE action grant, budget-based mixed actual-cost grant).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single-stage single-step submission; either single beneficiary or consortium allowed; multi-participant consortia are common but not mandatory.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States (including OCTs), EEA and countries associated to LIFE. Exceptional participation of third countries only where necessary to achieve objectives. Primarily EU/associated countries.
5. 5Target Sector: Nature and biodiversity policy and governance, environmental governance and information, awareness-raising, compliance assurance, access to justice, capacity building, replication and upscaling of proven nature solutions. Thematic sectors: environment, biodiversity, governance, education/training, ICT (for platforms/tools), monitoring and earth observation (Copernicus), law and judiciary capacity.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: No specific countries mentioned in the topic text. Region: EU and associated countries.
7. 7Project Stage: Implementation, demonstration, replication-enabling, governance and information (mature solutions ready for upscaling or governance capacity building).
8. 8Funding Amount: Topic budget €7.5M; indicative project range €1–€2M; overall call €173.5M. Maximum funding rate normally 60% (75% possible for strictly qualifying species/habitats).
9. 9Application Type: Open call; single-stage full proposal submitted via Funding & Tenders Portal electronic submission.
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary grant funding (reimbursement of eligible costs).
11. 11Application Stages: 1 stage (single-stage full proposal submission).
12. 12Success Rates: Not published for this call; competitive. Proposals must pass individual criterion thresholds and overall weighted threshold (55/90) and rank within available budget. Reserve lists and Seal of Excellence may be used.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Yes — beneficiaries must provide co-funding for the non-covered share; co-funding can include own funds, third-party contributions or revenues. No-profit rule applies.
14. 14Templates: Application uses Portal Part A (online), Part B (LIFE SAP/OAG Word template to be uploaded as PDF) and Part C (online KPIs). Mandatory annex templates: Detailed Budget Table (Excel), Participant Information (Word), Maps template, Description of sites, Description of species and habitats. The Application Form template includes sections: Relevance, Impact, Implementation (work packages, deliverables, timetable), Resources (consortium, management, budget), and Other (ethics, security). Detailed Budget Table includes personnel effort allocation, personnel cost categories (A1–A5), subcontracting, travel, equipment, other goods/services, financial support to third parties, and land purchase sections; it defines unit cost rules for SME owners and volunteers, depreciation/full-cost treatment for equipment where applicable, and guidance on personnel daily rate calculations.

Full references and mandatory reading:applicants must read the Call Document, LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025–2027, the LIFE Regulation, the LIFE Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA), the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and the Application Form templates available inside the Submission System. All templates and annexes must be used from the Submission System.

Summary:This is a LIFE Nature & Biodiversity Standard Action Projects call topic focusing on governance and information. It funds projects that strengthen governance, raise awareness, support compliance assurance and public participation (Aarhus Convention), and create enabling conditions for replication and upscaling of proven nature conservation solutions across the EU and associated countries. Applicants must submit a single-stage full proposal through the Funding & Tenders Portal using the LIFE SAP application templates, provide detailed budgets and supporting annexes, demonstrate measurable conservation impacts using LIFE Project Indicators, and secure long-term sustainability for habitat and species outcomes. The topic budget is limited and competition is strong; proposals must be technically robust, cost-effective, legally and financially sound, and demonstrate clear EU added value.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates and the model grant agreement are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for LIFE-2026: ec.europa.eu

Funding Opportunity Overview

The Nature Governance and Information call LIFE-2026 is part of the LIFE Programme for the Environment and Climate Action, specifically under the Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme. This call supports Standard Action Projects (SAPs) aimed at improving governance and information systems related to EU nature and biodiversity legislation. The call opened on 21 April 2026 and closes on 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Call Identification and Key Dates

Call Reference:LIFE-2026

Opening Date:21 April 2026

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

Submission Model:Single-stage submission

Funding Budget and Project Amounts

Total Call Budget:€7,500,000

Estimated Project Budget Range:€1,000,000 to €2,000,000 per project

Estimated Number of Projects to be Funded:Approximately 5 projects

Funding Rate:Maximum 60% of eligible costs

Project Objectives and Scope

Projects under this call must lead to smart and outcome-based implementation of EU nature and biodiversity legislation. The call focuses exclusively on governance and information projects and excludes other nature and biodiversity projects covered under the separate LIFE-2026-SAP-NAT-NATURE topic.

