This article was last updated on 9 June 2025.
LIFE is the EU Programme for the Environment and Climate Action. It supports projects that contribute to environmental protection, nature conservation and climate action. There are a number of opportunities for project funding for different types of organisations, read on to discover what is being funded and how you can apply.
The EU’s LIFE Programme offers a variety of funding opportunities in the area of environmental protection, sustainable development and combating climate change. Project beneficiaries can be public and private organisations including NGOs, national, regional or local authorities and companies. The programme has an overall budget of 5.4 billion € for the period 2021-2027. Calls for Proposals are usually published annually.
Projects funded through LIFE are implementing technological solutions to environmental and climate challenges. Research activities are not funded through LIFE. For research in the field of environment and climate, Horizon Europe would be the adequate programme.
LIFE is composed of 4 sub-programmes:
Within the Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme, nature protection projects are being funded which pursue the aim of halting and reversing biodiversity loss, e.g. through conservation projects addressing habitats and species. For example, in the area of nature and biodiversity, projects could restore bird habitats in areas for certain bird species which are in decline in the project’s geographical area.
The Circular Economy and Quality of Life funding strand targets projects for the transition toward a sustainable, circular, toxic-free, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy. Projects to protect, restore and improve the environment are supported as well, i.e. through the projects themselves or through an integration of these principles into policy measures. Fundable projects can for example cover the recovery of resources from waste, or an improved durability or reparability of products.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: In the area of mitigation, supported projects can address e.g. farming practices, land use, peatland management, renewable energies and energy efficiency. Related to climate change adaptation, sought actions can target e.g. urban areas, land-use planning, the resilience of infrastructure, sustainable management within water-scarce areas, flood and coastal management, adaptation measures within agriculture, forestry and tourism, etc.
The Clean Energy Transition sub-programme covers five areas of intervention:
LIFE is in principle open to all public or private entities including public authorities (national, regional, local authorities), NGOs or companies. However, it will depend on the specific Call for Proposals which kind of beneficiaries are eligible for the intended type of projects.
The LIFE programme funds projects which are close to the market and address a technology which could solve an existing environmental or climate related problem. The proposed solutions should already be technically and economically viable so that it could be more widely deployed after the end of the project.
It will depend on the specific Call if projects may be carried out by a single entity or if several partners from different countries (EU Member States and countries associated to the LIFE programme) are required.
LIFE offers grants for Standard Action Project, Strategic Integrated Projects, Operating Grants for non-profit making entities as well as Coordination and Support Actions and Technical Assistance which are supporting capacity development for participation in subsequent LIFE actions.
LIFE finances Standard Action Projects which should contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation. Standard Action Projects often implement technological solutions, but they can as well be governance projects or projects aiming to change consumer behaviour.
Another type of action are LIFE Strategic Nature Projects and Strategic Integrated Projects. These are larger (and therefore also fewer) than the Standard Action Projects. They aim to implement environmental and climate legislation, programmes and strategies in EU Member States at national, regional or multi-regional level, and usually actively involve multiple stakeholders in the design and implementation of the project.
LIFE projects usually need to refer to and implement corresponding EU priorities, policies and legislations. Measures in a bird habitat project would for example relate to the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. The link between the envisaged project and the corresponding EU strategies and/or laws need to be demonstrated in the project proposal, in particular how the project would contribute to the objectives of the EU strategies or legislation.
Last but not least, you will need to provide some own resources when implementing a LIFE project. The EU co-financing rate is around 60-70% for most projects, for clean energy transition project this rate can go up to 95%.
For the selection of the best projects which will eventually receive funding through the LIFE programme, a panel of independent experts will be contracted to evaluate the submitted project proposals. They will give scores, mainly for the following four criteria:
In some LIFE Calls, such as for Standard Action Projects, proposals can receive up to 10 bonus points for addressing specific strategic priorities, for example: demonstrating strong synergies between LIFE sub-programmes, focusing on Outermost Regions or vulnerable geographic areas, building on previous EU-funded projects, showing exceptional catalytic potential (i.e. the ability to trigger wider systemic change or replication), or involving essential transnational cooperation among eligible countries. These bonus points are then awarded as part of the standard scoring criteria and can make up 10 out of the max. 100 achievable points.
Open Calls for Proposals in the framework of the EU LIFE programme are published (in general annually) on the European Commission’s Funding and Tenders Portal. Applications for funding have to be submitted via the Portal as well.
The next submission deadlines for open Calls for Proposals including all thematic areas are in September 2025.
A couple of first tips to get you started with preparing your proposal:
Your project should be innovative. Check previous LIFE projects to ensure that your idea wasn’t funded before. You can find them on the Funding and Tenders Portal. In case a similar project has already been funded before, clearly point out what the differences, novelties and additional benefits of your new project are.
Your project should deploy a mature solution to an environmental or climate change problem and be economically viable. Possibilities for a potential uptake and replication should be explained.
Provide a clear description of the baseline, i.e. what the current situation is from where your project starts. Explain what the potential of your proposed solution is, i.e. what is expected to be achieved at the end of the project and beyond. Use appropriate indicators to measure your project’s achievements. Check if there are any mandatory Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and selectable KPIs which may be applicable for the specific Call you are applying for.
Explain how your project is aligned with the LIFE programme’s priorities and other relevant EU policies and regulations in the field of environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development.
Start early enough to prepare your proposal (a rough advice is at least around 4-6 months prior to the submission deadline). It can take time to get all the required information, especially if you need to receive certain baseline data which are not publicly available, or if are planning to implement the project with several other partners so that a certain degree of coordination and agreements about the work packages, tasks and budgetary distributions etc. will be needed.
This was a first overview for preparing a successful project within the EU’s LIFE Programme which I hope you found useful. In case you have any questions or need support when drafting your proposal, don’t hesitate to reach out for more information.
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Author: Astrid Mechel
https://eufundingconsulting.eu
Hello, I am Astrid Mechel and I work (for the most part) with small and medium sized organisations who aim to access EU funding. It is my goal to help discovering suitable EU project funding possibilities and to provide support to submit a high-quality grant application. My main thematic focus is on grants for research and innovation, environmental sustainability as well as on social inclusion and participation.
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