European Union LIFE Programme 2026 Calls for Proposals

LIFE is the European Union's funding programme for environment and climate action, supporting the protection of nature and biodiversity, circular economy, zero pollution, environmental quality improvement, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the transition to clean energy. Funding is provided for innovative, demonstrative, best-practice-based, and large-scale deployment projects that have a measurable environmental or climate impact and clear European added value. Support is a direct grant from the European Commission, and applications are submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal. The Environmental Investment Centre (KIK) advises Estonian applicants in the development of project ideas and in finding partners.

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Agency	KIK
Region	EUother
Country	ATBEBGHRCYCZDKEEFIFRDEGRHUIEITLVLTLUMTNLPLPTROSKSIESSEISMDMKMEUA
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, House union, Other
Start date	21 Apr 2026
Max funding	The LIFE programme does not have a common maximum grant amount for all types of projects. The amount depends on the chosen sub-programme, project type and the specific 2026 topic., The indicative total budget for nature and biodiversity standard projects is €2–13 million. With the usual 60% funding rate, this corresponds to an indicative grant of approximately €1.2–7.8 million., For a nature project that focuses solely on priority habitats or species that meet the requirements, the funding rate may be up to 75%. In that case, the maximum indicative grant for a €13 million project can be up to €9.75 million., The indicative total budget for circular economy and zero pollution standard projects is €2–10 million. With a funding rate of up to 60%, the indicative grant is approximately €1.2–6 million., The indicative total budget for climate change mitigation and adaptation standard projects is €1–5 million. With a funding rate of up to 60%, the indicative grant is approximately €600,000–3 million., The indicative total budget for environment and climate governance standard projects is generally €700,000–2 million., The grant amount for clean energy transition projects is determined by topic. For several 2026 topics, an EU grant of approximately €1–2 million is considered suitable to achieve the project's objectives., For strategic nature projects and strategic integrated projects, both the total project size and the total grant can be significantly larger, and the specific upper limit is set by the call and the grant agreement.
Budget	The total budget for the LIFE 2026 calls for proposals is €601,500,000. Nature and biodiversity standard projects: €166,000,000. Nature governance and information projects: €7,500,000. Circular economy and zero pollution projects: €79,000,000. Environmental governance projects: €6,500,000. Climate change mitigation projects: €28,000,000. Climate change adaptation projects: €28,000,000. Climate governance and information projects: €4,000,000. Clean energy transition projects: €85,500,000. Strategic nature projects: €75,000,000. Strategic integrated environment projects: €58,000,000. Strategic integrated climate projects: €30,000,000. Legislation and policy priorities projects: €18,000,000. Operating grants for environmental and climate NGOs: €15,000,000. Technical assistance for the preparation of strategic projects: €1,000,000.
Coverage	The usual funding rate for circular economy, environment, climate, and standard nature projects is up to 60% of eligible costs. For a nature project focused only on priority or highly endangered habitats or species that meet the requirements, the funding rate may be up to 75%. The funding rate for clean energy transition coordination and supporting activities is up to 95% of eligible costs. The applicant and project partners must cover the part not financed by the grant from their own resources, other permitted public funding or private co-financing. The grant only reimburses actually incurred and eligible costs, costs calculated on a unit price basis, and costs calculated at a fixed rate. The grant must not generate profit. Organizations seeking profit must disclose project revenues and any possible surplus will be deducted from the final grant.

