EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS

NGOs can apply for LIFE action grants under the two sub-programmes “environment” and “climate action”. They can also apply for operating grants. The legal base for NGOs receiving operating grants is the LIFE Regulation which states that:

"Operating grants shall support certain operational and administrative costs of non-profit making entities which pursue an aim of general Union interest, are primarily active in the field of environment or climate action and are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of Union policy and legislation." (Article 21 of the Regulation).

Brexit information for UK beneficiaries of LIFE grants

The United Kingdom has withdrawn from the European Union and becomes a third country as of 1 February 2020. The EU and the UK have concluded the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement which provides for a transition period until 31 December 2020.

UK applicants and beneficiaries remain eligible to receive LIFE funds for the entire duration of grants under the 2014-2020 LIFE programme, including after the end of the transition period. This applies to existing grants, ongoing procedures and calls for proposals published in 2020 even if the grant is signed after 31 December 2020. 

How voluminous should a project proposal be?

A concept note should have no more than 10 pages.

For full project proposals there are no fixed specifications on the volume. A proposal should be as concise and clear as possible. Applicants should avoid voluminous proposals and should not provide excessively detailed descriptions of project areas, environmental technologies, lists of species, etc. You should, however, describe all project actions in a clear and detailed way.

What is the optimal budget for a LIFE project?

The project budget depends on the project type. Please carefully read the application guide of the call for proposals you apply for.

For traditional LIFE projects there are no specifications for project budgets. LIFE has co-funded large ambitious projects with total costs of more than EUR 5 million several times in the past. However, proposals for small projects with total costs below EUR 500,000 have rarely been selected in the evaluation due to the limited output and consequently a low added value.

Integrated projects usually have a total project budget of around EUR 17 million.

Who should manage a LIFE project?

Generally, the staff of the project leader (“coordinating beneficiary”) should carry out the project management. However, if justified, an associated beneficiary or a sub-contractor under the coordinating beneficiary's direct control could take over the project management. Each project should have a full-time project manager.

The project proposal should clearly describe who will be in charge of the project management, how much personnel and time will be devoted to this task, and how and by whom decisions will be taken during the project period.

Are individuals who act as freelance experts acceptable as
partners for a LIFE programme? Freelance experts do not form
part of any organisation.

Article 23 of the LIFE Regulation states that LIFE may fund "public and private bodies". This article should be read in the context of the EU Financial Regulation which makes it clear that "private bodies" does not include private individuals. Therefore both the applicant and any partners (associated beneficiaries) must be "bodies" and not individuals (i.e. natural persons). Please note that
'sole traders' are also considered 'natural persons'. Individuals can be involved in projects as employees of beneficiaries, as natural persons or through external assistance contracts. As indicated in art. II.19.2 of the Grant Agreement, costs of natural persons working under a contract with the coordinating beneficiary or an
associated beneficiary other than an employment contract
may be assimilated to costs of personnel, provided that
the following conditions are fulfilled:
(i) the natural person works under the instructions of the
beneficiary and, unless otherwise agreed with the
beneficiary, in the premises of the beneficiary;
(ii) the result of the work belongs to the beneficiary; and
(iii) the costs are not significantly different from the costs of personnel performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the beneficiary. In the case of external assistance, it should be recalled that it must be tendered so the proposal cannot name a specific individual or company as the provider of the external assistance.

New confirmed measures

All submission deadlines are being extended by one month.

Applicants may register for a one-to-one short discussion about their project concept with one of our project advisors (a registration system will be set up once the call is published).

Private entities in the 2020 call are no longer obliged to launch ‘open’ tenders for contracts above 139 000 euros’. However, when purchasing goods and services, they will need to comply with the ‘value for money’ and ‘absence of conflict of interest’ requirements (their internal procurement rules will need to be respected).  

All projects will be allowed to financially support local initiatives that may contribute to the project objective.

Environment sub-programme

• Environment and resource efficiency traditional projects
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting concept notes: 14 July 2020 (extended)
• Nature and biodiversity traditional projects
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting concept notes: 16 July 2020 (extended)
• Environmental governance and information traditional projects
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting concept notes: 16 July 2020 (extended)
• Integrated projects under the sub-programme for environment
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting concept notes: 6 October 2020 (extended)
• Technical assistance projects under the sub-programme for environment
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting full proposals: 16 July 2020 (extended)

Climate action sub-programme

• Climate change mitigation traditional projects​​​​​
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting full proposals: 6 October 2020 (extended)
• Climate change adaptation traditional projects​
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting full proposals: 6 October 2020 (extended)
• Climate governance and information traditional projects
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting full proposals: 6 October 2020 (extended)
• Integrated projects under the sub-programme for climate action
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting concept notes: 6 October 2020 (extended)
• Technical assistance projects under the sub-programme for climate action
  • Launch of the call for proposals: 2 April 2020
  • Deadline for submitting full proposals: 16 July 2020 (extended)