InCL-U-DE

Project title

Integration through Capacity Building of the LIFE Programme for Ukraine’s Durable Engagement

Acronym

InCL-U-DE

Project number

101234369

Funding programme

Programme for the Environment and Climate Action – LIFE

Call

LIFE-2025-TA-CAP

Project duration

36 months

Start date

1 June 2026

Project coordinator

Lviv Polytechnic National University

Partner

All-Ukrainian Ecological League

Associated partner

Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine

The InCL-U-DE project aims to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to participate effectively in the LIFE Programme, which funds projects in environmental protection, climate policy, biodiversity conservation, the circular economy, sustainable resource use and green transformation. InCL-U-DE seeks to establish lasting institutional, informational, educational and advisory mechanisms for more active engagement of Ukrainian organisations in the LIFE Programme.

The essence of the project lies in creating a comprehensive support system in Ukraine for potential LIFE Programme participants: raising awareness of funding opportunities, providing a full support cycle from awareness-raising and training to consultations, partner search, preparation of high-quality project proposals, and aligning Ukraine’s national environmental and climate priorities with the goals of the LIFE Programme.

Within the project, a bilingual information and educational platform LIFE:UA will be created. It will contain information about the LIFE Programme, current calls, a database of successful projects involving Ukraine, training materials, online courses, application guidance, and an AI-based partner-search tool. A LIFE:UA Hub will also be established as a national information and consultation centre providing methodological support, advice and mentoring to potential applicants.

The project also includes national forums, regional roundtables, webinars, information days, training workshops, summer schools and expert consultations. A separate work stream focuses on analysing Ukraine’s national environmental and climate priorities and preparing recommendations for their alignment with the LIFE Programme’s goals.

The goal of the project is to activate a more sustainable, systemic and effective participation of Ukrainian organisations in the LIFE Programme through awareness-raising, institutional capacity-building, the creation of information and advisory infrastructure, and improving the quality of project applications from Ukraine.

The project aims to make the LIFE Programme more understandable, accessible and practically useful for Ukrainian public authorities, civil society organisations, research and educational institutions, municipalities, professional associations and other potential applicants.

The project pursues the following key objectives:

1. Promoting the LIFE Programme in Ukraine – raising awareness of the Programme’s opportunities for environmental protection, climate adaptation, the resource-efficient economy, biodiversity and improving living conditions.
2. Increasing the effectiveness of Ukraine’s participation in the LIFE Programme – providing potential applicants with training, information and methodological materials on preparing and implementing LIFE projects.
3. Increasing the quantity and quality of Ukrainian applications – providing consultations, training and practical support for preparing competitive project proposals.
4. Creating a sustainable LIFE:UA information resource – building a permanently operating bilingual platform in Ukrainian and English.
5. Aligning Ukraine’s national priorities with the goals of the LIFE Programme – analysing Ukraine’s environmental and climate policies and preparing recommendations for adapting them to the logic and priorities of LIFE.

The project is expected to deliver:

• launch of the bilingual LIFE:UA platform;
• creation of a database of successful LIFE projects involving Ukraine;
• deployment of an AI tool for finding potential partners;
• establishment and operation of the LIFE:UA Hub;
• delivery of national forums, regional roundtables, information days, webinars, workshops and summer schools;
• preparation of training materials, online courses, video content and methodological guidelines;
• increased awareness of Ukrainian organisations about the LIFE Programme;
• more high-quality project applications from Ukrainian organisations;
• recommendations for aligning Ukraine’s national environmental and climate priorities with the goals of the LIFE Programme;
• strengthened institutional capacity of Ukraine for long-term participation in the LIFE Programme.

Key milestone results include the launch of the web platform, deployment of the AI partner-search tool, establishment of the LIFE:UA Hub, completion of training materials, delivery of summer schools and workshops, preparation of a needs assessment, and development of recommendations for aligning national priorities.

InCL-U-DE is implemented by a consortium of Ukrainian organisations, each with a distinct and complementary role. This structure combines managerial, educational, scientific, expert, communication and institutional capacity to strengthen Ukraine’s engagement in the LIFE Programme.