Three Main Focus Areas

• Behavioural change and awareness-raising initiatives to promote awareness of nature and biodiversity conservation benefits, particularly regarding the Natura 2000 network, and to support communication and knowledge sharing on successful conservation solutions
• Compliance assurance and public participation and access to justice under the Aarhus Convention, including promoting effective public participation among the public, NGOs, lawyers, judiciary and public administrations, establishing or enhancing networks of compliance practitioners, improving professional qualifications and training, developing innovative compliance monitoring tools, and improving information systems
• Enabling actions for replication and upscaling of proven solutions already demonstrated under LIFE or other EU-funded initiatives, focusing on removing administrative, regulatory, financial or organisational barriers to wider deployment

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities include raising awareness on nature and conservation issues among relevant target audiences with the aim of changing perceptions and fostering supporting behaviours. Applicants must provide substantial evidence that awareness level change is crucial for correct implementation of EU nature and biodiversity policies. Awareness-raising activities should have the widest coverage relevant to the specific issue targeted, typically covering a full Member State, several Member States or the entire EU.

Projects may promote good practices, support implementation, organise trainings and educational programmes to ensure effective compliance assurance and public participation in nature and biodiversity matters. Professional qualifications and training should ensure academic credentials or certificates and maximise use of information technology such as webinars and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to reach practitioners cost-effectively. Promotion systems may involve guidance, advisory services, awareness campaigns, partnership agreements or self-monitoring systems.

Enabling actions for replication and upscaling should be new, complementary and additional to original projects and must demonstrate clear contribution to accelerating uptake of validated solutions across administrations, territories or sectors. These actions should address barriers preventing uptake or upscaling of solutions already validated through EU-funded actions at local, regional or national level.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Participants and Countries

Applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries. Eligible countries include all EU Member States, overseas countries and territories (OCTs), EEA countries and countries associated with the LIFE Programme. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register and be validated by the Central Validation Service before proposal submission.

Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons (sole traders). EU bodies cannot participate except the Joint Research Centre. International organisations are eligible. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if their representatives can undertake legal obligations and offer equivalent guarantees for EU financial interests.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement projects and contribute their share. Financial capacity checks are normally conducted for coordinators, except for public bodies and international organisations, or if the requested grant amount does not exceed €60,000. Applicants must demonstrate know-how, qualifications and resources to implement projects, 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, or creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent legal obligations.

Project Duration and Implementation

Project Duration:Maximum 120 months (10 years), with extensions possible if duly justified through an amendment

Project Starting Date:Normally the first day of the month following grant agreement entry into force. Retroactive starting dates may be granted exceptionally for duly justified reasons but never earlier than proposal submission date.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals are evaluated against four main award criteria, each scored out of 20 points, with individual thresholds of 10 points per criterion and an overall threshold of 55 points (after weighting). Bonus points up to 10 additional points may be awarded for exceptional synergies, implementation in Outermost Regions, building on EU-funded projects, exceptional catalytic potential, or transnational cooperation.

Award Criteria

• Relevance (0-20 points, weight 1): Relevance to LIFE objectives and call priorities, soundness of intervention logic, co-benefits and synergies with other policy areas
• Impact (0-20 points, weight 1.5): Ambition and credibility of expected impacts, sustainability of project results, potential for replication and upscaling, catalytic potential
• Quality (0-20 points, weight 1): Clarity and feasibility of work plan, geographic focus, stakeholder mobilisation, quality of impact monitoring plan, communication and dissemination measures
• Resources (0-20 points, weight 1): Project team composition and expertise, appropriateness of budget and resources, budget transparency, environmental impact consideration, value for money

Bonus Points (up to 10 additional points)

• 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 areas with specific needs and vulnerabilities
• Bonus 3 (2 points): Substantially builds on or upscales results of other EU-funded projects
• Bonus 4 (2 points): Exceptional catalytic potential
• Bonus 5 (2 points): Transnational cooperation among eligible countries essential for achieving project objectives

Budget and Cost Eligibility

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred. Eligible costs must be identifiable, verifiable, recorded in beneficiary accounts, comply with applicable national law, and be reasonable and justified according to sound financial management principles.

Eligible Cost Categories

• Personnel costs: Employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners and natural person beneficiaries (unit costs), and volunteers (unit costs)
• Subcontracting costs: For action tasks, calculated on actual costs incurred, using beneficiary's usual purchasing practices ensuring best value for money and no conflict of interest
• Purchase costs: Travel and subsistence (actual costs), equipment (depreciation only or full cost for listed equipment), other goods, works and services (actual costs)
• Other cost categories: Financial support to third parties (if authorised in call, max €60,000 per recipient unless otherwise specified), land purchase (if authorised in call, subject to specific conditions)
• Indirect costs: Flat-rate of 7% of eligible direct costs (categories A-D, except volunteers and exempted categories)

Ineligible Costs

• Costs not complying with eligibility conditions including return on capital, debt service, provisions for future losses, interest owed, currency exchange losses, bank costs, excessive expenditure, deductible or refundable VAT
• Costs declared under other EU grants (except Synergy actions or when combined with operating grants)
• Costs for staff of national administration for normal activities
• Travel and subsistence costs for EU institution staff or representatives
• Costs specifically declared ineligible in call conditions

