Towards an effective implementation of key legislation in the field of sustainable energy

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Code: 40078 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-POLICY | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

Proposals are expected to support Member States in the implementation of:

• the Energy Efficiency Directive (Scope A). – Scope A: Support for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive
• the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Scope B). – Scope B: Support for the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Proposals are expected to focus on one of the 2 scopes, as detailed below. The scope addressed should be specified in the introduction of the proposal. Proposals may address elements of more than one scope; the coherence and added-value of a cross-cutting approach should be adequately explained.

Supporting the delivery of actionable, integrated, and comprehensive local heating and cooling plans

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Code: 40075 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-HEATCOOLPLAN | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

Proposals under this topic should provide targeted support to help local and regional authorities develop actionable and integrated LHCPs covering different energy carriers, infrastructures and economic sectors.

Support should be clearly tailored to the targeted local and regional contexts, and used by municipalities and regional authorities. By the end of the action, proposals must result in the actual delivery of LHCPs in the targeted municipalities or regions. The plans should align with EU and Member State guidance and requirements and be developed through highly participatory processes.

Proposals should serve multiple municipalities in each targeted region and country. They should guide LHCP development by supporting data collection and use of tools, building technical capacity, engaging citizens and stakeholders, and supporting financing of decarbonisation measures. Proposals should include a detailed analysis of the current state of heating and cooling planning and related challenges in the targeted regions and countries.

Proposals should ensure that support activities are made available to the municipalities in the targeted territories, including those with fewer than 45,000 inhabitants. They should also facilitate joint action among municipalities at regional or other appropriate governance and territorial levels, to pool skills and resources and support inter-municipal and/or regional energy system planning.

One-Stop-Shops – Integrated services for clean energy transition in private buildings

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Code: 40073 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-OSS | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

This topic supports the creation or replication of One-Stop Shops for the clean energy transition in private buildings. The aim is to help private building owners overcome limited capacity, resources and financing barriers when implementing sustainable energy improvements, such as reducing energy consumption and expanding renewable heating and cooling systems.

It also seeks to address market challenges faced by developers, including fragmented demand, high delivery costs and limited access to suitable financing. The topic contributes to EU climate and energy goals by promoting long-term structural energy efficiency measures, strengthening energy system resilience and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Scaling up smart and clean energy solutions for affordability in EU cities

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Code: 40071 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-EMPOWER | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

Under this topic, one proposal will be selected to set up and manage an integrated initiative which offers capacity building and financial support for local administrations and relevant stakeholders to plan, finance, implement, manage and monitor specific smart, clean and energy efficient energy solutions that contribute to improving energy affordability for European citizens, amongst others by facilitating local consumption and production of renewable energy. The activities should include capacity building and peer-to-peer learning, the delivery of lump sum grants to local authorities and monitoring, capitalisation and communication.

Supporting digitalisation of Distribution System Operators for a smart energy transition (Smart Grid Academy)

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Code: 40069 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-DIGITAL | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

Proposals are expected to support DSOs, in particular small/local DSOs, to build necessary in-house capacity, knowledge and skills to modernise and digitalise their activities, allowing them to play a key role in the clean energy transition. To do so, proposals should support DSOs in developing a Digitalisation Roadmap and support them in embedding this Roadmap, fully or partially, in the DSO’s Distribution Network Development Plan (DNDP).

BUILD UP Skills – National Platforms on energy efficiency skills for the clean energy transition

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Code: 40066 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-BUILDSKILLS | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

BUILD UP Skills aims to address the shortage of qualified professionals needed for the clean energy transition in Europe’s construction and renovation sectors. Its objective is to increase the number of skilled blue- and white-collar workers able to deliver energy renovations, nearly-zero energy buildings, energy efficiency measures and the integration of renewable energy systems in buildings.

The initiative supports national platforms that bring together public authorities, training providers, construction sector organisations, building professionals and other stakeholders. These platforms help improve coordination, identify skills gaps, update national skills roadmaps and design targeted upskilling and reskilling actions.

