Call: Best Practice Projects - Nature and Biodiversity

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Programme	LIFE
Acronym	LIFE
Type of Fund	Action programme
Description of programme "LIFE"	The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value. The LIFE Programme shall in particular have the following general objectives: to contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, lowcarbon and climate- resilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, including the support of the Natura 2000 network and tackling the degradation of ecosystems; to improve the development, implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation, and to act as a catalyst for, and promote, the integration and mainstreaming of environmental and climate objectives into other Union policies and public and private sector practice, including by increasing the public and private sector's capacity; to support better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including better involvement of civil society, NGOs and local actors; to support the implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme.
Link	Link to Programme
Description of programme "Priority area Nature and Biodiversity"	LIFE Nature & Biodiversity aims specifically at contributing to the development and implementation of EU policy and legislation in the area of nature and biodiversity. Projects financed must have a European added value and be complementary to those actions that can be financed under other EU funds during the period 2014–2020. The priority area LIFE Nature & Biodiversity focuses on: contributing to the development and implementation of EU policy and legislation in the area of nature and biodiversity, in the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 20209, and the Birds and Habitats Directives10; supporting the further development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network; and improving the knowledge base for the development, implementation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of EU nature and biodiversity policy and legislation, and for assessing and monitoring factors, pressures and responses that impact on nature and biodiversity. There are two distinct sectors of projects which are intended to complement each other: LIFE Nature projects and LIFE Biodiversity projects. A proposed project submitted under the priority area LIFE Nature & Biodiversity must either be a LIFE Nature or a LIFE Biodiversity project. Thematic priorities for LIFE Nature projects: activities for the implementation of the Birds and/or Habitats Directives in particular: Activities aimed at improving the conservation status of habitats and species, including marine habitat and species, and bird species, of Union interest; Activities in support of the Natura 2000 network bio-geographical seminars; Integrated approaches for the implementation of prioritised action frameworks. Thematic priorities for LIFE Biodiversity projects: activities for the implementation of the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. Thus, LIFE Nature relates specifically to the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives, while LIFE Biodiversity is not restricted to the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives, but supports the broader implementation of the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. A nature conservation project that targets exclusively species/habitats of the Birds / Habitats Directives should normally be submitted as a LIFE Nature project. Other projects are more likely to fit better within the requirements of LIFE Biodiversity (N.B. Proposals submitted under NAT or BIO will be evaluated accordingly, no reclassification will be possible).
Call	Best Practice Projects - Nature and Biodiversity
Description of call "Best Practice Projects - Nature and Biodiversity"	"Best practice projects" means projects that apply appropriate, cost-effective and state-of-the-art techniques, methods and approaches taking into account the specific context of the project. Thematic priorities for LIFE Nature projects: activities for the implementation of the Birds and/or Habitats Directives. Thematic priorities for LIFE Biodiversity projects: activities for the implementation of the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.
Link	Link to Call
Thematic Focus	Circular Economy, Sustainability, Natural Resources, Climate, Climate Change, Environment & Biodiversity
Funding area	EU Member States
Origin of Applicant	EU Member States
Eligible applicants	Education and Training Centres, Federal State / Region / City / Municipality / Local Authority, Research Institution, Lobby Group / Professional Association / Trade Union, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, SMEs (between 10 and 249 employees), Microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees), , NGO / NPO, Start Up Company, University, Enterprise (more than 250 employees or not defined), Association, Public Services
Applicant details	Proposals may be submitted by legal persons (entities) registered in the EU. Applicants may fall into three types of beneficiaries: (1) public bodies, (2) private commercial organisations and (3) private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs).
Project Partner Details	Partners are not mandatory. Transnational Projects have priority though.
Recurring Call	Yes
Further info	Applications will be submitted in two stages: Stage 1: Concept note of 10 pages (Deadline: 16.07.2020) Shortlisted applicants will be notified and invited to submit full proposals in February 2020. Usually projects last for 2 to 5 years.
Type of Funding	Grants
Financial details	EU co-financing rate: max. 60% (in specific cases up do 75%) There is no fixed minimum size for project budgets. While large ambitious projects (i.e. over 5 million € total costs) have been financed several times in the past, small projects (i.e. below 500 000 € total costs) have seldom succeeded due to the limited output and consequently the low added value.
Submission	Online via eProposal
Contact Details	For detailed information on LIFE national contact points, please follow this link.