LIFE-2024-SAP-NAT-NATURE

The LIFE sub-programme of Nature and Biodiversity aims: 

• to develop, demonstrate, promote and stimulate scale-up of innovative methods and approaches to reach the objectives of EU legislation and policy and nature and biodiversity and to contribute to the knowledge base and to the application of best practices; 
• to support the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of EU legislation and policy on nature and biodiversity, including by improving governance at all levels; 
• to catalyse the large-scale deployment of successful solutions/approaches for implementing EU legislation and policy on nature and biodiversity, by replicating results, integrating related objectives into other policies and into public and private sector practices, mobilising investment and improving access to finance. 

Objectives: 

Projects should fall under at least one of the two areas of intervention: 

• “Space for Nature” - Any project aimed at improving the condition of species or habitats through area-based conservation or restoration measures. This may include, for example, projects for restoring or improving natural or semi-natural habitats, or habitats of species, both within and outside existing protected areas. This may also include projects for creating additional protected areas (or improving the biodiversity focus and contribution of existing protected areas), ecological corridors or other green infrastructure, projects testing or demonstrating new site management approaches, projects acting on pressures, etc. 
• “Safeguarding our species” - Any project aimed at improving the condition of species (or, in the case of invasive alien species, reducing their impact) through any relevant activities other than area-based conservation or restoration measures. Considering the broad range of threats that may act on species in addition to the degradation of their habitats, such projects may apply to a wide range of relevant measures, spanning from hard infrastructural works to awareness raising of stakeholders. 

Only wild flora and fauna and natural and semi-natural habitats may be targeted by LIFE Nature and Biodiversity projects. 

Eligible applicants: 

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: 

• be legal entities (public or private bodies) 
• be established in one of the eligible countries (i.e. EU Member States including overseas territories and countries, Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine). 
• The coordinator must be established in an eligible country.  

Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register.  

Budget: 

Total sub-programme budget of EUR 155 million. 

Duration: 

Between 36 and 84 months indicatively (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment).  

LIFE-2024-SAP-NAT-NATURE call for proposals 

Call document: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/life/wp-call/2021-2024/call-fiche_life-2024-sap-nat_en.pdf  

Support for applicants: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/life-support-applicants_en#ecl-inpage-1377 

Online Manual: Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and submission to reporting on your on-going project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.  

Funding and Tenders Portal FAQ 

T Helpdesk: Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.   

National Contact Points: Get in touch with your national contact point (NCP) for the LIFE programme. They can help you with your application and organise information/networking events and proposal writing workshops. They can also support you in communicating and disseminating your project results.