At a glance
Funding type
Grants for the environment and climate action
Technology readiness level
Five to eight
Funding amount
Between €500 000 and €30 million
Focus areas
Cleantech
The Process
Turning your innovation into funded reality, one step at a time.
Understanding LIFE
- LIFE has two dimensions.
- The first dimension consists of four thematic sub-programmes, which define what your project is about:
- The second dimension covers six grant types. They define how your project is funded or managed.
- Not all sub-programmes offer all grant types.
Where to find calls
- Each year, from April to September, LIFE Programme opens calls for proposals. Find them on the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) calls for proposals page or the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
- Filter by the current programme period and set programme type to “LIFE”.
- If you are looking for a specific call, select “All filters” and filter by call using the sub-programmes and grant type acronyms (for example: SAP, SNAP, SIP, TA, OAG, OG).
Registration
- All organisations involved must register on the portal and have a Participant Identification Code (PIC). If you have questions about the process, you can watch the PIC registration and validation process video.
Proposal submission
- Applications must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
- Two of the six grant types require applicants to submit a concept note first, typically in September. These are the Strategic Nature Projects (SNAP) and the Strategic Integrated Projects (SIP).
- If your project is selected, you will submit a full proposal in March of the following year.
Evaluation
- Proposals are evaluated and scored against selection and award criteria set out in the call document, usually in sections eight and nine.
Support materials
The following resources can guide your application:
- Short tutorials on the Portal.
- EU Funding & Tenders Portal for beginners (webinar)
- How to submit a proposal via the portal (online manual)
- Programme reference documents, including the detailed budget table, model grant agreement and standard application forms for each grant type. Please note that these forms often use grant type page abbreviations. Consult them if you are unsure.
- Guidelines on the contractual and financial management of grant agreements are available here.
- The list of LIFE KPIs for different calls and the KPI video presentation.
Eligibility criteria
Not sure if you qualify? We will help make it clear.
Who can apply
- Check the official eligibility rules here.
- As described here, LIFE provides grants for demonstration and best practice projects, coordination and support actions, capacity building and governance projects.
- The type of grants page explains which activities the programme can fund.
Funding rate
- The typical LIFE contribution per sub-programme is:
- Nature & biodiversity: 60 to 75%.
- Circular economy & quality of life: 60%.
- Climate change mitigation & adaptation: 60%.
- Clean energy transition: up to 95%.
- National or regional governments, non-governmental organisations and private partners usually cover the remaining 25 to 40%.
- Some countries, including Italy, France, Poland and Finland, offer national LIFE co-funding to cover the share not funded by the programme.
General tips
Tips from previous successful applicants to help strengthen your application.
Listen to more tips
Resources
This site covers the essentials. For additional information, visit the links below.
Where to find the information
To understand the programme goals and how your project might align, you can also consult:
- History of LIFE
- Legal basis
- Virtual information sessions take place every year to guide applicants through that year’s LIFE calls for proposals.
- Recordings of the info days, including the rules to apply, are available in the LIFE YouTube channel.
Contacts
- The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) can help your business find the right international partners to grow and expand abroad.
- National Contact Points for the LIFE programme can help you with your application and organise information/networking events and proposal writing workshops. They can also support you in communicating and disseminating your project results.
- If you need any specific clarifications, email the LIFE enquiries mailbox at CINEA-LIFE-ENQUIRIES@ec.europa.eu. The team will point you to the right information or provide an answer that may be added to the portal’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
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