Authors: Gayle Kimberley, Nina Fauser & Bastien Debieve
Shout out to all interested parties who are active in the field of sustainability and green initiatives – a dramatic €580 million is now available in funding through the European LIFE programme, which is being managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (‘CINEA’). The LIFE Programme will cover a number of areas including nature and biodiversity, the transition to a circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, and projects which will push the transition to clean energy, among others.
The LIFE Programme funds environment and climate actions. Since its creation in 1992 – the same year when the famous Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro which kick-started the first real international dynamic for the climate change battle – the LIFE Programme has co-financed more than 4,600 projects across the EU, with a total contribution of approximately €6.5 billion. For the period covering 2021 to 2027, the LIFE Programme has an overall budget of €5.4 billion. €3.5 billion of this will be dedicated to environmental activities, and €1.9 billion to climate action. This money will be distributed through various calls.
Open calls under the LIFE Programme
The first set of Call for Proposals under the LIFE Programme was launched earlier this year on the 13th of July, including over 30 open calls, with deadlines ranging from September 2021 to April 2022, covering a wide range of topics and projects, including, among others, projects pertaining to the development of innovative financing schemes for sustainable energy investments, projects which foster the uptake of sustainable energy along the whole value chain in industry and services, projects targeting climate change adaptation and mitigation, projects focusing on environmental and nature governance, projects concerning the large-scale rollout of industrialised deep renovation solutions, and also projects which will target how we can face the increase in the cooling demand of buildings in the coming years.
What projects could benefit from LIFE?
The LIFE Programme aims to fund a variety of projects through specific calls which will be issued according to so-called ‘sub-programmes’, as follows:
- Strand 1: Environment
- The Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme is aimed at the protection and restoration of Europe’s nature, and the halting and reversing of the loss of biodiversity. The LIFE Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme will fund nature conservation projects, in particular in the areas of biodiversity, habitats and species.
- The Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme aims at facilitating the transition toward a sustainable, circular, toxic-free, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy and at protecting, restoring and improving the quality of the environment, either through direct interventions or by supporting the integration of those objectives in other policies.
2. Strand 2: Climate action
- The Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation sub-programme will support projects in the areas of farming, land use, peatland management, renewable energies, and energy efficiency. It will also contribute to the shift towards more sustainable development.
- The Clean Energy Transition sub-programme will support the delivery of EU policies in the field of sustainable energy, the European Green Deal and the European Union’s 2050 Long-term Decarbonisation Strategy.
Funding specific to NGOs
Funding under the ‘Framework Partnership Agreements’ (‘FPAs’) of the LIFE Programme is also available for non-governmental organisations (‘NGOs’) demonstrating involvement in the development, implementation and enforcement of EU legislation and policy. FPAs are long-term cooperation instruments that serve as regular or recurrent operating grants to non-profit making entities. The aim here is to strengthen the participation of civil society in the European policy dialogue, as well as to support the implementation of Union environmental objectives by its beneficiaries.
Who can apply under the LIFE Programme?
In terms of eligibility requirements, any public or private legal entity registered in the EU can submit a proposal under the LIFE Programme. Projects applying under this programme must be innovative, demonstrate best practices, and engage multiple actors. A virtual Q&A session about the LIFE Programme will be held on the 8th and 9th of September 2021.
How can Ewropa assist you?
The team at Ewropa can assist you by carrying out all the necessary research, liaising with external bodies, identifying the relevant call for your project, assisting you through the application process, and implementing the application process from beginning to end. Contact us on info@ewropa.mt to secure your funding now!
Make sure to keep checking Ewropa’s website and social media pages for further updates.