LIFE in 2025: a year of climate, environment and clean energy action

It's been a big year for the LIFE Programme, with a record 1 095 applications for the 2025 Call for Proposals and 132 new projects awarded €358 million of EU funding. An additional €86 million of EU funding was announced for strategic climate and environment initiatives in Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia and Iceland.

LIFE continued to expand beyond the EU with Montenegro becoming the fifth non-EU country participating in the LIFE programme. Along with North Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova and Iceland, Montenegro can now submit proposals and access funding for LIFE projects.

LIFE projects shone at international events from the giant Smart Cities Expo in Barcelona, Spain, to the global UN COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. Hundreds of experts, academics, scientists and communicators shared their knowledge and experience at LIFE platform meetings, while extensive media coverage, podcasts, documentaries and social media channels kept LIFE projects in the public eye.

June saw the 2025 LIFE Awards marking the climax of EU Green Week, the most important environmental event in Europe. LIFE Lynx won both the LIFE Nature Award and the LIFE Citizens' Prize, while LIFE POPWAT scooped the LIFE Award for Quality of Life and Circular Economy, and LIFE DESERT-ADAPT took home the LIFE Award for Climate Action. The 2025 LIFE Awards also featured a special category - the Rising Star Recognition - which went to Denmark's LIFE RE-ZIP.

LIFE projects funded under the Clean Energy Transition (CET) sub-programme were not forgotten - they played a leading role in European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2025. LIFE TURBINES and LIFE4GREENBROADBAND were shortlisted for the EUSEW Award for Innovation, while other LIFE projects in the spotlight at EUSEW 2025 included SmarterEPC , LIFE TANDEMS and LIFE AUDIT PLUS .

Projects from all 4 LIFE sub-programmes were well represented at major conferences and events throughout the year including COP30, Europarc 2025, Smart Cities Expo, Aquatech Amsterdam, Green Transition Forum 5.0 , Pollutec, C4E Forum , Building Green, Sustainable Places 2025 and the Reuse Economy Expo. Project representatives took part in panel discussions, showcased innovative solutions and promoted LIFE funding opportunities to potential applicants.

Equally important are the expert gatherings known as LIFE Platform Meetings. 2025 saw 6 such events involving more than 2 000 experts from 100 LIFE projects - they tackled a range of topics including agricultural ammonia emissions; future-proofing the agri-food sector;restoring European forests; water resilience; plastic waste prevention and reuse; and innovative funding for nature.

2025 was also a significant year for media coverage. LIFE LynxConnect was the subject of a major 20-part documentary series , while the BBC featured the work of Four Rivers for LIFE , LIFE WADER and LIFE Raft . The BBC's new landmark Living Legacy series, filmed in 15 countries and unveiled at COP30, features the work of LIFE Urban Klima 2050 in the Spanish Basque Country as an example of climate adaptation.

The Guardian carried reports on LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors , Orkney Native WildLIFE and Horizon Sun4All , while El País covered LIFE MIDMACC , LIFE OASIS , LIFE Wetlands4Climate , LIFE TECMINE and LIFE RIBERMINE . RAI reported on LIFE Fagesos , LIFE Lanner , LIFE EU Sharks and LIFE Remembrance , and there were numerous other media mentions including LIFE AIRFRESH in La Stampa and La Repubblica , Euronews on Bearded Vulture LIFE and LIFE ELIFE in The Times . Special mentions must go to LIFE ORCHIDS in southern Denmark which attracted coverage for the royal visit of Queens Mary and Margrethe, and to LIFE NatuReef which won the audiovisual category in the 2025 Guidarello Prize for Quality Journalism , in recognition of the project's outstanding communications and awareness-raising.

Away from the media spotlight, the #EULife25 Info Days in May 2025 featured a series of webinars designed to help applicants prepare for the 2025 LIFE Calls for Proposals. The LIFE close-to-market programme, which helps companies bring their green products, technologies, services and processes to the market, also made significant progress in 2025. Projects including LIFE ELEKTRA, MAREMAG LIFE and LIFE SECURDOMINO all took another step towards full commercialisation with support from the LIFE Programme.

2025 was also a strong year for Green Assist, the EU advisory service supporting green and sustainable investment projects. By the end of the year, more than 160 applications had been received, with over 70 projects already supported across Europe. While circular economy and biodiversity projects have continued, those focusing on water resilience and bioeconomy projects have been in the spotlight, helping promoters turn strategic solutions into tangible, scalable investments.

As 2025 draws to a close, it's worth reflecting that in its 33 years of existence, LIFE has funded more than 6 500 projects - more than 1 000 of which are currently live. As LIFE enters its 34th year, we look forward to bringing you news of another 12 months of impact, action and innovation. Look out for a preview of our plans for 2026 in the New Year - and in the meanwhile we wish you all a restful holiday break.