Ερευνητικά Προγράμματα Κύπρου

Call for proposals
“LIFE Action Grants 2017”

Objectives and description

Following the establishment of the Programme LIFE for the Environment and Climate Action on 11th of December 2013 (EC No 1293/2013), the DG Environment of the European Commission has published a call for proposals for “LIFE Action Grants 2017”. LIFE programme focuses on preserving our natural capital, fostering green growth and the circular economy in Europe and supporting breakthrough actions in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The European Commission invites legal persons (entities) registered in the European Union (EU) to present their proposals. The call covers proposals for both LIFE sub-programmes:

(1) Sub –programme: “Environment”, and

(2) Sub-programme “Climate Action”.

The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) is responsible for managing the call for traditional projects for the environment sub-programme and traditional projects for the climate action sub-programme.

This call for proposals will cover action grants for "Traditional Projects", “Preparatory projects”, “Integrated projects” and “Technical Assistance projects” for the LIFE sub-programme Environment and “Traditional Projects”, “Integrated Projects” and “Technical Assistance projects” for the LIFE sub-programme Climate Action.

Traditional projects, may be best-practice, demonstration, pilot or information, awareness and dissemination projects, depending on each of the following priority areas:

· LIFE Nature & Biodiversity (Sub-Programme Environment). It will co-finance action grants for best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives Directives and the Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, and the development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network.

· LIFE Environment & Resource Efficiency (Sub-Programme Environment). It will co-finance projects to develop, test and demonstrate policy or management approaches, best practices and solutions, including development and demonstration of innovative technologies, to environmental challenges and in support of resource efficiency-related policy and legislation and to improve the knowledge base for the development, implementation, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of Union environmental policy and legislation.

· LIFE Environmental Governance & Information (Sub-Programme Environment). It will co-finance action grants for among others, information, awareness and dissemination projects to promote awareness raising on environmental matters, including generating public and stakeholder support of Union policy-making in the field of the environment, and to promote knowledge on sustainable development and new patterns for sustainable consumption;

· LIFE Climate Change Mitigation (Sub-Programme Climate Action). It will co-finance action grants for best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; that contribute to the implementation and development of Union policy and legislation on climate change mitigation, including mainstreaming across policy areas.

· LIFE Climate Change Adaptation (Sub-Programme Climate Action). It will co-finance action grants for among others, best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to supporting efforts leading to increased resilience to climate change; that contribute to the development and implementation of Union policy on climate change adaptation, etc.

· LIFE Climate Governance and Information (Sub-Programme Climate Action). It will co-finance action grants for information, awareness and dissemination projects that promote awareness raising on climate matters, including generating public and stakeholder support of Union policy-making in the field of the climate, and to promote knowledge on sustainable development

Preparatory projects (sub-programme Environment): address specific needs for the development and implementation of Union environmental or climate policy and legislation. Please note that there is no Preparatory project call under the Climate sub-programme for 2017. The 2017 specific topics are:

1) Priority Objective: "Halting and reversing biodiversity loss

1.1 Providing support for Integrating Ecosystem Services and their assessment with LIFE and other EU funding projects

1.2 Providing support to improve knowledge and capacity amongst Natura 2000 site mangers across the EU

1.3 Providing support for tailoring innovative private land conservation tools to the national and regional contexts in the EU Member States

2) Priority Objective "Contributing to a greener and more resource efficient economy and to the development and implementation of Union environmental policy and legislation"

2.1 Providing support to foster innovative approaches to policy implementation

Integrated projects:

· sub-programme for Environment: are projects implementing on a large territorial scale (regional, multi-regional, national or trans-national scale) environmental plans or strategies required by specific Union environmental legislation, developed pursuant to other Union acts or developed by Member States' authorities, primarily in the areas of nature (including Natura 2000 network management), water, waste and air, while ensuring involvement of stakeholders and promoting the coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other relevant Union, national or private funding source;

· sub-programme for Climate Action: projects implementing on a large territorial scale (regional, multi-regional, national or trans-national scale) climate action plans, strategies or roadmaps required by specific Union climate legislation, developed pursuant to other Union acts or developed by Member States' authorities, primarily in the areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, while ensuring involvement of stakeholders and promoting the coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other relevant Union, national or private funding source

Technical Assistance projects (For both sub-programmes): Projects which they will provide financial support to help applicants prepare Integrated Projects. Technical Assistance projects have to aim at the preparation of a future Integrated Projects proposal and the applicant must not be a Member State entity which receives financing for a Capacity Building project which covers at least a part of the period to be covered by the Technical Assistance project. This basically means that a coordinating beneficiary who already has an ongoing Capacity Building project is not eligible for a Technical Assistance project and vice versa.

Eligible participants

Proposals may be submitted by legal persons (entities) registered in the EU. Applicants may fall into three types of beneficiaries:

public bodies (national public authorities)
private commercial organisations and
private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs).

Funding conditions and duration

The total budget for the implementation of the LIFE Programme 2014-2020 is EUR 3,457 Billion, 75% of which is allocated to the sub-programme for environment and 25% of which is allocated to the sub-programme Climate Action.

The total budget for project action grants for this call is EUR 373,145,000. Of this:

· 290,895,000 EUR is foreseen for the sub-programme for Environment and,

· 82,430,000 EUR for the sub-programme for Climate Action.

Ø At least 55% of the budgetary resources allocated to projects supported by way of action grants under the sub-programme for Environment shall be dedicated to projects supporting the conservation of nature and biodiversity.

