Call: Demonstration Projects - Environment & Resource Efficiency

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.

• developing, testing and demonstrating policy or management approaches, best practices and solutions to environmental challenges, and in support of resource efficiency-related policy and legislation, including the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.
• improving the knowledge base for the development, implementation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of Union environmental policy and legislation, and for the assessment and monitoring of the factors, pressures and responses that impact on the environment within and outside the Union.

• Thematic priorities for Water, including the marine environment
• Thematic priorities for Waste
• Thematic priorities for Resource Efficiency, including soil and forests, and green and circular economy
• Thematic priorities for Environment and Health, including chemicals and noise
• Thematic priorities for Air quality and emissions, including urban environment

"Demonstration projects" means projects that put into practice, test, evaluate and disseminate actions, methodologies or approaches that are new or unknown in the specific context of the project, such as the geographical, ecological, socio-economic context, and that could be applied elsewhere in similar circumstances. A successful demonstration project is available to all potential stakeholders and aims to encourage other stakeholders to use the techniques and methods demonstrated in the project. 

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).

Applications will be submitted in two stages:

• Stage 1: Concept note of 10 pages (Deadline: 14.07.2020)

Shortlisted applicants will be notified and invited to submit full proposals in February 2020.
There is no pre-defined project duration under the LIFE+ Programme.

The maximum EU co-financing rate for "traditional" LIFE projects is 55% of the total eligible project costs.
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.

Applicants must submit their proposals to the Contracting Authority via eProposal.

For detailed information on LIFE national contact points, please follow this link.