CINEA LIFE Calls for Proposals 2025

Expired EU · Found: 2026-03-11 12:25

Official CINEA page for LIFE 2025 calls for proposals including circular economy, quality of life, and environment sub-programmes. Calls launched April 2025 with September 2025 deadline.

Source: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life-calls-proposals-2025_en

Funding Details

Funder

European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) / European Commission

Funding Goal

The LIFE 2025 programme funds projects across four sub-programmes: Nature & Biodiversity, Circular Economy & Quality of Life, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation, and Clean Energy Transition. Specifically for circular economy: Standard Action Projects (SAPs) addressing circular economy and zero pollution, targeting resource efficiency, plastic reduction, waste management, and the transition to circular production and consumption patterns across EU member states.

Funding Amount

EUR 600 million total available across all LIFE 2025 calls; individual project grants vary by type (SAPs, SNaPs, SIPs, Technical Assistance projects)

Deadline

2025-09-23 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Applications submitted via the EU Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders). Strategic Nature Projects (SNaPs) and SIPs required two-stage process: concept notes by 4 September 2025, full proposals by 5 March 2026. SAPs single-stage with 23 September 2025 deadline. Annual LIFE calls expected to recur.

Target Region

European Union (all member states); associated countries may also participate

Contact

CINEA contact via: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/contact-0_en | LIFE Info Days recordings on YouTube

Last Checked

2026-03-15 10:40

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a legal entity (public or private) established in an EU member state or associated country

Project Scope

• Project must address EU environmental or climate policy objectives (Circular Economy Action Plan, Zero Pollution Action Plan, etc.)
• SAPs must demonstrate, transfer, or pilot solutions to environmental/climate challenges with measurable impact

Required Documents

• Strategic Projects (SNaPs, SIPs) require a two-stage application with concept note followed by full proposal
• Applications submitted via EU Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal; requires registration on the portal
• Project budget, implementation plan, and impact measurement framework required

Constraints

• Projects must be co-funded; LIFE typically covers 60-75% of eligible costs, sometimes higher for NGOs
• Project must demonstrate replicability and EU added value beyond what national funding could achieve
• Annual calls — if 2025 round is closed, watch for 2026 call expected around April-May 2026

Summary

The LIFE Programme 2025 Calls for Proposals, managed by CINEA on behalf of the European Commission, provide EUR 600 million in grants across four environmental and climate sub-programmes. The Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme funds Standard Action Projects (SAPs) that demonstrate, pilot, and scale up solutions to environmental challenges including plastic pollution, waste management, resource efficiency, and the transition to circular production and consumption systems. Eligible applicants include NGOs, public authorities, research institutions, and private companies in EU member states and associated countries. The Circular Economy SAPs had a deadline of 23 September 2025, while the larger Strategic Nature Projects and Strategic Integrated Projects ran a two-stage process with full proposals due by 5 March 2026. LIFE calls are published annually, meaning new rounds for 2026 are expected. For organisations working on plastic waste value chains, circular economy pilots, or pollution reduction, LIFE SAPs represent one of the most directly relevant EU funding mechanisms. Projects must demonstrate measurable environmental impact and align with EU policy frameworks such as the Circular Economy Action Plan and Zero Pollution Action Plan. Grants are typically EUR 500,000–5 million for SAPs, with higher amounts for strategic projects. The LIFE programme is the primary EU funding stream explicitly dedicated to environmental and climate action at project level, making it highly strategic for NGOs and civil society organisations with demonstrable track records in sustainability initiatives.

Historical Context

LIFE is the EU's long-running funding instrument for environment and climate action, running since 1992. The 2021-2027 programme period allocates approximately EUR 5.4 billion total. Annual calls for proposals are published each spring. Previous years (2024, 2023, 2022) all had comparable SAP calls for circular economy. The 2025 call was published on 24 April 2025 with EUR 600 million total across all sub-programmes.

Why it was added

LIFE programme circular economy calls directly fund plastic recycling and waste reduction projects for NGOs

Sources

• https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life-calls-proposals-2025_en
• https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/standard-action-projects-saps-circular-economy-and-zero-pollution-environment_en

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