Projects on Legislative and Policy Priorities in the field of Clean Energy Transition

The LIFE-2025-PLP grant opportunity is part of the EU's LIFE Programme, focusing on advancing the clean energy transition through collaborative projects that align with legislative and policy priorities. Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities based in EU member states and countries associated with the LIFE Programme, specifically excluding individuals. The funding type is action grants, with a generous funding rate of up to 95% for approved projects. Most topics under this initiative require applicants to form a consortium of at least three entities from different eligible countries, emphasizing the need for cross-border collaboration. The grant primarily targets sectors related to clean energy, such as urban decarbonization, building renovation, industrial clean energy adoption, alleviation of energy poverty, and renewable energy systems. The funding amount can go up to €1.75 million for each project, with an overall budget of €23.8 million for the pertinent topics in 2025. The grant operates through an open call with a single-stage submission process, deadline set for September 23, 2025. The nature of support provided is monetary in the form of grants, and successful projects must cover at least 5% of their costs through co-funding. While specific success rates remain unspecified, the competitive nature of the grant suggests that many proposals may be submitted. The foremost objective is to implement regional or national strategies while scaling proven solutions. The emphasis on projects is to use real-life conditions to derive data, assess energy consumption accurately, and develop relevant policy recommendations. The inclusion of diverse stakeholders such as consumer organizations is encouraged to enhance project effectiveness and community engagement. In summary, this funding initiative supports significant projects aimed at operationalizing EU energy policies, focusing on replicable solutions that drive emissions reduction and increase renewable energy adoption, requiring collaboration between various eligible entities across EU member states.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the LIFE Programme, specifically targeting LIFE Projects that address ad hoc Legislative and Policy Priorities (PLP). The call is LIFE-2025-PLP, and the topic in focus is LIFE-2025-PLP-ENER, but also includes LIFE-2025-PLP-URBAN and LIFE-2025-PLP-NAT-ENV. It aims to improve the understanding of the actual impacts of EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations. The goal is to facilitate the implementation of related test methods that better reflect product use in real life, considering both energy consumption and pollutant emissions. The call is open for submission with a deadline of September 23, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for these topics is €23,800,000.

The expected impact of projects funded under this topic includes:

Quantifying the total amount of energy represented by the monitored product categories and the corresponding CO2-eq amount.

Improving information on actual typical energy consumption for a range of selected EU household products, considering product type, geographical spread, and conditions of use.

Identifying the real-life determinants of energy consumption for selected products.

Identifying options for improvements in ecodesign and energy labelling legislation and related harmonised standards to better account for real-life conditions while maintaining reliability and reproducibility of methods.

The objective of this funding is to address the issue that harmonised standards are not always representative of actual energy consumption in real-life conditions, which can lead to overestimations when evaluating the impacts of EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations.

The scope of the projects should involve setting up and implementing in-situ measurement campaigns in EU households to capture actual energy consumption or energy efficiency. The data collected should be statistically analysed, and policy recommendations should be formulated regarding EU ecodesign and energy labelling rules, calculation methods, and standards. Proposals should build on relevant studies, including recommendations from the JRC technical report.

Key aspects to consider for the measurement campaigns include:

Product selection:Prioritise products that are simple to measure and relevant for policymaking, such as displays, household refrigerators, and cooking appliances. Consider their expected overall energy consumption. The use of existing and embedded meters is possible if their precision is known or can be established.

Sample and geographic focus:Ensure a representative sample and good geographical spread among EU Member States, considering different climatic zones, socio-economic, and cultural aspects.

Duration:Campaigns should last approximately 36 months, considering factors like the intrusiveness of testing, seasonality, and cost-benefit.

Data collection:Investigate determinants influencing energy use, such as thermostat settings and functions aiming to optimise consumption. Collect relevant product information, such as model identifier, energy class, and technical documentation. Consider registering user patterns and interactions in a logbook.

Household engagement:Ensure sufficient household engagement and retention, considering factors like the type of products selected and data protection issues.

