Project Development Assistance for sustainable energy investments

The LIFE-2025-CET-PDA call under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition program aims to provide Project Development Assistance for sustainable energy investments. It is designed to support public and private project developers in transforming sustainable energy project concepts into actual investments, aligning with the EU's energy and climate goals articulated in the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan.

Eligible applicants include public authorities, infrastructure operators, energy agencies, energy service companies, large property owners, and various industries focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The aim is to mobilize private investments by leveraging public funds, with a specific focus on significant investment pipelines intended for sustainable energy projects.

The funding for this call ranges between EUR 1 million and EUR 1.5 million per project, with a total budget of EUR 8 million allocated for the LIFE-2025-CET-PDA topic. The application process is a single-stage open call, with submissions due by September 23, 2025. Projects must demonstrate a leverage factor of at least 15 compared to the technical assistance grant, or at least 10 for residential building projects, highlighting the need for co-funding.

Focused sectors include:
- Buildings: Renovation of existing residential and non-residential structures
- District heating and cooling networks: Modernization and decarbonization projects
- Infrastructure: Existing public utilities and services
- Industry: Efforts towards advanced sustainability practices
- Renewables: Promoting energy production through community and citizen-led initiatives
- Mobility: Development of clean urban transport infrastructure

Proposals should not only identify investment needs but also showcase innovative solutions to accelerate investment in sustainable energy. High ambition levels are expected, particularly regarding goals for energy savings and decarbonization.

Expected impacts include enhancing the skill sets of project organization staff, launching sustainable energy investments by project completion, and creating direct and indirect jobs in the sector, along with measurable outcomes in energy savings, renewable energy generation, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

In summary, this call seeks to utilize technical assistance to facilitate and launch sustainable energy investments. It emphasizes mobilizing private investment, supports broader EU sustainability initiatives, and encourages innovative approaches to enhance infrastructure and create a decarbonized energy system.

The LIFE-2025-CET-PDA call, under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2025-CET) call, aims to provide Project Development Assistance (PDA) for sustainable energy investments. This initiative falls under the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and offers LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) with a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG] model. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline. The opening date was April 24, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 23, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget allocated for the LIFE-2025-CET-PDA topic is EUR 8,000,000.

The objective of this call is to offer technical assistance to convert sustainable energy project ideas into actual investments, supporting both public and private project developers. It aims to facilitate sustainable energy investments of ambition and scale, mobilizing private capital by using public funds as a catalyst to meet the EU’s energy and climate targets. PDA projects are expected to contribute significantly to the European Green Deal goals, the REPowerEU plan, and the Green Deal Investment Plan, fostering a decarbonized and clean energy system.

The scope of the call involves supporting project promoters in preparing and launching investment pipelines of sustainable energy projects, specifically in energy efficiency and/or renewable energy. It focuses on building technical, economic, and legal skills and expertise for project developers, covering activities such as project bundling, technical studies, energy audits, assessing financing options, legal advice, tendering procedure preparation, and outreach and engagement.

Eligible applicants include public or private project promoters like public authorities, infrastructure operators, energy agencies, energy service companies, retail chains, large property owners, services, or industry entities. PDA projects must lead to the actual launch of sustainable energy investments within the project duration, demonstrating a leverage factor of at least 15 compared to the technical assistance grant, or at least 10 for projects exclusively focused on residential buildings. Proposals should identify the initially envisaged investment pipeline.

Target sectors for proposals include:

Buildings: Existing residential buildings (including rental, social housing, and district-level renovation) and non-residential buildings (public buildings, hospitals, academies, commercial buildings).
District heating/cooling networks: Decarbonization and modernization of existing networks, including extensions based on low-temperature renewable energy or waste heat.
Infrastructure: Existing public infrastructure like water/wastewater services or lighting.
Industry: Businesses, services, and SMEs, including industrial clusters, advancing beyond business-as-usual approaches.
Renewables: Renewable energy production by energy communities and citizen-led initiatives, advancing beyond business-as-usual approaches.
Mobility: Clean and energy-efficient urban transport infrastructure, low emission urban mobility solutions, and integration of smart recharging infrastructures in buildings.

