LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV

The LIFE Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme aims to develop, demonstrate, promote, and scale up innovative solutions (e.g. nature-based and ecosystem approaches) to achieve EU objectives on nature and biodiversity. It supports strengthening the knowledge base, applying best practices including through the Natura 2000 network, and enhancing the development, enforcement, and monitoring of relevant legislation. The sub-programme also focuses on improving governance by building the capacities of public and private actors, encouraging civil society engagement, and catalysing the large-scale deployment and integration of successful solutions across other policies and sectors. The sub-programme covers the priority areas of EU nature, and awareness raising, compliance assurance and access to justice related to nature and biodiversity legislation.  

Objectives: 

The LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV call aims to support a smart and outcome-based implementation of EU nature and biodiversity legislation. Projects should focus on one or more of the following objectives: 

• Promoting behavioural change and raising awareness on nature and biodiversity conservation matters, including generating public and stakeholder support for EU policy-making. 
• Supporting compliance assurance, public participation, and access to justice in the field of nature and biodiversity, in line with the Aarhus Convention. 
• Strengthening the capacities of public and private actors, including NGOs and civil society, through training, communication, and knowledge-sharing platforms. 
• Enhancing governance and improving the effectiveness of the implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of EU nature and biodiversity policies. 

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, and Non-EU countries from the European Economic Area (EEA) and other countries associated with the LIFE Programme). 
• The coordinator must be established in an eligible country.  

Full details are in the call document. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register.  

Budget: 

The total indicative budget for the LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV call is EUR 3.5 million, with an indicative range of project budgets of EUR 1 to 2 million. Three projects are estimated to be funded under this call. 

Duration: 

Projects funded under this call are expected to have a duration of between 36 and 84 months, with extensions possible if duly justified and formally agreed through an amendment.  

LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT-GOV call for proposals 

LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT EU funding and tenders portal page 

LIFE-2025-SAP-NAT Call document 

Support for applicants 

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 

IT 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.