Ø The maximum EC co-funding rate for (Traditional Projects, Preparatory Projects, Integrated Projects, and Technical Assistance Projects) is: 60% of the eligible project costs. (By way of exception, a co-financing rate of up to 75% of the total eligible costs may be granted to LIFE Nature and Biodiversity proposals that focus on concrete conservation actions for priority species or habitat types of the Birds and Habitats Directives, when actions in the project are necessary to achieve the conservation objective.)

Ø Integrated projects are expected to be large and ambitious with a substantial budget that well exceeds the average LIFE grant size awarded to LIFE "traditional projects". It is foreseen that the LIFE programme would contribute – on average – EUR 10 million to each Integrated project.

Ø There is no pre-determined project duration for a LIFE project. Generally speaking, 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.

Ø Integrated Projects are expected to last between 6 and 10 years.

Deadline of proposals' submission

All deadlines for submission of applications specified below end at 16:00 Brussels local time.

Traditional projects:

Sub Programme Environment:

· Nature & Biodiversity;

· Environment & Resource Efficiency;

· Environmental Governance &

Information

Climate Action Sub-programme:

· Climate Change Mitigation;

· Climate Change Adaptation;

· Climate Governance and

Information

14 September 2017

12 September 2017

14 September 2017

7 September 2017
7 September 2017
7 September 2017

Preparatory projects

20 September 2017

Integrated projects (Phase I, concept note)

26 September 2017

Integrated Projects (Phase II, full proposal)

Mid-March 2018

Technical Assistance projects

7 September 2017

Applicants for LIFE "Traditional Projects” they have submit their application through the eProposal tool (online) (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/eproposalWeb/). Only proposals submitted through eProposal are eligible to be evaluated.

Applicants for LIFE “Preparatory Projects”, must submit their application to the following address:

Preparatory Projects under the sub-programme for Environment:

Postal address:

LIFE 2017 – Preparatory Projects

European Commission

DG ENV – LIFE Unit (BU9 03/006)

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only:

LIFE 2017– Preparatory Projects

European Commission

DG ENV – LIFE Unit (BU9 03/006)

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

Applicants for LIFE “Integrated Projects” must submit their application to the following address:

Environment sub-programme

Climate Action sub-programme

Postal address:

LIFE 2017 – Integrated Projects – Environment Subprogramme

European Commission

DG ENV – LIFE unit (BU9 03/006)

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only
LIFE 2017 – Integrated Projects – Environment Subprogramme

European Commission

DG ENV – LIFE unit (BU9 03/006)

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

Postal address

LIFE 2017 – Integrated Projects Climate Action

European Commission

EASME Unit B3

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only

LIFE 2017 – Integrated Projects Climate Action

European Commission

EASME Unit B3

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

LIFE “Technical Assistance Projects” must submit their application to the following address:

Technical Assistance Projects under the Environment sub-programme

Technical Assistance Projects under the Climate Action sub-programme

Postal address:

LIFE 2017 – Technical Assistance Projects (Environment sub-programme)

European Commission

DG ENV.D.4 (BU9 03/009)

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only:
LIFE 2017 – Technical Assistance Projects (Environment sub-programme)

European Commission

DG ENV.D.4 (BU9 03/009)

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

Postal address:

LIFE 2017 –Technical Assistance Projects (Climate Action sub-programme)

European Commission

EASME Unit B3

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only:
LIFE 2017 – Technical Assistance Projects (Climate Action sub-programme)

European Commission

EASME Unit B3

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

Further information

National Contact Points:

Cyprus

Greece

Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (Cyprus)

Ms. Marilena PAPASTAVROU /

Dr. Charalambos HAJIPAKKOS

Environment Officer / Senior Environment Officer

Department of Environment

CY - 1498 Lefkosia

Tel: +357 22408926 / +357 22408927

E-mail: mpapastavrou@environment.moa.gov.cy

E-mail: chajipakkos@environment.moa.gov.cy

(View the website: Department of Environment – Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment)

Ministry for the Environment, Energy & Climate Change
Green Fund
Mr. George PROTOPAPAS

Address: Vila Kazouli
L. Kifissias 241, GR - 14561, Kifissia
Tel: +30 210 5241903 / +30 210 5241913
Fax: +30 210 5241833
E-mail: g.protopapas@prv.ypeka.gr
View the Website

Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change - Directorate for Air Pollution and Emissions Trading Office
Mr. Dimitrios NIAVIS

Address: Vila Kazouli
L. Kifissias 241, GR - 14561, Kifissia
Tel: +30 2108089275
Fax: +30 2108084707
E-mail: d.niavis@prv.ypeka.gr

The European Commission is organising an information and networking event to advise applicants on the LIFE programme's 2017 call for traditional projects. The event will be held on 31 May 2017, in the Crowne Plaza hotel, Rue Gineste 3, Brussels - 1210, Belgium.

For registration please visit the following link: http://www.eugreenweek.eu/registration

The accompanying documents are not included in this email due to size limits but can be found here: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/life2017/index.htm

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/life2017/index.htm

Kind regards,

Flora

Flora Stavropoulou
Intern

European Office of Cyprus

Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor

B-1000, Brussels

Tel/Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85

E-mail: eoc.brussels2@ucy.ac.cy

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GREEK TRANSLATION IS PROVIDED AT REQUEST OF ANY INTERESTED MEMBER (based on the decision of 22.12.2016 of the EOC Administrative Council).