Strategic Integrated Projects - Climate Action

The grant opportunity presented is part of the EU’s LIFE Programme, specifically focusing on Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs). This two-stage call for proposals, identified as LIFE-2025-STRAT-CLIMA-SIP-two-stage, aims to support large-scale implementations of environmental and climate strategies at various levels, including national, regional, and urban. The submission session opened on April 24, 2025, with the first deadline on September 4, 2025, and a second deadline on March 5, 2026.

Eligible applicants include a wide array of entities such as national, regional, and local public authorities, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, universities, and businesses involved in environmental and climate policy implementation. Collaboration among multiple stakeholders is essential, indicating a consortium approach is required for project proposals, with active involvement of main stakeholders being crucial during both the design and implementation phases.

The funding mechanism primarily consists of grants, specifically LIFE Project Grants and LIFE Action Grants. The budget for projects under the climate action topic is EUR 30 million for 2025, while related environmental topics have larger budgets of EUR 56 million and EUR 72 million, respectively.

Projects are expected to focus on effective implementation of National Energy and Climate Plans, adaptation strategies, and urban plans aimed at transitioning to climate-neutral societies. The projects must demonstrate strategic actions that mobilize supplementary commitments for achieving full strategies or plans implementation.

The application process is structured in two stages, starting from concept notes to full proposals. Success rates are expected to be competitive but not specifically detailed. Moreover, projects are encouraged to secure additional funding from national or private sources, although co-funding from other EU funding sources within the SIP itself is not permitted.

The LIFE Programme emphasizes long-term sustainability of project outcomes and aims to build strategic capacities among authorities and stakeholders to ensure effective governance and continued engagement post-project completion. Applicants are guided to strictly follow the admissibility conditions, eligibility criteria, and evaluation processes as outlined in the call documents. Comprehensive support, including the necessary templates and guidance for proposal preparation, is available through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

This grant opportunity is designed to foster significant contributions in climate action, environmental protection, and nature conservation, aligning with broader EU initiatives aimed at achieving a sustainable and resilient future.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents several LIFE Project Grant opportunities under the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) Strategic Nature and Integrated Projects (SNAP/SIP) call (LIFE-2025-STRAT-two-stage). These are two-stage calls for proposals. The submission session opened on April 24, 2025. The first deadline for submissions is September 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline is March 5, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The type of Model Grant Agreement is LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG].

The available topics are:

1. LIFE-2025-STRAT-CLIMA-SIP-two-stage: Strategic Integrated Projects Climate Action. This topic has a budget of 30,000,000 EUR for the year 2025. It aims to support the full implementation of National Energy and Climate Plans, national or regional adaptation strategies or action plans, urban or community-based action plans pioneering the transition to a climate-neutral and/or climate-resilient society and city, and national, regional, or industry-/sector-specific greenhouse gas mitigation strategies or plans or economy roadmaps contributing to climate neutrality.

2. LIFE-2025-STRAT-ENV-SIP-two-stage: LIFE Project Grants with a budget of 56,000,000 EUR.

3. LIFE-2025-STRAT-NAT-SNAP-two-stage: LIFE Project Grants with a budget of 72,000,000 EUR.

Expected Impact: By the end of the project, there should be a substantial contribution to the implementation of the targeted plan/strategy, and mechanisms established to ensure full implementation of the plan/strategy. After the project, the full implementation of the plan/strategy is expected. Applicants are expected to define, calculate, explain, and achieve the expected impacts as described in the Award criterion ‘Impact’ of the full proposal evaluation (see Call document).

Scope: Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) should aim at the full implementation of the strategies and plans listed in the "Objective". This might not mean that the SIP will cover all actions foreseen in the strategy/plan or that the strategy/plan will be fully implemented during the lifetime of the SIP. However, the SIP shall include strategic actions to catalyse a process and mobilise supplementary commitments and funding that will lead, in due time, to the full implementation of the plan or strategy. SIPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilisation of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of the complementary measures or actions outside of the SIP in the framework of the targeted plan or strategy, giving preference to EU funding. Within the SIP itself, however, co-funding may not come from other EU funding sources. SIPs shall actively involve the main stakeholders necessary for the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy. They should be involved in both the design and implementation of the given project. This involvement is expected to be achieved by including them - where possible and reasonable - as associated beneficiaries of the SIP, or through their active participation in the implementation of the SIP itself and/or of the complementary actions. SIPs should facilitate and result in the building up of strategic capacities among the competent authorities and stakeholders to ensure a long-term sustainability of project results and actions, and to ensure that they will be able to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plan or strategy during or after the end of the SIP. The SIP complexity requires an adaptive approach in the design of the implementing mechanism. For this reason, SIPs will be implemented based on a revolving programming mechanism structured in phases (i.e. Phase 1, Phase 2, etc.). Each phase should normally last at least 3 years, to reduce administrative burden, although duration might be shorter if properly justified.

