LIFE Climate Change Mitigation grants
Grants covering up to 60% of eligible costs for operational projects that cut greenhouse-gas emissions or increase carbon removals in LIFE participating countries.
Denne finansieringsmulighed er i øjeblikket beskrevet på engelsk.
LIFE Climate Change Mitigation funds Standard Action Projects: it supports innovative or best-practice solutions deployed at operational scale, with measurable emission reductions or carbon removals. Priorities include fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances, zero-emission road transport and other transport decarbonisation, renewable energy and efficiency, industrial production and waste, land and coastal carbon sinks, and industrial carbon removal or capture and use/storage.
Projects should cover technology readiness levels 5–9: solutions tested in a relevant environment through demonstration and operational deployment. Large-scale carbon capture/storage infrastructure is outside LIFE scope. Industrial and waste projects should reduce emission intensity; projects solely collecting or separating waste belong under the circular-economy topic. Energy projects here address activities outside the specific Clean Energy Transition calls; supported biogas and biomethane production uses organic waste and forest and agricultural residues. Anaerobic co-digestion must predominantly use waste and residue streams; anaerobic digestion and biomass gasification must meet the sustainability and greenhouse-gas-saving criteria of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 as revised by Directive (EU) 2023/2413. These biogas and biomethane projects cover the biomass supply chain through production and supply. Where possible, upgrading biogas to biomethane and injecting it into the gas grid is strongly encouraged over cogeneration; this is a preference rather than a mandatory route.
The 2026 call gives an indicative total project budget of €1–5 million. This is a project-size indication, not a stated grant ceiling. LIFE reimburses up to 60% of eligible costs; applicants need other resources for the remaining costs.
The grant generally reimburses eligible costs actually incurred, with specified unit-cost and flat-rate elements. It can cover staff, subcontracting, travel, equipment and other goods, works and services. Equipment may use full cost or depreciation under the grant conditions; the full-cost route carries a requirement to use and maintain the equipment for five years after the action ends. Land purchases have separate strict conservation and long-term-use conditions. Onward grants to third parties and separate project websites are excluded. Indirect costs use a 7% flat rate on eligible direct costs, excluding volunteer costs and specified exceptions such as land purchases. Non-deductible VAT can qualify, except VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authorities.
The same action normally cannot receive another EU grant, and the same costs cannot be declared twice. The exception for combining EU grants applies only to actions formally flagged as EU Synergy actions in the grant agreement. Complementary funding alone does not create this status. Applicants must inform the granting authorities about multiple EU funding sources; the authorities assess the arrangements to prevent double funding, and combined actual funding cannot exceed 100% of eligible costs. See the official grant-agreement guidance, Article 6.3 for the conditions and contact the granting authority about designation. An EU operating grant can coexist only where this project is outside its work programme and accounting separates the costs. The final grant cannot generate a profit and may be reduced for non-compliance.
Eligible unpaid volunteer work can be budgeted using a fixed allowance per volunteer instead of actual expenditure. Adding those allowances can bring reimbursement up to 100% of the normal costs, meaning the cost categories other than volunteer allowances; the 60% funding rate itself remains unchanged. Other free in-kind contributions are cost-neutral and cannot be declared as costs.
Eligibility
Public or private legal entities established in EU Member States, including their overseas countries and territories, or in Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Ukraine can apply. The coordinator must be established in an eligible country. The call imposes no minimum consortium size.
Individuals are excluded except self-employed sole traders whose business has no separate legal personality. International organisations are eligible without the country restriction; other entities without legal personality can participate exceptionally with representatives able to undertake obligations and equivalent financial safeguards. Other-country entities may exceptionally receive funding if their participation is essential. Applicants from countries negotiating association can receive a grant only if the association is concluded in time and covers this call; the published country list identifies Serbia as negotiating, not already associated.
Activities normally take place in eligible countries. Work elsewhere must be necessary for EU environmental/climate objectives and the effectiveness of interventions within eligible countries. This is a project-location exception, not unrestricted worldwide eligibility.
Applicants need sufficient finances, skills and resources to complete the work and provide their contribution. The normal coordinator financial-capacity check excludes public bodies, international organisations and requested grants of no more than €60,000; other checks or guarantees may still be required. Bankruptcy-type proceedings, unpaid tax/social-security obligations and specified serious misconduct can bar funding. EU restrictive measures bar participation; Hungarian public-interest trusts covered by EU conditionality measures and their maintained entities cannot participate in funded roles. EU bodies are excluded except the Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
The incorporated territorial rules for Israeli entities also apply. Israeli regional/local authorities and other legal entities must have their registered physical address within Israel’s pre-1967 borders. National public authorities are exempt from this establishment rule, but their funded activities, like those of other covered Israeli entities, must not take place wholly or partly in the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip or West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Natural persons are exempt from these territorial tests, while the call’s other applicant rules still apply. The activity restriction has an exception for work benefiting protected persons under international humanitarian law in those territories or promoting the Middle East peace process in line with EU policy.
How to apply
- Status
- lukket
- Åbner
- Lukker
- Vilkår for ansøgningsrunden
- The 2026 call is closed.
The 2026 single-stage window opened on 21 April and closed on 22 September at 17:00 Brussels summer time. Submit through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the forms inside its submission system. Register beneficiaries and affiliated entities for a Participant Identification Code before submission. Provide the administrative/budget form, technical proposal, project indicators and required annexes, including the detailed budget and participant information; Part B is limited to 120 pages.
Define and substantiate the expected climate outcomes and LIFE project indicators. Projects normally last 24–120 months; extensions require justification and an amendment. Work normally starts after grant signature. An earlier start is exceptional and cannot precede proposal submission; completed projects are rejected.
After signature, the usual initial advance is 30% of the maximum grant, though it may be lower or absent. Payment is normally due 30 days after entry into force or any required financial guarantee, whichever is later. Further advances depend on reports. At project end, the authority calculates the final grant: excess advances must be repaid. Payments go to the coordinator, and outstanding EU debts may be offset. Keep records of work and declared costs.