The European Commission have published the first grant opportunities for the LIFE 2021-2027 initiative, with the purpose to move toward a more sustainable and circular economy in order to protect the environment within european members’ countries The first 8 calls are part of the 2021-2024 multi-year program and they will be managed by the European Executive Agency for Climate (CINEA).
Concerning this initiative, the Commision Vice President Frans Timmermans declared during the press conference of the European Commision on the 17th of february of this year: “ To deliver the European Green Deal, we need to start mobilising the unprecedented resources made available for Europe's green transition in our long-term budget and recovery fund. These LIFE integrated projects support concrete action to protect the environment, restore nature, and support biodiversity. With this investment we help countries and regions to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and build a just and sustainable future”.
The provided funds will be directed to 33 calls, corresponding to 33 topics for all of the foreseen project typologies of the LIFE program. These typologies are : strategic projects for nature protection, integrated strategic projects, standard actions projects and “other actions” including coordination and support actions, as well as specific fundings for Civil Society Organziations that operate in fields related to the environment. Therefore, for each project tipology thare are several linked sub-programs.
The specific objectives of the LIFE program are the following:
• To develop, demonstrate and to promote innovative techniques, methods and approaches in order to reach the objectives fixed by European Union legislation for what it concerns the environment, nature and biodiversity, and for what it concerns climate action, including those for energetic transition and the increase of energy efficiency, contributing to the acknowledgments and to the application of the best practices, in particular those concerning nature and biodiversity, also through the support to Rete Natura 2000;
• To support the development, the actuation, the surveillance and the control of legislation and European Union policies application concerning environment, including those related to nature and biodiversity, climate action, renewable energies transition or energy efficency increase, also improving governance on every level, in particular enforcing public and private actors skills, and civil society involvement;
• To act as a catalizer for large scale introduction of technic and strategic solutions that have demonstrated to be effective in implementing legislation and policies of the Union concerning environment, involving nature and biodiversity, climate action, renewable energies transition or the increase of energy efficiency, replicating results, integrating related objectives in other policies and practices of the public and private sector, mobilizing investments and improving financing access.
Deadlines for proposals presentations vary depending on the different projects tipologies. For further details regarding presentation deadlines check the following link.