Project Development Assistance for sustainable energy investments

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Code: 36473 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-PDA | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

Project Development Assistance (PDA) will support project promoters in preparing and launching investment pipelines of sustainable energy projects, i.e. energy efficiency and/or renewable energy projects. The call topic aims to provide and build technical, economic and legal skills and expertise for project developers needed for the successful project development and implementation. Activities can include project bundling, technical studies, energy audits, assessing financing options, legal advice, tendering procedure preparation, outreach and engagement etc.

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

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Code: 36468 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-OSS | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

As highlighted in the European Green Deal’s Renovation Wave initiative and the REPowerEU Plan, there is a pressing need to increase the number of renovated buildings across the EU and to better integrate the transition to efficient heating and cooling based on renewable energy sources as an integral part of building renovations. However, many building owners lack the skills and capacity to design, implement and finance complex and ambitious clean energy transition projects. In addition, many project developers face high implementation costs and limited access to adequate and attractive financing solutions on the market.

This topic aims to support the creation or replication of One Stop Shops (OSS), offering integrated services for the transition to clean energy in private residential buildings, in accordance with the Energy Efficiency Directive (Article 22) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Article 18).

Crowding in private finance

Closed

Code: 36464 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-PRIVAFIN | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

The topic aims to increase the amount of private finance allocated to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources by establishing innovative financing schemes.

There is a need to set up and roll-out private financing schemes which can be expanded and/or replicated at scale, and contribute to the national strategies to achieve the 2030 energy efficiency targets and the building renovation policy objectives. These schemes have to be adapted to the specificities of energy efficiency investment profiles, as well as those of renewables, in buildings, SMEs, district heating and other relevant sectors.

Supporting district heating and cooling networks

Closed

Code: 36461 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-DHC | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

To advance towards carbon neutrality and to phase out EU dependence on fossil fuels imports, there is an urgent need to reduce fossil fuel consumption for heating and/or cooling purposes. In that context, in particular modern and efficient district heating systems can connect local demand with renewable and waste energy sources, as well as the wider electric and gas grids, thereby contributing to the optimisation of supply and demand across energy carriers.

The REPowerEU Plan, the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) set out ambitious measures, including the increase of the share of renewable energy and waste heat in district heating systems. District heating and/or cooling operators/owners need to prepare and implement plans so that existing systems fulfil the criteria for “efficient district heating and cooling”, defined in the EED. This will require, among other aspects, the integration of renewable energy (e.g. from solar thermal, ambient energy and geothermal resources) and waste heat. Furthermore, district heating has been identified as a key option for the decarbonisation of the heating sector in countries and regions without a long tradition and experience in the technology. Guidance, recommendations and technical advisory services have already been developed and tested at the EU, national and local levels. Notwithstanding, a large share of existing district heating and cooling systems still overly rely on fossil fuels. Additionally, the switch to renewable energy and waste heat and the development of new systems in emerging markets is hampered, among other factors by limited human, technical and financial capacities. Technical support and enabling frameworks are therefore needed to support the preparation of modernisation and development projects.

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

Closed

Code: 36459 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-BUILDSKILLS | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

The BUILD UP Skills initiative aims to increase the number of skilled professionals (blue- and white-collars) along the construction and renovation value chains. BUILD UP Skills has also engaged public authorities, building owners and tenants, to create awareness about the importance of a skilled workforce. BUILD UP Skills supports the objectives of the EU Pact for Skills, and especially the Large-Scale Partnership for the Construction Ecosystem, which aims to have 30% workers participating in upskilling or reskilling actions annually by 2030, as well as the Renewable Energy skills Large-Scale partnership.

The topic aims to build on the national platforms to increase the number of skilled professionals in Europe by improving awareness and cooperation between key public and private stakeholders, rolling out the needed upskilling and reskilling actions, as well as promoting and attracting more people to energy efficiency professions at national level.

Supporting the clean energy transition of European industry and businesses

Closed

Code: 36455 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-INDUSTRY | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

The overall objective of this topic is to support the clean energy transition and decarbonisation of industry by bridging the gap between the demand and supply side of net-zero energy technologies as well as by fostering collaborative approaches among companies operating in physical proximity.

Energy renovation solutions – Making buildings’ renovation faster, deeper, affordable, smarter, service – and data-driven

Closed

Code: 36453 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-BETTERRENO | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

This topic contributes to the goals of the EU Renovation Wave strategy and aims to help implement current and future building policies, notably in view of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) but also considering aspects of the New European Bauhaus initiative.

This topic addresses several areas that are key for the achievement of the ambitious EU targets for the decarbonisation of buildings. It aims to develop and deploy approaches that bring actors, markets, frameworks and innovative solutions together to increase the attractiveness and cost effectiveness of building performance upgrades and to reduce the administrative, logistic and financial burden that still goes along with buildings’ retrofitting. The topic also aims to address the need for qualitative data to make building policy and information instruments more reliable and meaningful, to increase the public acceptance/demand and support robust verification and financing of building renovation and up-grade.

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

Closed

Code: 36451 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-POLICY | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

Under the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan, the EU has put in place a whole set of new pieces of climate and energy legislation, including the revised Energy Efficiency Directive, Renewable Energy Directive and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The revisions make the policy framework for sustainable energy more stringent and ambitious. While the legislative framework offers a good amount of flexibility to Member States to shape the policy measures according to their needs and framework conditions, accurate design, monitoring, projecting and evaluation are essential elements of implementation.

This topic aims to support the implementation of the main pieces of legislation in the field of sustainable energy.

Boosting the clean energy transition in cities and regions

Closed

Code: 36446 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

The topic aims to support cities and regional authorities with the necessary capacity and skills to deliver and implement decarbonisation plans and strategies for the clean energy transition, which are critical for the industries, businesses and citizens in their territories.

Proposals are expected to focus on one of the two scopes established below.
The scope addressed should be clearly specified in the proposal.

• Scope A: Implementation of integrated decarbonisation plans
• Scope B: Development of methodologies, templates, blueprints and strategies for the preparation of local heating and cooling plans

Climate Governance and Information

Closed

Code: 36444 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-SAP-CLIMA-GOV | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

LIFE Climate Change Governance and Information supports the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of the Union legislation and policy on climate change, contributing to climate change mitigation and/or adaptation. This includes improving governance through enhancing the capacities of public and privateactors and the involvement of civil society.

Activities for the sole purpose of raising the awareness of certain groups are deemed insufficient to achieve these objectives, and therefore should be complemented with concrete measures that facilitate a change in behaviour or practices. Projects which aim to develop tools or studies must include specific and concrete action to implement these tools and studies during the duration of the project.

ERC Advanced Grants

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Code: 36442 | Identifier Code: ERC-2025-ADG | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: European Research Council (ERC) | Start submission calls: 22/05/2025 | End submission calls: 28/08/2025

ERC Advanced Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are already established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their research proposal.

Climate Change Adaptation

Closed

Code: 36438 | Identifier Code: LIFE-2025-SAP-CLIMA-CCA | Programme name: 10710 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2025 | End submission calls: 23/09/2025

Projects under this strand should help to achieve the long-term vision of the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change that, in 2050, the EU will be a climate-resilient society which is fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Projects should help to reinforce adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability, in line with the Paris Agreement and the European Climate Law.