Conditions for application include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: The proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries: Eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: Additional eligibility conditions are detailed in section 6 of the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: These aspects are covered in section 7 of the call document.
5. Evaluation and award:
 a. Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
 b. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.
 c. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: This is described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include:

* Call document
* Application form templates:
 * Standard application form (LIFE SIP and SNAP) available in the Submission System
 * Detailed budget table (LIFE)
 * Participant information (LIFE)
 * Maps (LIFE)
 * Description of sites (LIFE)
 * Description of species and habitats (LIFE)
 * Implementation overview for the plan/strategy/action plan (LIFE SIP and SNAP)
 * Complementary funding plan (LIFE SIP and SNAP)
 * Complementary funding declaration (LIFE SIP and SNAP)
* Model Grant Agreements (MGA):
 * LIFE MGA
* Additional documents:
 * 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
 * Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

There are 38 partner search announcements available for collaboration on these topics. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, selecting the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application, consult the FAQs on the LIFE website, and get in touch with their National Contact Point (NCP). The IT Helpdesk and Online Manual are available for technical and procedural support.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for proposals under the LIFE Programme, specifically targeting Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAP). It aims to support the implementation of environmental and climate action plans and strategies at national, regional, and local levels. The call is structured around three main topics: climate action, environment, and nature, each with a dedicated budget. The projects are expected to contribute significantly to the implementation of relevant plans and strategies, involve key stakeholders, and build strategic capacities for long-term sustainability. The application process is two-staged, with deadlines in September 2025 and March 2026. Applicants need to adhere to specific admissibility conditions, eligibility criteria, and evaluation processes, as detailed in the call documents and related annexes. The Funding & Tenders Portal provides all the necessary information, templates, and guidance for preparing and submitting proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs), eligible applicants are likely to include a range of entities such as public authorities (national, regional, local), NGOs, research institutions, universities, and businesses that can contribute to the implementation of the targeted plans and strategies. The call emphasizes the involvement of main stakeholders, suggesting a broad eligibility to ensure comprehensive implementation.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) and a LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The call encourages the active involvement of main stakeholders, suggesting that a consortium approach is favored, if not required. SIPs are complex and require the coordination of multiple actors for the implementation of targeted plans and strategies. The text mentions including stakeholders as associated beneficiaries, indicating that multiple applicants are expected to form a consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that the call is part of the LIFE Programme and refers to National Energy and Climate Plans, national and regional adaptation strategies, and urban action plans, it is highly likely that the geographic eligibility includes EU member states.

Target Sector: The program targets several thematic sectors, including climate action, environment, and nature. Specifically, it focuses on supporting the implementation of plans and strategies related to: National Energy and Climate Plans, National or regional adaptation strategies or action plans, Urban or community-based action plans pioneering the transition to a climate neutral and/or climate resilient society and city, and National, regional or industry-/sector-specific greenhouse gas mitigation strategies or plans or economy roadmaps contributing to climate neutrality.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call refers to "National Energy and Climate Plans" and "National or regional adaptation strategies," implying that the call is relevant to countries within the EU or those associated with EU environmental policies.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is implementation. The call aims to support the full implementation of existing plans and strategies. SIPs should include strategic actions to catalyse a process and mobilise supplementary commitments and funding that will lead to the full implementation of the plan or strategy. The projects are expected to contribute substantially to the implementation of the targeted plan/strategy by the end of the project and achieve full implementation after the project.

Funding Amount: The budget overview provides specific funding amounts for different topics: LIFE-2025-STRAT-CLIMA-SIP-two-stage: EUR 30,000,000, LIFE-2025-STRAT-ENV-SIP-two-stage: EUR 56,000,000, LIFE-2025-STRAT-NAT-SNAP-two-stage: EUR 72,000,000. These figures represent the total budget allocated to each topic, and the actual grant size for individual projects will vary.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) and LIFE Action Grants Budget-Based [LIFE-AG].

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The call states that SIPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilisation of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of complementary measures or actions outside of the SIP. Within the SIP itself, co-funding may not come from other EU funding sources. This suggests that co-funding is required, but it cannot originate from other EU funding sources within the SIP.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the EU's LIFE Programme, specifically targeting Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs). The call aims to support the implementation of national, regional, and urban plans and strategies related to climate action, environmental protection, and nature conservation. The funding is provided through LIFE Project Grants, and the application process involves a two-stage submission. Eligible applicants likely include public authorities, NGOs, research institutions, and businesses. The projects should focus on implementing existing plans and strategies, with an emphasis on catalysing processes and mobilising additional funding for full implementation. Co-funding is required but cannot come from other EU funding sources within the SIP. The call is structured around three main topics: climate action, environment, and nature, with allocated budgets of EUR 30 million, EUR 56 million, and EUR 72 million, respectively. The call emphasizes the involvement of main stakeholders and the building of strategic capacities to ensure the long-term sustainability of project results. The application process is managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, where applicants can find all necessary documents, templates, and guidance.