Grant application conditions

Applicant's legal form	The applicant must be a legal entity governed by public or private law. The applicant may be a company, non-profit association, foundation, university, research institution, local government, state authority, public law organization, apartment association, or other legal entity. Ordinary natural persons are not eligible. The application can be submitted by a single organization or a consortium of several organizations. For some clean energy transition topics, participation of at least three applicants from three different eligible countries is mandatory.
Country of establishment of applicant	As a rule, the applicant must be registered in an EU Member State or a country associated with the LIFE programme. As of 2026, the associated countries are Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Ukraine. Norway and Liechtenstein do not participate in the LIFE programme. An organization from a non-associated third country may participate exceptionally, if its participation is essential for the project's objectives, but will generally have to cover its own costs.
Nature and biodiversity	The project must help protect, restore or improve the status of natural habitats, species and ecosystems. Implementation of the Natura 2000 network, EU nature and birds directives, biodiversity strategy, and nature restoration objectives are supported. The project may address protection of endangered species and habitats, invasive alien species, nature restoration, ecosystem services, green and blue infrastructure or nature conservation management and awareness. The application must present a measurable nature conservation impact and justify the long-term sustainability of activities.
Circular economy and zero pollution	The project must contribute to a sustainable, circular, non-toxic, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient economy. Suitable fields include waste prevention and recycling, circular economy, reduction of air, water, and soil pollution, chemical safety, industrial emissions, water resource protection, noise reduction, and improving environmental quality. The solution must be innovative or show best practice implementation, and have credible replication and larger-scale deployment potential. For a market-ready project, the business model, market entry strategy, and solution uptake after project end must be described.
Climate change mitigation	The project must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon sequestration, or support the transition to a climate-neutral economy. The project may address energy-intensive industry, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transport, buildings, agriculture, forestry, land use, carbon sequestration, or fluorinated greenhouse gases. The application must present a credible baseline and a measurable forecast for greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Climate change adaptation	The project must reduce climate risks or enhance the resilience of people, nature, infrastructure, economy, or regions to climate change. The project may address floods, drought, heatwaves, forest fires, sea level rise, water scarcity, health risks, agriculture, urban environment, or nature-based adaptation solutions. Activities must be based on a reliable climate risk and vulnerability analysis.
Clean energy transition	The project must remove non-technological market barriers to the clean energy transition. Supported actions include policy implementation, skills development, financing energy efficiency, building renovation services, reducing energy poverty, energy communities, local investment projects, and energy transition in industry and businesses. Clean energy coordination and support actions are generally not intended for technology development, equipment acquisition or technological demonstration projects. The project must generate measurable energy savings, renewable energy generation, investment volume or greenhouse gas emission reduction.
Standard action project	A standard action project (SAP) must develop, demonstrate, or promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches, or implement best practices. The project must contribute to EU environmental, nature or climate policy objectives. The project can be close to the market and include commercial uptake of the solution if the main objective is a significant environmental or climate impact.
Strategic nature project	A strategic nature project (SNaP) must implement a prioritized action plan or other suitable strategy, prepared to achieve EU nature and biodiversity objectives at large territorial scale. The project must integrate nature conservation objectives into other policies and funding tools. In addition to LIFE support, the project must mobilize other EU, national, regional, local or private sector funding sources.
Strategic integrated project	A strategic integrated project (SIP) must implement an official environmental, climate or energy strategy or action plan at regional, national or transnational level. The project must involve key stakeholders and coordinate at least one other EU, national or private funding source. SIPs are not single-technology projects, but rather vehicles for implementing comprehensive strategies or action plans.
European added value	The project must address an environmental, nature, climate or energy problem of importance at the EU level. The project must be repeatable, transferable or implementable on a larger scale in other regions, countries or sectors. A local project is acceptable if its results, methods or impact are broadly applicable and provide clear European added value.
Project impact	The project must set clear baselines, measurable results and LIFE project outcome indicators. Results must be ambitious, realistic and directly linked to planned activities. The applicant must show how results will be sustained after LIFE funding ends. The project must not cause significant harm to other LIFE programme environmental or climate objectives.
Technical and operational capacity	The applicant and partners must possess the necessary knowledge, qualifications, staff, management capacity, and technical resources to implement the project. The applicant must demonstrate experience in implementing projects of comparable size and content or indicate how the necessary capacity for the project will be created. Work plan, activities, responsibilities, intermediate objectives, results and risk mitigation measures must be clearly described.
Financial capacity	The applicant must have stable and sufficient financial capacity to implement the project and cover its own contribution. The European Commission may examine the applicant's annual reports, balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow and other financial documents. If the financial capacity is insufficient, additional guarantees may be required, the payment schedule may be changed, or the application may be refused funding.
Project duration	The project duration is determined by the specific call and grant agreement. The maximum permitted duration for standard nature projects is 120 months. Extension is possible if justified and by amending the grant agreement.
Project start	The project generally starts after the grant agreement enters into force. Exceptionally, an earlier start date may be permitted if justified, but it cannot be earlier than the application submission date. Commencing activities before the grant award is at the applicant's own risk.
International cooperation	The involvement of an international partner is not mandatory for most standard projects. Substantial transnational cooperation can give additional points during evaluation if necessary to achieve the project's objectives. For some clean energy transition topics, an international consortium is mandatory.
2026 application deadlines	The full application deadline for clean energy transition projects is 16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The deadline for standard nature, circular economy, environment and climate projects is 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The pre-proposal deadline for strategic nature and strategic integrated environment and climate projects is 3 September 2026. The full application deadline for strategic projects is 4 March 2027. The application deadline for framework operating grants for NGOs is 8 September 2026. The application deadline for specific operating grants for NGOs is 22 September 2026. The deadline for technical assistance and legislation and policy priorities projects is 22 September 2026.
Documentation	https://kik.ee/et/toetatavad-tegevused/keskkonna-ja-kliimaprojekte-toetav-uleeuroopaline-life-programm

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Application submitted by a natural person.

A project that does not fall under any LIFE sub-programme or the topic of a specific call.

Routine business investment, routine replacement of equipment or increase in production volume without significant environmental, climate, or nature conservation impact.

A project focusing only on basic research or scientific knowledge with no practical demonstration, implementation or policy impact.

Clean energy transition coordination and support actions involving technology development or equipment demonstration if the specific topic supports only removal of non-technological market barriers.

Establishing large-scale infrastructure as the main objective of the project, unless such infrastructure is directly necessary, proportionate, and permitted by the call conditions for LIFE objectives.

An activity whose environmental or climate impact is limited only to routine cost savings of a single company and is not repeatable or scalable.

A project with an unconvincing plan for use, maintenance, replication or large-scale deployment of results.

Double funding of the same cost from the LIFE programme and another EU or public sector funding source.

Profit from the grant and project revenue.

Costs incurred before the application submission date.

Free in-kind contributions counted as actual costs. Free contributions may only be used on a cost-neutral basis or based on the permitted unit cost for voluntary work.

Redistribution of financial support to third parties within a standard project, unless the call conditions explicitly allow it.

Cost for creating a stand-alone project website unless a separate website is clearly justified by the project's objectives.

Cost of land acquisition in a clean energy transition project.

Land acquisition in a nature project that does not meet long-term conservation, cost-effectiveness, or intended use requirements.

Subcontracting that forms a disproportionately large part of the project. If subcontracting exceeds 30% of eligible costs, this must be specifically justified in the application.

Deductible VAT.

VAT paid by a public sector entity acting as a public authority.

Participation of any person or organization subject to EU sanctions or restrictive measures.

Participation by applicants who are bankrupt, in liquidation or insolvency proceedings.

Applicant who has failed to comply with tax or social security obligations.

Applicant who has committed serious professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, or other offense damaging EU financial interests.

Submission of false information, concealment of material facts, or unlawful influence on the evaluation process.

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements