LIFE

LIFE is the oldest running EU programme of its kind: it has operated since 1992 and remains the only instrument devoted entirely to the environment and climate. Against Horizon Europe its budget is small, but the competition is of a different kind, and so is the subject: LIFE funds not research but the implementation of solutions that already work.

That is the main thing to grasp before applying. A project proposing to study a problem does not get through LIFE. What gets through is a project showing how a specific solution applies to a specific territory, and what happens to it once the funding ends.

Four sub-programmes and the exact budgets

Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2021/783 sets a total envelope of €5,432,000,000 in current prices and its indicative distribution across two fields.

The field "Environment" – €3,488,000,000, of which nature and biodiversity takes €2,143,000,000 and the circular economy and quality of life €1,345,000,000.

The field "Climate Action" – €1,944,000,000, of which climate change mitigation and adaptation takes €947,000,000 and the clean energy transition €997,000,000.

Separately, the Regulation requires at least 60% of the resources for action grants in the field "Environment" to go to nature and biodiversity. That is a budget allocation rule, not a co-financing rate, and the two are regularly confused.

Co-financing rates

LIFE does not cover costs in full: the beneficiary contributes a share. The general rate is 60% of eligible costs. Nature and biodiversity projects receive up to 75%. The clean energy transition stands apart at up to 95%, because what it funds is mostly coordination and support actions rather than capital investment.

The applicable rate is confirmed each year by the call conditions, so check it on the call page rather than in last year's guide.

Project types

Standard action projects (SAP) – the bulk of the calls and the usual entry point for an organisation.

Strategic nature projects (SNaP) and strategic integrated projects (SIP) – large multi-year projects implementing national or regional plans, requiring the involvement of public authorities and the mobilisation of other funding sources.

Technical assistance projects – preparation for taking part in the large project types.

Operating grants – support for the running of non-governmental organisations working on the environment and climate, rather than for a single project.

Who runs it and where the calls are

The programme is managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Calls are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal and submitted there, so the organisation needs a PIC.