The proposals should involve a multidisciplinary consortium with expertise in technical aspects, household engagement, and statistical evaluation. Relevant stakeholders, including consumer organisations and experts with technical knowledge on the concerned products, regulations, and standards, should be involved.

To be eligible, proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries. The Commission suggests that proposals request an EU contribution of up to €2 million, although other amounts will be considered. The Commission intends to select only one proposal under this topic, with a maximum funding rate of 90%.

The admissibility conditions include adhering to proposal page limits and layout guidelines as described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document, along with other eligibility conditions. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual, while award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in section 9. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in section 4, and the legal and financial setup of the grants is in section 10.

Applicants must use the standard application form (LIFE TA CAP, TA-R, PLP and BEST), available in the Submission System. Mandatory annexes include a detailed budget table and participant information. Optional annexes include letters of support and other documents like maps or site descriptions. The LIFE MGA (Model Grant Agreement) applies.

Additional documents include the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025-2027, LIFE Regulation 2021/783, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA (Annotated Model Grant Agreement), Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides access to the Electronic Submission Service. Applicants are advised to consult the FAQs on the LIFE website and contact their National Contact Point (NCP) for support. The IT Helpdesk and Online Manual are available for technical and procedural questions.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to enhance the understanding and effectiveness of EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations by supporting in-situ measurement campaigns in EU households. The goal is to gather real-world energy consumption data, analyse it statistically, and formulate policy recommendations to improve the regulations and standards, ultimately leading to more accurate and reliable energy efficiency measures. The project requires a multidisciplinary consortium with strong technical expertise, household engagement skills, and statistical analysis capabilities. The EU provides a maximum funding rate of 90% and expects to fund one project with a contribution of up to €2 million.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text, but the call requires a consortium with multidisciplinary expertise and resources. Relevant stakeholders, including consumer or civil society organizations, are encouraged to participate. The text specifies that proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries, implying that a variety of organizations capable of fulfilling the project's requirements are eligible.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) under the LIFE Programme. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG].

Consortium Requirement:A consortium is required. Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility is focused on EU Member States, as the in-situ measurement campaigns are to be conducted in EU households, and the consortium must include applicants from at least 3 different eligible countries.

Target Sector:The target sector is energy, specifically focusing on the impacts of EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations. It also touches on consumer protection and policy recommendations related to energy consumption.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the geographic scope is EU Member States.

Project Stage:The project stage is validation and demonstration. The call aims to set up and implement in-situ measurement campaigns, analyze data, and formulate policy recommendations, indicating that the projects should be at a stage where they can be tested and demonstrated in real-life conditions.

Funding Amount:The Commission considers that proposals requesting an EU contribution of up to €2 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. However, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. The total budget for the topic is €23,800,000.

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 their projects. The maximum funding rate is 90%.

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

Success Rates:The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text. However, it is mentioned that the Commission intends to select one single proposal under this topic, which suggests a highly competitive environment.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding is required, as the maximum funding rate is 90%, meaning the applicant must provide the remaining 10%.

Summary:

This opportunity is a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) under the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), focusing on projects addressing ad hoc Legislative and Policy priorities (PLP) related to energy. Specifically, it aims to improve the understanding of the actual impacts of EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations. The call encourages proposals that set up and implement in-situ measurement campaigns to capture actual energy consumption in EU households, analyze the data, and formulate policy recommendations.

The European Commission is seeking a consortium of at least three applicants from three different eligible countries to conduct in-situ measurement campaigns in EU households. The goal is to gather data on actual energy consumption of selected household products, analyze this data statistically, and develop policy recommendations for EU ecodesign and energy labelling rules. The project should also consider factors influencing household engagement, data protection, and involve relevant stakeholders such as consumer organizations.

The selected project will receive up to €2 million in EU funding, covering a maximum of 90% of the project costs, with the remaining 10% to be covered by the applicants. The project duration is indicatively 36 months. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 23, 2025. The call aims to select one single proposal.