Grant Administration and Payments

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

Payment Schedule:Initial prefinancing (normally 30% of maximum grant amount) paid 30 days from entry into force or financial guarantee (whichever is latest); additional prefinancing linked to prefinancing reports; interim payments linked to periodic reports; final payment 90 days from receiving final periodic report

Prefinancing Guarantee:May be required, normally equal to or lower than prefinancing amount, issued by approved bank or financial institution in EU Member State

Reporting Requirements:Continuous reporting via Portal; periodic technical reports and financial statements; certificates on financial statements if threshold reached (€500,000 requested EU contribution); final report within 60 days of project end

Record-Keeping:Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documents for 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000)

Consortium Requirements

Beneficiaries are jointly responsible for technical implementation of the action. If one beneficiary fails to implement their part, other beneficiaries must ensure implementation without increase to maximum grant amount. Beneficiaries must remain eligible under the EU programme for entire action duration. Costs are eligible only while beneficiary and action remain eligible.

Each beneficiary must keep Participant Register information updated and inform the granting authority immediately of events or circumstances likely to affect implementation. The coordinator acts as intermediary for all communications with the granting authority, submits deliverables and reports, and distributes payments to other beneficiaries without unjustified delay. Coordinator tasks cannot be delegated or subcontracted except in limited circumstances for public bodies and sole beneficiaries.

A written consortium agreement is required, covering internal organisation, management of Portal access, distribution keys for payments and financial responsibilities, rules on background and results, settlement of disputes, and liability arrangements. Internal arrangements must not contradict the grant agreement.

Application Submission

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System before the call deadline. Paper submissions are not accepted. Proposals must be complete and contain all requested information and required annexes.

Required Application Components

• Application Form Part A: Administrative information about participants and summarised budget (filled directly online)
• Application Form Part B: Technical description of project (downloaded template, completed, and uploaded as PDF)
• Part C: Additional project data and contribution to EU programme key performance indicators (filled directly online)
• Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget table, participant information
• Non-mandatory but recommended annexes: Maps, description of sites, description of species and habitats, letters of support

Proposal Page Limit:Maximum 120 pages for Part B; excess pages will be disregarded

Formatting Requirements:Minimum font size Arial 10 points; A4 page size; margins at least 15mm (top, bottom, left, right); readable, accessible and printable format

Language:Any official EU language acceptable; project abstract/summary must be in English; English recommended for entire application

Project Acronym:Must include the word LIFE

Evaluation Timeline

Evaluation Results:February/March 2027

Grant Agreement Signature:May/June 2027

Key Conditions and Obligations

Projects must comply with EU policy interests and priorities including environment, social, security, industrial and trade policy. Projects must respect EU values and European Commission policy regarding reputational matters. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call.

Grants may not produce profit (surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs). For-profit organisations must declare revenues and any profit will be deducted from final grant amount. Double funding from EU budget is strictly prohibited except for Synergy actions. Cost items may not be declared under two EU grants.

Beneficiaries must ensure communication, dissemination and visibility of EU funding through dedicated project pages on beneficiary websites, communication and dissemination plans, and use of special LIFE logos. An exploitation plan including replication component is mandatory. Projects must report on expected outputs and impacts using LIFE Project Indicators (LPIs).

Support and Guidance

Applicants should consult the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual for detailed procedures and recommendations. The LIFE website provides FAQs and additional guidance. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer free support services. The IT Helpdesk assists with technical submission questions. Non-IT questions should be directed to CINEA-LIFE-ENQUIRIES@ec.europa.eu at least 7 days before the submission deadline.

Important Considerations for Applicants

• Submit applications well in advance of the deadline to avoid technical problems; call deadlines cannot be extended
• Consult the Portal Topic page regularly for updates and additional information
• All beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners must be registered in the Participant Register before submission
• Ensure consortium roles are attributed according to level of participation; main participants should be beneficiaries or affiliated entities
• Subcontracting should normally constitute limited part of action and must be justified if exceeding 30% of total eligible costs
• Ensure balanced project budget with sufficient other resources to implement project successfully
• Proposals for already-completed projects will be rejected; proposals for already-started projects assessed case-by-case with no reimbursement for pre-submission activities
• Multiple proposals may be submitted for different projects under same call; organisations may participate in several proposals
• Proposals may be changed and resubmitted until deadline
• Failure to comply with call conditions will result in rejection; all applicants must fulfil criteria or entire proposal rejected
• Information about EU grants awarded is published annually on Europa website including beneficiary names, addresses, purpose and maximum amount awarded

Footnotes

1. 1The call document LIFE-2026-SAP-NAT version 1.0 dated 21 April 2026 provides comprehensive details on all aspects of this funding opportunity. Additional information is available at the EU Funding and Tenders Portal and through National Contact Points for the LIFE Programme.