Representatives of ACSI NGO at the info session on preparing applications for LIFE Calls 2026
On September 3, 2026, the head of the Lviv Polytechnic Project Office and chair of ACSI, Nazariy Andrushchak, moderated an info session on the LIFE Programme and delivered a talk on the structure, logic, and document package of a project application.
On September 3, 2026, the National University “Lviv Polytechnic” hosted the second info session “The LIFE Programme: practical aspects of application preparation and experience of successful projects.” The event was held in a hybrid format within the LIFE25-CAP-UA-InCL-U-DE project, which aims to build the capacity of Ukrainian organizations to participate in the EU Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE).
The session was moderated, with the opening talk delivered, by Nazariy Andrushchak – PhD in Engineering, associate professor, head of the Project Office of the National University “Lviv Polytechnic” and chair of the NGO “Academic Support for Innovation.”
Around 50 people took part in the session, including representatives of government bodies and local self-government, higher education institutions and research organizations, NGOs, enterprises, municipal utilities, and nature conservation areas.
Talk “Preparing an application for LIFE Calls 2026: structure, logic, and document package”
Nazariy Andrushchak’s talk focused on systematizing the requirements for a project proposal. He showed how the application content maps to the evaluation criteria. The central thesis of the talk was that a LIFE application is not a description of a project, but a structured answer to the evaluator’s questions in the exact order in which they are asked. The talk was organized into six thematic blocks.
- Block 1. Structure of the application package – its mandatory components: Part A administrative forms, the Part B technical description, Part C key performance indicators, the detailed budget table, and participant data, with special emphasis on consistency of data across all parts of the application.
- Block 2. Logic of the project proposal – the “problem – objectives – actions – results – impact” chain, where each link must trace back to the previous one, as well as the structure of work packages: activities, deliverables, milestones, and participant effort.
- Block 3. Part B sections and the evaluation criteria – Relevance, Impact, Quality, and Resources. Each criterion is scored up to 20 points with a minimum threshold of 10; Impact carries a weighting factor of 1.5, and the weighted pass mark is 55 out of 90. Five bonus criteria can raise the score to 100.
- Block 4. The document package and submission procedure – working with call documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal, the structure of the detailed budget table, technical submission requirements, and the admissibility and eligibility checks an application passes before expert evaluation.
- Block 5. Requirements for applicants and partners – participant eligibility criteria, Participant Register registration, operational and financial capacity, co-funding conditions, the roles of consortium members, and consortium composition requirements.
- Block 6. Common mistakes in application preparation – choosing more than two subtopics, altering the template structure, missing indicator baselines, inconsistencies in budget data, replacing demonstration actions with research ones, and submitting in the final hours before the deadline. The talk concluded with a seven-step application preparation algorithm and a pre-submission checklist.
Budgeting and practical experience in the LIFE Programme
Budgeting for LIFE projects was covered by Olha Kots, PhD in Economics, associate professor at the Department of Finance of the National University “Lviv Polytechnic” and board member of the NGO “AKSI.” Her talk addressed cost categories, approaches to budget building, the link between the budget and the work plan, as well as co-funding, own contribution, and cost justification.
Volodymyr Vorobei, director of the PPV Economic Development Agency, shared his experience of preparing the LIFE-U-SPRINGBOARD project. He analyzed the stages of shaping the project idea and partnership, the role of partners during application preparation, and the challenges facing a project team.
Yurii Polianskyi, EU projects manager at the Institute of the City, presented successful cases of Ukrainian organizations’ participation in the LIFE Programme. His talk covered the specifics of working in an international consortium, project management, and communication between partners, and offered recommendations for potential applicants.
Discussion and next steps
The info session concluded with a discussion of practical aspects of application preparation. Participants raised questions about assembling the document package, budget planning and own contribution, partner search, and consortium requirements. Particular attention was paid to the LIFE Calls 2026 deadlines, which fall in September.
Further information and training events, as well as consultations for potential applicants, are planned within the LIFE25-CAP-UA-InCL-U-DE project. Information about the project and open calls is available on the project website life-include.eu.
Nazariy Andrushchak’s participation in the event aligns with one of ACSI’s key areas of work – attracting EU funding and spreading knowledge about international grant programs. The organization will announce its next events on its website and social media.
