European Programme Life

The “Environment and Resource Efficiency” call for proposals was published by the European Commission, in the framework of the LIFE Programme, Environment Sub-Programme.

The LIFE Programme shall in particular have the following general objectives:

- to contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and climate- resilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, including the support of the Natura 2000 network and tackling the degradation of ecosystems;

- to improve the development, implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation, and to act as a catalyst for, and promote, the integration and mainstreaming of environmental and climate objectives into other Union policies and public and private sector practice, including by increasing the public and private sector's capacity;

- to support better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including better involvement of civil society, NGOs and local actors;

- to support the implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme.

The “Environment and Resource Efficiency” call for proposals specific aims are: contributing to the implementation, updating and development of European Union environmental policy and legislation, including the integration of the environment into other policies, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Furthermore, actions financed must have a European added value and be complementary to those actions that can be financed under other European Union funds during the period 2014-20.

The priority area “Environment and Resource Efficiency” call for proposals focuses on:

- developing, testing and demonstrating policy or management approaches, best practices and solutions to environmental challenges, and in support of resource efficiency related policy and legislation, including the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.

- improving the knowledge base for the development, implementation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of Union environmental policy and legislation, and for the assessment and monitoring of the factors, pressures and responses that impact on the environment within and outside the Union.

The Environment and Resource Efficiency call for proposals support will be allocated to the best proposals in terms of innovative solutions for important environmental issues, leading to viable as well as qualitatively and quantitatively measurable concrete results. Proposals must be highly visible and technically and financially sound. They should incorporate the dissemination of knowledge. The demonstration character is particularly important; projects must be implemented on a technical scale that allows evaluation of technical and economic viability of large scale introduction. LIFE Environment and Resource Efficiency is not directed at research or at investment in existing technology. LIFE aims to bridge the gap between research, policy and development results and widespread implementation, and to improve innovative solutions.

The Environment and Resource Efficiency call for proposals refers to 5 different sectors:

- Water

- Waste, including the marine environment

- Resource Efficiency, including soil and forests, and green and circular economy

- Environment and Health, including chemicals and noise

- Air quality and emissions, including urban environment

According to the LIFE Regulation, “Environment and Resource Efficiency” projects must be demonstration or pilot projects, which are defined as follows:

- "pilot projects" means projects that apply a technique or method that has not been applied or tested before, or elsewhere, and that offer potential environmental or climate advantages compared to current best practice and that can subsequently be applied on a larger scale to similar situations;

- “demonstration projects” means projects that put into practice, test, evaluate and disseminate actions, methodologies or approaches that are new or unknown in the project's specific context, such as geographical, ecological, socio-economic, and that could be applied elsewhere in similar circumstances;

For the duration of the first Multiannual Work Programme for 2014-2017, the maximum EU co-financing rate for “Environment and Resource Efficiency” call for proposals is 60% of the total eligible project costs.

The deadline for submitting proposals in the framework of the current “Nature and LIFE Biodiversity” call for proposals is 16 October 2014.

Further information on the “Environment and Resource Efficiency” call for proposals is available on the LIFE Programme web site at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/life2014/index.htm#traditional.