LIFE

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Information on the programme

The 2021-2027 Environment and Climate Action Programme (LIFE), established with Regulation 2021/783 of 29 April 2021 (pdf) of the European Parliament and of the Council, represents the EU instrument dedicated to the environment and climate action for the period 2021-2027, articulated in two Multi-Annual Work Programmes (MAWP) for the 2021-2024 and 2025-2027 timeframes. 

The LIFE programme began in 1992 and there have been five phases so far (LIFE 1: 1992-1995, LIFE 2: 1996-1999, LIFE 3: 2000-2006, LIFE +: 2007-2013, LIFE: 2014-2020).

The programme is now managed by the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA).

Legal Basis

Articles 11, 191, 192 and 193 of the consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFUE) are the legal basis for the EU action on the environment. The EU enviromental policy aims at a high level of protection, considering the diversity of situations in the EU regions. European environment policy rests on the principles of precaution, prevention and rectifying pollution at source, and on the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

The LIFE Regulation - EU Reg. N. 2021/783 establishes the general and specific objectives (art. 3) of the programme, the financial envelope, the eligibility criteria, as well as its structure with two fields (Environment and Climate) and 4 sub-programmes: 

• “Nature and Biodiversity” sub-program - NAT
• “Circular Economy and Quality of Life” sub-program - ENV
• “Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change” sub-program - CCM and CCA
• "Clean Energy Transition" sub-program - CET

The list of general priorities of the LIFE programme for the period 2021-2024 (pdf), published by CINEA, includes for each sub-programme the areas of interventions and the EU policy priorities. 

The Multi-Annual Work Programme (pdf) includes the four sub-programmes, funding allocation, types of projects and co-financing rates, submission and selection procedures, including award criteria and calls for Proposals timelines.

Objectives

The new LIFE programme pursues the achievement of the objectives and targets set by environmental and climate and relevant energy legislation and policies, in particular the objectives of the European Green Deal and will play a crucial role in supporting the implementation the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (pdf), the new Action Plan for the Circular Economy (pdf), the new EU Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (pdf) and the Strategy "A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives" (pdf) that will facilitate the transition towards an energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and -resilient economy.

The general objective of the LIFE programme is to contribute to the transition to a sustainable, circular, energy efficient, renewable energy, climate neutral and climate resilient economy, in order to protect, restore and improve the quality of environment, including air, water and soil, and to interrupt and reverse the process of biodiversity loss, as well as to combat the degradation of ecosystems, including by supporting the implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network, in order to foster sustainable development.

The LIFE programme also supports the implementation of general action programs adopted under Article 192 (3) TFEU.

The specific objectives of the LIFE programme are as follows:

• to develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches to achieve the objectives of EU legislation and policies relating to the environment, including those relating to nature and biodiversity, and in climate action, including those for the transition to renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency, and contributing to the knowledge base and the application of best practices, in particular in relation to nature and biodiversity, also through support for the Natura 2000 network;
• support the development, implementation, surveillance and enforcement of relevant EU legislation and policies relating to the environment, including those for nature and biodiversity, and for climate action, transition to renewable energies or increasing energy efficiency, including by improving governance at all levels, in particular by strengthening the capacities of public and private actors and the participation of civil society;
• act as a catalyst for the large-scale roll-out of technical and strategic solutions that have proven effective in implementing EU legislation and policies relevant to the environment, including those for nature and biodiversity, and for action to climate, transition to renewable energies or increasing energy efficiency, replicating results, integrating related objectives into other policies and practices of the public and private sectors, mobilizing investments, and improving access to finance.

Structure and activities

The programme is divided into 2 sectors and 4 sub-programmes whose indicative breakdown of the overall budget is as follows:

Sector	Sub-programme	Total budget
Environment	1. Nature and biodiversity - NAT	2.143.000.000,00 €
	2. Circular economy and quality of life - ENV	1.345.000.000,00 €
Climate Action	3. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation - CCM e CCA	947.000.000,00 €
	4. Clean Energy Transition - CET	997.000.000,00 €

One of the main innovations introduced by the LIFE 2021-2027 programme concerns the Call for proposals which will be different for each project type of each sub-programme:

• Standard Action Projects - SAPs;
• Strategic Nature Projects - SNAPs;
• Strategic Integrated - SIPs (Integrated Projects are aimed at implementing, on a large territorial scale, environmental or climate plans/strategies provided for in EU legislation, developed on the basis of other EU acts or elaborated by Member State authorities, ensuring the participation of stakeholders and promoting the coordination and mobilisation of at least one other relevant -EU, national or private- source of funding);
• Technical Assistance Preparation of SNAPs and SIPs - TA-PP (projects that provide support for participation in standard and strategic projects, access to other EU financial instruments and large-scale development or replication of the results of other projects);
• Coordination and Support Actions - CSA.

The LIFE programme funds different activities in support of the implementation and integration of environmental and climate policies and EU legislation in order to achieve its objectives. Such activities may include:

• information and communication costs, including awareness campaigns. The financial resources assigned to communication activities also cover institutional communication on the political priorities of the EU, as well as on the state of implementation and implementation of the main EU legislation on the environment and climate;
• studies, surveys, modeling and forcasting;
• preparation, implementation, monitoring, control and evaluation of projects, policies, programs and legislation;
• workshops, conferences and meetings;
• networking and best practice platforms;
• all other activities necessary in order to achieve the objectives of the programme. 

Duration and Budget

The LIFE programme for the period 2021-2027 can count on a total budget of € 5,432,000,000.

How to participate

Participant Identification Code (PIC)

The Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory in order to apply for LIFE calls for proposals for the following categories of participants: beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners.

The PIC for the University of Florence is 999895789.

Documents, links and guidelines

• Model Grant Agreement (MGA) (pdf)
• Standard application form (pdf)
• Official website
• EU Participant Portal - Programma LIFE
• University of Florence and LIFE Programme (pdf)
• LIFE Public Database

Contacts

UP Ricerca europea e internazionale

Cristina Galletti

Elisa Meloni