The topic aims to build on these national platforms to strengthen awareness, cooperation and training at national level. It also seeks to promote energy efficiency professions, attract more people to these careers, support certification and training schemes, and help Member States meet EU requirements under the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive.

Alleviating household energy poverty in Europe

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Code: 40064 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-ENERPOV | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

Actions should contribute to actively alleviating energy poverty and build on the tools, indicators and resources of existing initiatives, such as the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub and the energy poverty pillar of the Covenant of Mayors.

Proposals are encouraged for actions with a specific focus on summer energy poverty alleviation and/or actions focusing on geographic areas with less developed energy poverty alleviation measures and frameworks.

Strengthening national frameworks for renewable and efficient heating and cooling in existing buildings

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Code: 40062 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-CET-RENEWHC | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 16/09/2026

The topic aims to support the creation of national collaborative platforms that help accelerate the large-scale deployment of on-site heat pumps and solar thermal systems in existing buildings, including combinations with photovoltaic or photovoltaic-thermal systems.

Its main objective is to identify, assess and address regulatory, financial and market barriers that prevent the wider uptake of alternative business models, such as heating-as-a-service, leasing, all-in offers, community financing and aggregator-based models. These barriers may relate to permitting, building and rental rules, third-party ownership, service agreements, demand-response participation and the price balance between electricity and gas.

Proposals should focus on up to three to five national markets and strengthen the capacity of public authorities and relevant stakeholders to improve national and local frameworks. The topic also supports EU energy and climate goals by promoting cleaner heating and cooling, strengthening the EU supply chain, improving energy system resilience and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Environment governance

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Code: 40060 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-GOV | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 22/09/2026

The present Call topic targets Standard Action Projects (SAP) aimed at achieving the objectives of the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme. SAP are defined in section 2 of the call document (Type of Action) while the general objectives of the sub-programme in section 1 (‘Circular Economy and Quality of Life’).

Circular Economy and Zero Pollution

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Code: 40057 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-ENVIRONMENT | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 22/09/2026

The present Call topic targets Standard Action Projects (SAP) aimed at achieving the objectives of the Circular Economy and Quality of Life sub-programme. SAP are defined in section 2 of the call document (Type of Action) while the general objectives of the sub-programme in section 1 (‘Circular Economy and Quality of Life’).

Projects on Legislative and Policy Priorities in the fields of Nature & Biodiversity and Circular Economy & Quality of Life

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Code: 40053 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2026-PLP-NAT-ENV | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 22/09/2026

Point 4.1.4 of the LIFE 2025-2027 Multi Annual Work Programme indicates that under “Other Actions”, additional projects responding to the Union legislative and policy priorities could be determined on annual basis, following a consultation with Member States.

The list of specific priorities to be addressed in this call is provided below. The Section 2 of the Call document further spells out for each priority the specific needs to be addressed, the activities that can be funded, the expected impacts and any other requirement.

The lists of LIFE-2026-PLP-NAT-ENV specific priorities are:

1. Digitising Environmental Impact Assessments and permitting procedures
2. Preserving primary and old-growth forest in critical regions of Europe through mapping and awareness raising
3. Development and implementation of analytical methodology to distinguish between virgin and recycled polymers at custom controls
4. Support for reducing discharges into marine waters from exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) installed onboard ships
5. Capacity-building of authorities in Montenegro and North Macedonia

Apply AI: Piloting AI-based image screening in medical centres

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Code: 40050 | Identifier Code: DIGITAL-2026-AI-PILOTING-10-SCREENING | Programme name: 15593 | Start submission calls: 21/04/2026 | End submission calls: 01/10/2026

Each project awarded in this action should implement a scalable cloud-based AI/GenAI system running European trustworthy and safe AI/GenAI algorithms that were developed, trained and validated using very large sets of patient data. They should put in place a secure, privacy-preserving cloud environment required for the health data analysis tasks, with appropriate access and identification tools for authorised use only, and implement the whole system as described under this topic, seamlessly integrated in regular clinical workflows of the care settings involved. Interoperability and the need to communicate with the health IT infrastructure (e.g. the electronic health record (EHR) of the patient, Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), Radiological Information Systems (RIS), etc.) need to be addressed.