The European Commission officially launched the LIFE 2026 call for proposals on 21 April via CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. Here are the key details.

As an EU financial instrument for the environment and climate, the LIFE programme has already supported nearly 6,500 projects since its creation in 1992. With a budget of €5.4 billion for the 2021-2027 period, the programme supports demonstration projects that are innovative and replicable on a large scale across other European territories, covering four main areas: Nature & biodiversity; Circular economy & quality of life; Climate change mitigation & adaptation; Clean energy transition.

A call for proposals is launched every year under the LIFE programme. Projects can be submitted by a single organisation or by several entities working in collaboration with other European partners. Funding is awarded in the form of grants, procurement contracts and prizes.

€601.5 million for the 2026 edition

The 2026 call for proposals aims to support EU measures designed to increase competitiveness, catch up on innovation and decarbonise the economy. It also seeks to reduce strategic dependencies – particularly on fossil fuels – and strengthen the resilience of energy systems.

The budget allocated this year is €601.5 million and is broken down as follows:

– €319 million for Standard Action Projects (SAPs) including €166 million for Nature and Biodiversity, €79 million for Circular Economy and Zero Pollution and two allocations of €28 million for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation⁽¹⁾.

– €100.5 million for Other Projects (OPs) and Clean Energy Transition Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), of which €85.5 million is for Clean Energy Transition projects (CET) and €15 million allocated for Specific Operating Grant Agreements (SGA OGs for NGOs).

– €18 million for projects addressing Legislative and Policy Priorities (PLPs)

– €163 million, including €75 million for Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs) and €88 million for Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs), including €58 million for the environment and €30 million for climate action.

– €1 million for Technical Assistance in preparing SNAPs and SIPs.

Key expectations for 2026

For this 2026 edition, Europe expects “innovative and exemplary projects that demonstrate real potential to move from the pilot and experimentation phase to concrete, cost-effective and large-scale implementation”.

Expected projects must contribute to:

– Protecting, preserving and restoring fauna, biodiversity and natural spaces in Europe,

– Encouraging individuals and businesses to rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle,

– Promoting a sustainable, prosperous and competitive economy and a good quality of life,

– Reducing emissions, strengthening Europe’s climate resilience and helping it to cope with extreme weather events,

– Accelerating Europe’s transition to a clean, renewable and autonomous energy supply,

– Strengthening the energy efficiency, flexibility and resilience of the EU energy system as a whole,

– Accelerating investment in the energy sector, while encouraging and supporting citizen engagement in the energy transition.

The application deadline is 16 September for CET projects and 22 September 2026 for SAP projects. In the case of two-stage strategic projects (SNAPs and SIPs), the submission deadline for phase 1 (concept note) is 3 September 2026 and that for phase 2 (full proposal) is 4 March 2027⁽²⁾.

Support from the Ministry

The French Ministry for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Climate and Nature Negotiations supports project promoters wishing to submit proposals (local authorities, public institutions, companies, NGOs and environmental associations, and research organisations). Alongside reference documents, resource sheets and the text of the calls for projects, it offers webinars, information sessions, and methodological and strategic support through the consultancy firm Enviropea*.

* See the Ministry’s dedicated page: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/programme-europeen-financement-life

1) The remainder concerns governance-related aspects: governance for nature (€7.5 million), environmental governance (€6.5 million) and climate governance (€4 million).

2) – For general information, visit : website

– For details of calls for proposals, visit the Funding and Tenders Portal: here