LIFE Climate Change Adaptation co-finances action grants for best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to supporting efforts leading to increased resilience to climate change. Moreover, activities should contribute to the development and implementation of Union policy on climate change adaptation and improve the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of effective climate change adaptation actions and measures as well as facilitate the development and implementation of integrated approaches and contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative climate change adaptation technologies, systems, methods and instruments that are suitable for being replicated, transferred or mainstreamed.
Legal persons (entities) registered in the EU can apply for the Action Grants. Moreover, applicants may fall into three types of beneficiaries:
• Public bodies
• Private commercial organisations
• Private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs)
There is no pre-determined project duration for a LIFE project. The project duration must correspond to what is necessary to complete all of the project's actions and to reach all its objectives. Most projects last for 2–5 years.
There is no fixed minimum size for project budgets. While large ambitious projects (i.e. over € 5,000,000 total costs) have been financed several times in the past, small projects (i.e. below € 500,000 total costs) have seldom succeeded due to the limited output and consequently the low added value.
Applicants for Climate Action Information and Governance projects are advised to ensure that the scale (and the budget) of the proposed actions is sufficiently large to ensure that the project achieves meaningful results with a significant EU added value.
For the duration of the first LIFE multiannual work programme for 2014-2017, the maximum EU co-financing rate for LIFE action grant projects is 60% of the total eligible project costs.
More information can be found on the website for LIFE Action Grants. Further information related to the priority areas and objectives can be found in the LIFE Regulation. Member States have set up a network of Life National Contacts Points. The National Contacts Points may provide support to applicants during the preparation and submission phase for further details.