Proposals should showcase innovative solutions for accelerating sustainable energy investments across Europe, focusing on:

Organisational innovation: Mobilizing and structuring investment programs through facilitation structures, project development units, one-stop-shops, aggregation and bundling approaches, or efficient procurement procedures.
Financial engineering: Leveraging private investment by blending public with private financing, improving existing fund combinations, and utilizing Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), dedicated financial instruments, innovative on-bill and on-tax payment schemes, and community-based financing schemes.

High ambition levels are expected, particularly regarding energy savings and decarbonization, with a focus on deep renovation, nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB), zero-emission buildings (ZEB), building-integrated renewables, positive energy buildings or districts, and highly energy-efficient infrastructure.

Proposals should specify the needs addressed, including market/barrier analysis, financial and organisational approaches, and engagement of key stakeholders, including financial stakeholders. Single applicants or applicants from a single eligible country may submit proposals.

The Commission suggests that proposals request an EU contribution between EUR 1 million and EUR 1.5 million, although other amounts will also be considered.

Expected impacts include:

Increased skills among staff within project organizations.
Launch of investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) by the end of the project.
Increased capacity among organizations to deliver investments and/or tailored organizational structures.
Direct and indirect job creation.
Quantifiable impacts related to primary energy savings, final energy savings, renewable energy generation, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and cumulative investments in sustainable energy.

Conditions for participation cover admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, and legal and financial setup, as detailed in the call document and related annexes.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual for support. Information sessions, recordings, and presentations are also available. Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited on the portal.

In summary, this call seeks to fund projects that provide technical assistance to develop and launch sustainable energy investments, emphasizing energy efficiency and renewable energy. It aims to mobilize private capital, support the European Green Deal, and accelerate the clean energy transition by building technical, economic, and legal expertise among project developers. Successful projects will demonstrate innovative organizational and financial approaches, achieve high levels of energy savings and decarbonization, and contribute to job creation and skills development in the sustainable energy sector. The call encourages proposals targeting buildings, district heating/cooling networks, infrastructure, industry, renewables, and mobility, with a focus on leveraging private investment and showcasing innovative solutions across Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: Public or private project promoters such as public authorities or their groupings, public/private infrastructure operators and bodies, energy agencies, energy service companies, retail chains, large property owners, services or industry are eligible applicants.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2025-CET) call. The Model Grant Agreement is a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG]. The funding rate is 95% for Other Action Grants (OAGs).

Consortium Requirement: Proposals may be submitted by a single applicant or by applicants from a single eligible country. Therefore, either a single applicant or a consortium is acceptable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Proposals may be submitted by a single applicant or by applicants from a single eligible country.

Target Sector: This program targets the clean energy transition, focusing on sustainable energy investments, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects. Specific sectors mentioned include buildings (residential and non-residential), district heating/cooling networks, infrastructure, industry, renewables, and mobility. The program aims to mobilize private investments and increase the cost-effectiveness of EU and national public budgetary resources.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the eligibility is for applicants from a single eligible country, implying that the opportunity is open to countries eligible under the LIFE program.

Project Stage: The project stage is development and implementation, with a focus on converting sustainable energy project ideas into actual investments. The projects should lead to the actual launch of sustainable energy investments within the project duration.

Funding Amount: The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of a range of EUR 1 million to EUR 1.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. However, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. The total budget for the LIFE-2025-CET-PDA topic is EUR 8 million.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support project development and implementation.

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

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

Co-funding Requirement: While the funding rate is 95%, the projects must demonstrate a leverage factor of at least 15 compared to the technical assistance grant (at least 10 for exclusive investments in residential buildings), indicating a co-funding or investment mobilization requirement.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition program, specifically targeting Project Development Assistance (PDA) for sustainable energy investments. The call aims to support public and private project developers in converting sustainable energy project ideas into real-world investments, contributing to the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan. Eligible applicants include public authorities, infrastructure operators, energy agencies, energy service companies, and various industries. Projects should focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy, targeting sectors like buildings, district heating/cooling, infrastructure, industry, renewables, and mobility. The EU contribution is expected to be between EUR 1 million and EUR 1.5 million, with projects required to demonstrate a leverage factor of at least 15 in terms of mobilized investments. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a submission deadline of September 23, 2025. The funding rate is 95%, but projects need to secure additional private investment to meet the leverage requirements. The overall goal is to accelerate the clean energy transition by stimulating market demand for Net-Zero technologies and assisting in their uptake, thereby also increasing the competitiveness of the European economy.