- LIFE is the EU’s instrument for financing environmental conservation projects
- Finnova is a partner in three projects that receive funding from the LIFE program: LIFE COSTAdapta, LIFE NextFUMIGREEN, LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0, and LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0
Today, Tuesday, 21st of May, the European Union’s LIFE funding program turns 32 years old. The LIFE program is the EU’s instrument to finance environmental conservation projects and the development of EU environmental policies and legislation. The Finnova Foundation, an organization committed to the promotion of sustainable development, commemorates this date by recalling its commitment to this program, as a partner of the LIFE COSTAdapta, LIFE NextFUMIGREEN and LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 projects.
Created in 1992, the program has co-financed more than 5,500 projects throughout the EU and in third countries during its three decades of existence. In addition, the program has supported the conservation of more than 6,000 sites in the Natura 2000 network, the European ecological network of biodiversity conservation areas that shares LIFE’s ephemeris.
Within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, the LIFE program has a financial envelope of 5,432,000,000 Euros which will be divided into 4 sub-programs: “Nature and Biodiversity” (2,143,000,000 Euros), “Circular Economy and Quality of Life” (1,345,000,000 Euros), “Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation” (947,000,000 Euros), and “Transition to Clean Energy” (997,000,000 Euros). Of the total program budget, at least 85% of the program budget will be allocated to project grants, while the remainder will be allocated to financial instruments and other forms of financing.
Finnova, committed to LIFE
One of the pillars of the Foundation’s activities is the promotion of sustainable development. Therefore, Finnova is partner in projects that advocate environmental protection, being partner of the projects LIFE COSTAdapta, LIFE NextFUMIGREEN and LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0.
LIFE COSTAdapta is a project coordinated by the Energy Island Council of Gran Canaria, whose objective is focused on the adaptation of the Gran Canarian coast to sea level rise through a system of reef construction – tidal pool-reef. With a duration of 7 years and a total budget of 3,409,864 EUR (2,045.818 EUR subsidized by the EU through the LIFE Program), COSTAdapta is a project coordinated by the Consejo Insular de Energía de Gran Canaria (CIEGC) of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria with the support of 7 partners: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC); University of Cantabria (UC); INGECID, Research and Project Development; Raley Estudios Costeros S.C.P.; ECOncrete AQUA; Canary Islands Foundation for Recycling and Sustainable Development (FCR) and Finnova Foundation.
LIFE NextFUMIGREEN is a European project that seeks to develop natural fumigants from plant extracts to control whitefly populations and fungal outbreaks of botrytis in horticultural greenhouse crops. The project, led by FumiHogar, in collaboration with B&B Asesores, Comercial Química Massó, BrioAgro Tech and Finnova Foundation, has a total budget of €2,758,921.
LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0, with a budget of more than 970,000 euros, is a project that generates biogas in sewage treatment plant digesters by mixing putrescible organic waste (slurry, poultry, organic fractions, MSW, horeca, etc.), thus transforming sewage sludge into green energy through technology. The initiative is led by Global Omnium (Spain), in collaboration with the Finnova Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal).
More than 30 LIFE projects
Beyond these projects, during the 14 years of Finnova’s life, the entity has been involved in almost thirty projects funded by the LIFE program, demonstrating its commitment to initiatives that are committed to sustainability, circularity and environmental care. Examples of this are the following projects: LIFE HTWT – High Technology Waste Treatment, LIFE ECOGLAUCA ÉRGON, LIFE ECO-VITRUM-TRC, LIFE Ecodiptera, LIFE ZERO PLUS; LIFE Enebro Valencia; LIFE ECORICE; LIFE URBANBAT; LIFE BIOVID; LIFE ECOLIGHT; LIFE TRAGAMOVIL; LIFE ECOBUS; LIFE DIVERS; LIFE BIOCOMPOST and the LIFE DUNAS ALBUFERA.
Upcoming calls for proposals
LIFE 2024 calls for proposals are open from April 18th of 2024, with the following indicative budgets and submission dates:
- Nature and biodiversity: €155 million. September 19, 2024
- Circular economy and quality of life: €65 million. September 19, 2024
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation: €61.98 million. September 17, 2024
- Transition to clean energy: €4 million. September 19, 2024
In our commitment to green and sustainable transition, Finnova Foundation has participated with great success in more than 30 projects of the European Commission’s LIFE Program, overseeing the following areas:
- Project evaluation, proposal writing and project management and monitoring.
- Communication and dissemination
- New business models
- Governance, legal innovation and legal analysis
- Best practice examples
Do you want to innovate with us for a sustainable future? Contact us and we will help you to make your project a reality.
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova is a Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship at EU level. Based in Brussels, it operates through collaborations and partnerships in all countries of the European Union. Finnova’s expertise in leading European project communication and dissemination activities is combined with a strong proven track record in start-ups and business support programs, such as accelerators, incubators and ceremonial event selection and awarding.