Call: Technical Assistance preparation of CLIMA SIPs

The specific objectives of the sub-programme “Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation” are:

• to develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches for reaching the objectives of Union legislation and policy on climate action and to contribute to the knowledge base and to the application of best practices;
• to support the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of relevant Union legislation and policy on climate action, including by improving governance at all levels, in particular through enhancing capacities of public and private actors and the involvement of civil society;
• to catalyse the large-scale deployment of successful technical and policy-related solutions for implementing relevant Union legislation and policy on climate action by replicating results, integrating related objectives into other policies and into public and private sector practices, mobilising investment and improving access to finance.

The LIFE Programme will contribute to the transformation of the Union into a climate-neutral and resilient society, by supporting the implementation of the EU's climate policy as part of the European Green Deal and preparing the EU for the climate challenges in the coming years and decades.

Its areas of intervention will be the following:

• Climate Change Mitigation
  • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances, in line with the EU’s climate neutrality target and the improvement of energy efficiency, including addressing the policy and market framework for the development and deployment of low-carbon or energy efficient products and services, as well as by promoting the transition of the transport sector.
  • Enhancing the functioning of the Emissions Trading System.
  • Support to sustainable land, forest, soil, sea and ocean management practices, which reduce emissions or remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
  • Develop and promote solutions to remove/sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. Carbon capture and carbon removals can be nature-based and coupled with restoration projects or rely on storage in specific long–term media or use of long-lasting products.
• Climate Change Adaptation
  • Support adaptation related policy development, and improve adaptation strategies and plans at all levels and in all sectors, in line with the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change;
  • Improve, promote, and scale up the use of state-of-the art tools and solutions for adaptation modelling, risk assessment, management and decision support; adaptation monitoring, reporting and evaluation; and ex-ante project assessment tools to better identify co-benefits and positive impacts on the economy of adaptation and prevention projects;
  • Support the rollout of viable nature-based solutions in the management of land, coastal and marine areas including through assessments, guidance, capacity building, and suitable financial approaches and products;
  • Approaches and solutions for adapting cities and regions to climate change, notably in support of the EU and Global Covenant of Mayors and of the European Climate Pact;
  • Approaches and solutions to ensure a stable and secure supply of high quality freshwater, prevent droughts, reduce water use, protect and restore wetlands, and prevent floods;
  • Solutions to climate-proof and enhance the resilience of infrastructure and buildings, including by using blue-green infrastructure and through cooperation with standardisation organisations;
  • Support preparedness for extreme weather events, notably at a local level and in the outermost regions;
  • Promote financial instruments and innovative solutions to deal with climate-induced risks, and public-private collaboration to reduce the share of uninsured climate-related economic losses, including by improving collection and access to climate-related economic loss data.
• Climate Change Governance and Information, which will include actions contributing to climate change mitigation or adaptation:
  • Incentivise changes in behaviour and practices, as well as improving citizens’ knowledge and awareness, notably through the support of the implementation of the European Climate Pact, mainstreaming emission reduction and resource efficiency actions in relevant sectors;
  • Development and implementation of climate and energy strategies or mid-century strategies at local, regional and national level;
  • Improve greenhouse gas monitoring, accounting and reporting and contribute to policy monitoring, assessment and ex-post evaluation;
  • Information on best practices and awareness raising on climate change mitigation and adaptation, including on climate-proofing of infrastructure investment and policies;
  • Development of climate services and promotion of climate science;
  • Development and promotion of sustainable finance instruments and support for climate diplomacy.

The sub-programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation may cover activities related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, as far they are not covered by the Clean Energy Transition sub-programme calls in that same year.

Objectives:

The objective is the preparation of CLIMA Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs).

