The Call for Proposals by the LIFE Programme has been launched again! With this year over €450 million available for projects on Environment, Nature and Climate Action. It is a great opportunity to get you project off the ground, provided you take the necessary preparations. Maybe you are already in the orientation phase, or you might have already written part of your proposal, nevertheless tips and insights can always be useful.

The LIFE call for proposals page obviously has the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding preparing and writing of a LIFE project proposal. It is therefore the first page to go to when you start the process.

Nevertheless, there are several other interesting resources that provide some more in-debth information on certain topics. Here, we have put together a list of websites and webinars that might be useful for preparing your next proposal.

ELCN Webinar on Using EU LIFE Funding for Private Land Conservation

This webinar took place online on 13 May, 15:30 CET, and provided a programme manager’s perspective on LIFE funding opportunities for private and civic land conservation projects. The webinar was hosted by Tilmann Disselhoff, Project Coordinator of the European Land Conservation Network, and chaired by Angelo Salsi, Head of Unit of the European Commission’s LIFE Programme & CIP eco-Innovation at the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). Angelo and Tilmann were joined on the panel by Stefano Picchi, Adjunct Professor of Conservation Finance at University of Bologna and Project Manager, WWF-OASI.

The webinar can be found here.

An Update by Angelo Salsi

Angelo Salsi – Head of Unit of the LIFE Programme at EASME, recently talked about why Covid-19 should not stop your LIFE project ambitions. In an interview with EASME, Angelo Salsi talks about how Covid-19 influenced the Call for Proposals, as well as about what has changed this year. If you are already familiar with the LIFE Programme, this provides a good view on what has changed in this year’s application process. You can find the interview here.

Short Series on Applying for LIFE funding

The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) has launched a short series on applying for LIFE funding. The articles provide tips, insights and experiences regarding writing a LIFE Proposal and thereby can support your process for applying. The first article featured LIFE BIOBCOMPO, and the second article the Waste2Protein project.

Last year’s short series featured an article in which Angelo Salsi, head of the LIFE unit at EASME explains the techniques for writing your LIFE project concept note. You can read about it here.

LIFE Info Day

Furthermore, on the 30th of April, the LIFE Info Day took place. It provided an important opportunity to learn more about the LIFE Programme funding for environmental solutions, climate action and nature conservation. You can find the recordings and slide from the LIFE Info Day here.

Webinar on LIFE and Adapting to Climate Change

For those who are writing a climate change adaptation project proposal, on 12 May 2020, the LIFE Programme hosted a webinar on “Adapting to Climate Change”. This webinar: “

• Outlined the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change
• Highlighted call priorities and topics of significant interest
• Provided references for further information
• Shared best practices from current LIFE projects on CCA”

The webinar can be found here.

Webinar on LIFE Funding for Invertebrate Conservation and Implementing the EU Pollinators Initiative

On 18 June 2020, EASME will host a webinar on using LIFE funding for projects related to invertebrate conservation and implementing the EU Pollinators Initiative. The webinar will: “

• Inform you about the importance of invertebrates in the new LIFE programme and EU new Biodiversity Strategy
• Present the findings of the ex-post study of 20 LIFE projects on invertebrates, including recommendations for future projects
• Share the experience of a completed LIFE invertebrate project from the beneficiary point of view
• Encourage more LIFE funding applications on the invertebrates
• Receive suggestions from participants on how the LIFE programme can better address invertebrates”

You can register here.

FAQ on Covid-19 impact on LIFE projects

Many people have questions regarding the impact of Covid-19 on the management of their LIFE Project. Therefore, EASME has launched a page with frequently asked questions regarding the impact on several aspects of LIFE projects. You can find the FAQs here.