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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To facilitate the transition towards a sustainable, circular, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient economy, a toxic-free environment, and to protect, restore, and improve environmental quality by supporting specific environmental governance projects.
Target recipient type and size: Legal entities of any size, including public administrations, private companies, and civil society organizations.
Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic scope: EU Member States and countries associated with the LIFE Programme, and potentially other third countries under specific conditions.
Key filtering criteria: Focus on environmental governance activities such as supporting public administration decision-making, voluntary approaches, environmental compliance assurance, access to justice, behavioural change, and awareness-raising initiatives. Projects must not be focused on environmental or nature/governance topics covered by LIFE-2025-SAP-ENV-ENVIRONMENT or LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV calls.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a Standard Action Project (SAP) under the LIFE Programme (2021-2027), specifically within the 'Circular Economy and Quality of Life' sub-programme. Calls under the LIFE Programme are generally recurring, supporting the long-term objectives of EU environmental and climate policies.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this specific call (LIFE-2025-SAP-ENV-GOV) is EUR 4,000,000.
Funding is provided in the form of grants, and potentially prizes and procurement. Financial instruments within blending operations are also possible.
Maximum co-financing rate for eligible costs is 60%.
For this specific call, which falls under 'Circular Economy and Quality of Life', the 75% co-financing rate applicable to 'Nature and Biodiversity' priority habitats or species does not apply.
Costs related to the purchase of land may be eligible under very specific conditions related to Natura 2000 network integrity, if it's the only or most cost-effective conservation method, the land is reserved long-term for conservation, and the Member State ensures long-term assignment to nature conservation.
Cumulative financing from other Union programmes is allowed, provided it does not cover the same costs. Total funding received must not exceed total eligible costs.
Financial rules are governed by the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Financial reporting and audit requirements apply as per EU regulations.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Organizations

Legal entities of any type are eligible. This includes, but is not limited to, public administrations, private companies (businesses), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Natural persons are not eligible to apply.

Geographic Location

Entities must be established in:
- An EU Member State.
- An overseas country or territory linked to an EU Member State.
- A third country associated with the LIFE Programme (specific associated countries depend on agreements and will be detailed in the multiannual work programme).
- Exceptionally, legal entities from other third countries may participate if deemed necessary for the project's objectives and effectiveness within the EU, but they will generally bear their own costs.

Project Scope and Type

Projects must be 'Standard Action Projects' (SAP).
Projects must exclusively focus on environmental governance.
Activities must align with one or more of the following topics:
- Activities supporting public administrations' decision-making and voluntary approaches for public and private sectors.
- Environmental compliance assurance and access to justice.
- Behavioural change and awareness-raising initiatives.
Projects excluding the scope of LIFE-2025-SAP-ENV-ENVIRONMENT and LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV topics.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must meet financial and operational capacity requirements, detailed in section 7 of the call document (not provided here).

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants in 'exclusion situations' under the EU's early detection and exclusion system are not eligible.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Call opens: 2025-04-24
Application submission deadline: 2025-09-23 00:00:00+00:00 (Brussels time). This is a single-stage submission.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document (not provided here).

Required Documentation and Materials

Standard application form (mandatory), specifically Part B, available in the Submission System.
Mandatory Annexes:
- Detailed budget table.
- Participant information.
Optional Annexes (may strengthen the application):
- Letters of support.
- Maps.
- Description of sites.
- Other annexes (e.g., Lifecycle analysis, Business plans).

Application Procedure

Access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button next to the relevant action type.
Confirmation of choice is required as it cannot be changed later.
Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal, 'My Proposals' page.

Support and Assistance

Consult the FAQs on the LIFE website.
Get in touch with your National Contact Point (NCP) for support. It is beneficial to add your NCP under the 'Participants' step of the application using the 'Contact person' role.
Contact the IT Helpdesk for technical issues (passwords, access rights, submission technicalities).
Refer to the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide on portal processes.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Project duration parameters, key milestones, and deliverables timeline are expected to be detailed in the project proposal and subsequent grant agreement.
Monitoring and evaluation requirements are outlined in the LIFE Programme framework (Annex II), requiring collection of project-level output and impact indicators.
Proportionate reporting requirements will be imposed on recipients to ensure efficient data collection for monitoring.

Evaluation Criteria

General Award Principles

Projects must be of Union interest, significantly contributing to the overall and specific objectives of the LIFE Programme.
Projects should not undermine any of the LIFE Programme objectives.
Green public procurement use is encouraged whenever possible.
Projects must demonstrate a cost-effective approach and be technically and financially coherent.

Scoring Factors

Contribution to Objectives: Projects with the highest potential to contribute to the LIFE Programme's general and specific objectives (e.g., transition to sustainable, circular, energy-efficient economy, protecting/restoring environment quality, halting biodiversity loss, improving governance) will be prioritized.
Impact: Applicants must define, calculate, and explain the expected impacts, aligning with the specific topics of this call (public administration decision-making, voluntary approaches, environmental compliance, access to justice, behavioural change, awareness-raising initiatives).
Synergies and Co-benefits:
- Projects providing co-benefits and promoting synergies between different LIFE sub-programmes will receive a bonus.
Catalytic Potential and Replication:
- Projects with the highest potential for replication and uptake by the public or private sector will receive a bonus.
- Projects that can mobilize the largest investments or financial resources (acting as a catalyst) will receive a bonus.
- For Standard Action Projects (SAP), the replicability of results must be ensured.
- Projects building on or upscaling results from other LIFE Programme projects, its predecessors, or other EU funds, will receive a bonus.
Geographical Coverage: While quality is the primary criterion, effective, quality-based geographical coverage across the Union is pursued, with special attention to projects in areas with specific needs or vulnerabilities (e.g., environmental challenges, natural constraints, trans-border areas, high natural value areas, outermost regions).
Compliance with Call Topic Priorities: Assessment will be based exclusively on the selected topics in the application form (maximum two sub-topics to be selected).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with relevant EU legislation and policy on environment and climate action, including horizontal environmental governance legislation and the Aarhus Convention.
Projects must adhere to the 'do no harm' principle, ensuring no significant harm to environmental objectives.
Compliance with the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is mandatory for financial management, reporting, and audits.
Specific permits and authorizations related to project activities must be obtained as required by national and EU law.

Ethical Standards

Implementation of the budget and projects must ensure compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and respect Union values enshrined in Article 2 TEU.

Data Protection and Security

Rules related to the recording, storage, transfer, and processing of data must comply with applicable data protection regulations (e.g., Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and (EU) 2016/679).
Information on recipients of Union funds will be published, with personal data of natural persons removed after two years and subject to proportionality.

Intellectual Property Policies

Not explicitly detailed in the provided grant material. General EU grant rules on intellectual property will apply.

Risk Management

Projects must inherently include sound project management practices, implying risk management.
The EU has mechanisms to protect its financial interests against irregularities, fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, and double funding. Applicants are expected to cooperate fully.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

This call specifically targets environmental governance projects and explicitly excludes other environmental and nature/governance topics under the broader LIFE-2025-SAP-ENV call.
Projects should act as a catalyst for the implementation of environmental and climate legislation, potentially leveraging other funding sources.
Opportunity to contribute to the European Green Deal objectives, UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement.
Potential for synergies with other EU funding programmes (e.g., cohesion funds, agricultural funds, Horizon Europe) should be explored where activities complement each other, but double funding of the same costs is forbidden.
The grant strongly encourages innovation in techniques, methods, and approaches for environmental solutions.
Projects building on or upscaling previous EU-funded results are encouraged and will benefit in evaluation.

Grant Details