LIFE Programme – 2024 calls for proposals are open

The European Commission’s Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) published the calls for proposals of its LIFE Programme for 2024 on 18th April.

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental protection, nature preservation and climate policy projects. The total budget for the LIFE programme 2021-2027 is €5.4 billion.

Should your company plan to be engaged in projects related to climate change and sustainability in the near future, we suggest reviewing the summary of key details pertaining to the 2024 LIFE call to see whether LIFE presents a suitable funding opportunity for your organization.

PwC Hungary has been involved in the submission of several LIFE applications, our experts can provide full scope assistance to your development and investment ideas in assessing potential funding opportunities within the LIFE Programme, as well as in the preparation of necessary documentation (taking into account the practice of the Commission) and submission of application.

The LIFE 2024 calls for proposals

A total of 32 calls for proposals are currently open to legal entities within the EU and their consortiums, but legal entities from Member States of the European Economic Area or from countries associated with the LIFE Programme may also join as members of a consortium. Although some calls are open for single applicants, many calls require international cooperation of a consortium with at least three applicants from three different countries.

The current tender calls cover the following 4 areas:

1. Nature and biodiversity

2. Circular Economy and Quality of Life

3. Climate change mitigation and adaptation

4. Clear Energy transition

Eligible projects must address a specific challenge identified in one of the areas mentioned above, using an innovative approach or, where permitted, also best practices. It is particularly advantageous if the project implements a former innovation result of a LIFE project or of a different EU programme (e.g. Horizon2020). 

We summarize below three LIFE calls which might be of general interest based on our experience:

In terms of eligible costs, - with some exceptions mentioned in the specific call – many cost-types can be supported if it makes a reasonable contribution to achieve the objective of the project, and they are eligible proportionally to their contribution to the project.

The composition of the budget must be determined based on the project’s professional priorities,  however, going beyond 30% of the total eligible costs with subcontracting needs a solid justification in the application.

Public dissemination is a key criteria: it is important that the results of the implemented project and the acquired knowledge must be made public.

The application deadlines for grants are in September 2024 (in the first half or mid-September, depending on the call) and projects must be submitted via the European Commission's Funding & Tender platform. The evaluation of the projects is expected to be communicated to applicants in February-March 2025 and grant contracts with the successful applicants will be signed in May-June 2025. The working language of the subsidy programme is English.

Please kindly note that in our experience, the proper compilation of all necessary documentation in case of LIFE projects have a significant time requirement, therefore preparation should be started at least 3-5 months before the submission deadline.

If you have any questions regarding the topic – or regarding any other form of subsidy – please don’t hesitate to contact one of our expert colleagues below, or your usual PwC contact.

Barbara Koncz
Partner
Email: barbara.koncz@pwc.com

Dávid Lengyel 
Manager
Email: david.lengyel@pwc.com

Andrea Végső 
Senior manager
Email: andrea.vegso@pwc.com

Boldizsár Cseh 
Manager
Email: boldizsar.cseh@pwc.com