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Does your company carry out environmental and climate projects? Then you should know about the LIFE program.

The LIFE Program is the European Union's only financial instrument dedicated exclusively to the environment and climate action. It is aimed at public and private project promoters and aims to promote and finance innovative projects relating, for example, to the conservation of species and habitats, soil protection, improvement of air or water quality, waste management or mitigation or adaptation to climate change and energy transition.

For the period 2021-2027, the LIFE program will have a budget of 5.4 billion euros at the European level. It operates on the basis of annual calls for projects.

The LIFE program funds the following types of projects:

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To learn more about LIFE, we will answer the main questions usually asked about this type of program.

Who are the eligible project holders?

·       Public organizations (administration, national or local authority...),

·       Private organizations (SMEs, companies ...),

·       Private non-commercial organizations (such as NGOs).

·       These project leaders must be legal entities registered in the EU

What type of projects does LIFE fund?

LIFE will fund projects aimed at:

·       Develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques, methods, and approaches to achieve the Union's environmental objectives,

·       Contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of EU environmental legislation and policy,

·       Catalyse the large-scale deployment of effective technical or policy solutions to implement EU environmental legislation and policy.

·       LIFE does not co-finance research or infrastructure projects.

Which is the geographical area covered?

The project must be held in Europe

What is the LIFE financial contribution?

The maximum rate of co-financing for projects is as follows:

·       60% of eligible costs in the case of standard action projects (SAP).

·       Exception:

·       67% for Nature and Biodiversity sub-program projects targeting priority and non-priority species/habitats.

·       75% for Nature and Biodiversity sub-program projects targeting only priority species/habitats.

·       95% of eligible costs for other actions.

·       Exception: 100% for projects under the BEST initiative (grants for biodiversity conservation in the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories). The maximum contribution of the LIFE program is 100 000 euros.

What are the dates of the LIFE program?

New calls for 2023 are generally opened in April-May and closing dates in October-November 2023. If you have a project related to this topic, it is a good time to start preparing the next calls for proposals, which will be announced soon.

Should you have other questions about the LIFE program, do not hesitate to contact our team of experts. You are just in time to start a successful project on a European scale.

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