Strategic Integrated Projects - Environment

The EU is offering a call for proposals under the LIFE Programme for Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs), specifically identified as LIFE-2025-STRAT-two-stage. This opportunity is designed to support the full implementation of national and regional environmental and climate action plans.

Eligible applicants include public authorities such as national and regional governments, municipalities, non-profit organizations, NGOs, and research institutes engaged in environmental initiatives. The grant type is primarily a LIFE Project Grant (LIFE-PJG) and LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG), with funding covering up to 60% of eligible project costs.

The application process consists of two stages:an initial concept note due by September 4, 2025, followed by a full proposal due on March 5, 2026. Successful projects will typically receive funding in the range of €1 million to €5 million.

The focus sectors include circular economy, waste management, water management, air quality, and noise reduction strategies. Projects must demonstrate collaborative approaches involving various stakeholders to catalyze action and mobilize additional funding beyond EU sources.

The total budget for specific SIP topics includes €30 million for climate action projects, €56 million for environmental projects, and €72 million for nature-related projects. The overall aim is to foster long-term sustainability and strategic coordination in addressing environmental and climate challenges across the EU.

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the provided call documents, templates, and guidelines for detailed instructions on submission requirements, evaluation criteria, and eligibility conditions. The funding initiative emphasizes measurable impacts and sustainable outcomes, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of European environmental policies.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), specifically focusing on Strategic Nature and Integrated Projects (SNAP/SIP) with call identifier LIFE-2025-STRAT-two-stage. This call utilizes LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) and LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based [LIFE-AG] as the type of action and model grant agreement, respectively. The call is currently open for submission and follows a two-stage deadline model. The opening date was April 24, 2025, with the first deadline on September 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline on March 5, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact by the end of the project is a substantial contribution to the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy, along with established mechanisms to ensure its full implementation. After the project, the goal is the full implementation of the plan or strategy. Applicants are expected to define, calculate, explain, and achieve these impacts as described in the Award criterion ‘Impact’ within the call document.

The objective of this call is to support the full implementation of various national or regional plans and strategies, including:

Circular Economy:National or Regional Circular Economy Action Plans, Strategies, Roadmaps, or similar, officially approved and aligned with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy. These plans should include specific and measurable actions, targets, and timelines.

Waste:National and regional Waste Management Plans pursuant to Article 28 of the EU Waste Framework Directive and/or Waste Prevention Programmes as requested by article 29 of the EU Waste Framework Directive.

Water:River basin management plans pursuant to Annex VII to the EU Water Framework Directive, Flood Risk Management Plans pursuant to the EU Floods Directive, Marine Strategies pursuant to the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and Drought Management Plans as suggested by Article 13 (5) of the Water Framework Directive.

Air:Air quality plans pursuant to the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive and National Air Pollution Control Programmes pursuant to the EU National Emission Reduction Commitments Directive.

Noise:Noise action plans pursuant to the EU Environmental Noise Directive.

The scope of the Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) should aim for the full implementation of the strategies and plans listed in the objective. While the SIP might not cover all actions or fully implement the strategy during its lifetime, it must include strategic actions to catalyze a process and mobilize supplementary commitments and funding to achieve full implementation in due time. SIPs should promote coordination with and mobilization of other relevant Union, national, or private funding sources, giving preference to EU funding, although co-funding within the SIP itself cannot come from other EU funding sources.

SIPs must actively involve key stakeholders in both the design and implementation phases, ideally as associated beneficiaries or through active participation in the project and complementary actions. These projects should also facilitate the building of strategic capacities among competent authorities and stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability of project results and actions, enabling them to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plan or strategy.

Given the complexity of SIPs, an adaptive approach is required, with implementation structured in phases (e.g., Phase 1, Phase 2). Each phase should typically last at least 3 years to reduce administrative burden, although shorter durations may be justified.

The call document and FAQs provide further details on the scope and features of SIPs.

The call specifies several conditions:

Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limits and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Eligible Countries:Details are in section 6 of the call document.

Other Eligible Conditions:Details are in section 6 of the call document.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:Details are in section 7 of the call document.

Evaluation and award:Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.