CLIMA SIPs projects

1. aim at the implementation of:

• National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP, Regulation on the governance of the energy union and climate action (EU)2018/1999);
• National Energy Efficiency Action Plans’ (NEEAP);
• National or regional adaptation strategies or action plans;
• Urban or community-based action plans pioneering the transition to a climate neutral and/or climate resilient society;
• National, regional or industry-/sector-specific greenhouse gas mitigation strategies or economy roadmaps contributing to climate neutrality.

2. at large territorial scale
3. with the involvement of all concerned stakeholders
4. and include a coordination mechanism for funding supporting complementary measures necessary for the full implementation of the targeted plan or strategy.

Therefore the main objective of the TA-PP project is the submission of a full proposal for a CLIMA SIP.

The CLIMA SIP proposal prepared in the framework of TA-PP project has to be of good quality and has to be eligible for LIFE funding. If failure to submit eligible and quality CLIMA SIP proposal is due to the poor performance, negligence or mistake of the beneficiary of the TA-PP project, the granting authority reserves the right to recover any pre-financing and to declare all TA- PP project costs ineligible.

The coordinating beneficiary should submit a full CLIMA SIP proposal in the framework of a dedicated LIFE call for CLIMA SIP before the end of the TA-PP project. Please keep in mind that the submission process for a CLIMA SIP consists of two phases – concept note and full proposal.

Applicants should ensure that the targeted plan or strategy will be eligible for a CLIMA SIP. Please note that, inter alia, the plan or strategy should be likely to be adopted by the submission date of the full proposal for the CLIMA SIP, which by default will be before the end date of the Technical Assistance project.

Scope:

The overall objective of a TA-PP-CLIMA-SIP project is writing a SIP proposal under the sub-programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, so all activities must contribute to this goal.

As a general principle, all activities included in the Technical Assistance project must be new and additional to the work undertaken by the applicant prior to the project.

In general, and amongst others, the activities:

• should not be research;
• should not include statutory responsibilities of the competent authority;
• should be completed within the duration of the project;
• should be clearly related to the objective(s) of the project and the corresponding SIP.

Activities may include (this is not an exhaustive list):

• recruitment of new personnel and training for writing a SIP proposal;
• contracting external assistance for writing a SIP proposal;
• information collection for the preparation of a SIP proposal (e.g. on sources of funding)
• networking, consultation and coordination work for preparing, writing and implementing the SIP;
• coordination with stakeholders to be involved in the Strategic Integrated Project;
• developing financing plans where such plans are not already part of the targeted strategy or plan;
• mapping of the actions complementary to SIP and their potential sources of funding
• writing of the SIP proposal full proposal or concept note and full proposal itself.

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  • non-EU countries:
    • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the LIFE Programme (participating countries) or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature
• the coordinator must be established in an eligible country

TA-PP projects are designed to support authorities responsible for the implementation of the plan/strategy/action plan targeted by the SNAPs or SIPs to prepare their SNAPs and SIPs applications.

The national authority responsible for the plan/strategy/action plan should in principle be the coordinator of the TA-PP project. In well justified cases it may participate not as coordinator, but it should in any case be part of the TA-PP project consortium.

Entities from other countries are exceptionally eligible, if the granting authority considers their participation essential for the implementation of the action (see work programme).

Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self-employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).

International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.

Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons34.

EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.

Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible).

Beneficiaries from countries with ongoing negotiations may participate in the call and can sign grants if the negotiations are concluded before grant signature (with retroactive effect, if provided in the agreement).

Special rules apply for certain entities (e.g. entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/0537). Such entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).

Proposal page limits and layout:

Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:

• Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
• Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
• Part C (to be filled in directly online) containing additional project data
• mandatory annexes and supporting documents (to be uploaded):
  • detailed budget table (mandatory excel template available in the Submission System)
  • letters of support (optional)
  • other annexes (optional)

Page limit - Part B: 30 pages

Topic budget: EUR 350,000.00

Indicative range of project budgets: EUR 70,000.00

Funding rate for Technical Assistance Project (TA PP): Maximum 60%