The LIFE Programme is now published

The LIFE Programme is now published

On the 13th of July, LIFE 2021, the European Union’s green programme to fund environmental projects, was published. The programme’s budget has experienced a significant growth compared to the €3.4 billion from the last call, with a budget of €5.4 billion for 2021.

On Kaila you can view all the information related to the call for proposals, but here are the most important details.

Standard Actions Projects:

– “Circular Economy and Quality of Life:” 30 November. Single phase.

– “Nature and Biodiversity:” 30 November. Single phase.

– “Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation:” 30 November. Single phase.

– “Clean Energy Transition:” 12 January 2022. Single phase.

Integrated Projects (all subprogrammes): 19 October 2021. 7 April 2022 – Full proposal.

Technical Assistance Projects (all subprogrammes): 22 September. Single phase.

What are the novelties of LIFE 2021?

The main areas covered by LIFE are climate change, energy and the circular economy. However, there are some new features compared with the previous editions.

1.           The financing of new sub-programmes, such as the one generated to promote demonstration projects related to climate change or the energy sub-programme that covers cross-cutting aspects (policies, communication, participation).

2.           The circular economy is gaining importance.

3.           Funded projects must be close to the market and aim at developing products/services that can be commercialised. In this aspect, the participation of start-ups is accepted, provided they have the backing and collaboration of other companies that promote commercialisation and ensure replication.

4.           LIFE does not require the creation of a multinational consortium or a minimum number of partners. It can be implemented by a consortium at local, regional or national level.

5.           The depreciation of equipment can be up to 100%, if after the conclusion of the project it is still used for the same purpose.

6.           The 2% rule, whereby the contribution from public entities had to exceed the cost of the staff involved in the projects by at least 2%, is eliminated.

7.           In this new LIFE call, mechanisms have been developed to simplify the submission of applications.