Evaluation and award:The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants:Details are 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), and 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for 2025 includes:

LIFE-2025-STRAT-CLIMA-SIP-two-stage:€30,000,000

LIFE-2025:€56,000,000

LIFE-2025-STRAT-NAT-SNAP-two-stage:€72,000,000

All topics follow a two-stage submission process, with opening date April 24, 2025, first deadline September 4, 2025, and second deadline March 5, 2026.

There are 37 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirming their choice of action type and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions, consult the FAQs on the LIFE website, and contact their National Contact Point (NCP) for support. The IT Helpdesk and Online Manual are also available for technical and procedural assistance.

In summary, this LIFE call focuses on Strategic Integrated Projects aimed at implementing key environmental and climate action plans and strategies across the EU. It encourages applicants to develop comprehensive, phased projects that involve relevant stakeholders, mobilize additional funding, and build long-term capacities to ensure the sustainability of project outcomes and the full realization of the targeted plans. The call provides funding opportunities across climate, environment, and nature-related strategic projects, with a two-stage submission process and a focus on achieving measurable impacts and long-term sustainability.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, the text mentions "main stakeholders necessary for the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy" and "competent authorities and stakeholders," suggesting that government bodies, public organizations, and other relevant entities involved in environmental and climate action plans are likely eligible. The mention of "associated beneficiaries" also suggests a broader range of potential participants.

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, potentially as associated beneficiaries, suggesting that a consortium approach is favored, although not explicitly stated as mandatory. The text mentions "partner requests" and "searches of partners," further indicating that consortia are common.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility is not explicitly defined, but the call supports the implementation of national or regional plans and strategies aligned with EU objectives. This suggests that applicants from EU member states and potentially associated countries are eligible. The focus on EU Directives and Action Plans implies a European scope.

Target Sector:The program targets the environment and climate action sectors. Specifically, it focuses on the implementation of plans and strategies related to: Circular Economy, Waste Management, Water Management, Air Quality, and Noise Reduction. It also includes Strategic Nature projects.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the call refers to "National or Regional" plans and strategies, implying that the opportunity is relevant to countries and regions within the EU or associated with EU environmental policies. The EU, EEA, and EU member states are implicitly relevant.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project is focused on implementation. The call aims to support the "full implementation" of existing plans and strategies, suggesting that projects should be at the stage of development, validation, demonstration, or commercialization, rather than basic research or idea generation. The focus is on strategic actions to catalyze a process and mobilize supplementary commitments and funding.

Funding Amount:The budget overview provides specific figures for different topics:

LIFE-2025-STRAT-CLIMA-SIP-two-stage:€30,000,000

LIFE-2025:€56,000,000

LIFE-2025-STRAT-NAT-SNAP-two-stage:€72,000,000

These figures represent the total budget available for each topic, not necessarily the funding amount for individual projects. The indicative number of grants is not specified.

Application Type:The application type is an open call with a "two-stage" deadline model. The opening date is April 24, 2025, with an initial deadline on September 4, 2025, and a final deadline on March 5, 2026.

Nature of Support: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, as indicated by the "two-stage" deadline model.

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

Co-funding Requirement:The call mentions that SIPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilization of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of 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. This suggests that co-funding is required from sources other than EU funding within the SIP, but complementary funding from other sources is encouraged for related actions outside 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 full implementation of national or regional environmental and climate action plans and strategies related to circular economy, waste management, water management, air quality, and noise reduction. The funding is provided through LIFE Project Grants and LIFE Action Grants, and the application process involves a two-stage submission. While the eligibility criteria are not explicitly detailed, the call is likely open to a range of stakeholders, including government bodies, public organizations, and other entities involved in the implementation of relevant plans and strategies. The call encourages a consortium approach, with active involvement of main stakeholders. Co-funding is required from sources other than EU funding within the SIP, but complementary funding from other sources is encouraged for related actions outside the SIP. The call provides substantial funding, with budgets ranging from €30 million to €72 million for different topics. The overall goal is to build strategic capacities and ensure the long-term sustainability of project results, enabling stakeholders to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plans and strategies.