The clean energy transition sub-programme holds €997 million for 2021–2027 and carries the highest co-financing rate in LIFE, up to 95%. It funds not equipment but the removal of non-technological barriers: policies, skills, financing schemes and the preparation of investment projects.
- Budget
- €997m
- Rate
- up to 95%
- Action type
- Mostly CSA
- Subject
- Barriers, not equipment
This is the most unusual LIFE sub-programme, and the one people turn to most often when the other three do not fit. The co-financing rate reaches 95%, so the own contribution is minimal.
The reason for the high rate is simple, and it is also the main constraint: what is funded here are mostly coordination and support actions, not capital investment. You cannot buy a boiler house or a solar plant with this money.
What exactly is funded
Removing the non-technological barriers to the clean energy transition: local and regional energy policies, bringing investment projects to bankable stage, energy efficiency financing schemes, training of professionals, work with communities and energy cooperatives, action against energy poverty.
In other words, LIFE here pays for making an investment possible, not for the investment itself.
How that looks in the project budget
The main cost line is staff, then expertise, communication and events. Equipment is either absent or ancillary. An application in which capital expenditure is the larger share of the budget is ineligible in this sub-programme by definition.
Who this suits in Ukraine
Municipalities, energy agencies and organisations working on energy efficiency at the level of policy and project preparation. Given the need to rebuild energy infrastructure, bringing projects to investment readiness is precisely what this sub-programme funds directly.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the rate as high as 95%?
Because what is funded are coordination and support actions, which create no asset and generate no revenue. Where LIFE funds capital investment, the rate is considerably lower.
Can solar panels be bought with this sub-programme?
No, that is not its subject. It funds the preparation of such an investment: the audit, the design, the financing scheme, the training, the work with the community.
Official materials
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2021/783 establishing the LIFE Programme eur-lex.europa.eu · checked 29.08.2026
- LIFE Programme – CINEA cinea.ec.europa.eu · checked 29.08.2026
Data current as of 29.08.2026. Verify the terms with the donor’s official portal before applying.
Updated 29.08.2026 · Reviewed by: GetGrant editorial team