6.1. Lviv Polytechnic National University

Lviv Polytechnic National University is the project coordinator and is responsible for overall management, coordination of partner activities, monitoring of tasks, financial management, internal consortium communication, quality control and reporting to the donor. Within the project, Lviv Polytechnic provides the methodological, managerial, educational and technological foundation for the key activities. The university coordinates work packages on project management, the development of the information and educational platform, communication campaigns and educational events.

Two structural units of Lviv Polytechnic are involved in the project:

1. Lviv Polytechnic Project Office is responsible for the administrative, financial and communication management of the project. Its tasks include coordinating the consortium, monitoring work-package implementation, budget management, reporting, project documentation, risk management and ensuring compliance with the Grant Agreement. The Project Office also develops and launches the LIFE:UA web platform, prepares part of the training materials, supports the communication channels, and organises online courses, workshops and grant-management events.
2. Department of Ecology and Sustainable Environmental Management of Lviv Polytechnic provides the scientific and expert component of the project in the areas of ecology, climate policy, sustainable development and environmental protection. The department contributes to the content of training and communication materials, organises webinars, seminars, regional roundtables and summer schools. It also provides scientific support for the analysis of Ukraine’s national environmental and climate priorities and their alignment with the LIFE Programme.

Thus, Lviv Polytechnic acts as the coordinator, methodological centre, educational provider, digital infrastructure developer and scientific-expert partner of the project.

6.2. All-Ukrainian Ecological League

The All-Ukrainian Ecological League is a key partner that ensures the project’s connection with civil society, the environmental expert community and regional stakeholders across Ukraine. The organisation has an extensive network of regional branches and significant experience in environmental education, civic engagement, environmental policy and sustainable-development advocacy.

Within the project, the All-Ukrainian Ecological League is responsible for mobilising a wide range of stakeholders, engaging environmental experts, representatives of civil society organisations, local authorities, academic institutions and professional associations in project activities. It contributes to organising national forums, regional roundtables, webinars, seminars, summer schools, information events and training activities.

Particularly important is the League’s role in establishing and operating the LIFE:UA Hub. The Hub will serve as the central information and consultation centre for Ukrainian organisations planning to take part in the LIFE Programme. Through the LIFE:UA Hub, potential applicants will receive consultations, methodological support, information about calls, recommendations for preparing applications and partnering opportunities.

The All-Ukrainian Ecological League also leads the work package on the analysis of national priorities for the implementation and impact of the LIFE Programme in Ukraine. In this area, the organisation coordinates the needs assessment, the analysis of how Ukraine’s environmental and climate policies match LIFE priorities, and the preparation of recommendations for better alignment.

The All-Ukrainian Ecological League therefore acts as the civic, expert and regional partner of the project, responsible for stakeholder engagement, the functioning of the LIFE:UA Hub, expert support for events and the analysis of national environmental priorities.

6.3. Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine

The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine participates in the project as an associated partner, without receiving EU grant funding and without financial responsibility under the Grant Agreement. Its participation is of major institutional importance, as the Ministry links the project to Ukraine’s state policy in the fields of environment, climate, green transformation, European integration and the implementation of Ukraine’s international commitments within the LIFE Programme.

The Ministry’s role is to provide institutional, expert and advisory support. It takes part in preparing and holding national forums dedicated to the LIFE Programme in the context of Ukraine’s national environmental priorities and European integration commitments. The Ministry also informs participants about state policy on climate adaptation, nature protection, biodiversity conservation, the circular economy, the use of European environmental financial instruments and support for green transformation.

A separate area of involvement is advisory support for defining the functionality of the LIFE:UA information and educational platform, the partner database, priorities for Ukrainian organisations’ participation in the LIFE Programme and the national LIFE:UA Hub. The Ministry also provides expert consultations during the analysis of Ukraine’s national environmental and climate priorities and their alignment with the LIFE Programme.

The Ministry therefore acts as the institutional and policy-expert partner of the project, ensuring alignment of project activities with state priorities, supporting the integration of project results into the national policy context and reinforcing the sustainability of results beyond the funding period.

The InCL-U-DE project is of strategic importance for Ukraine, as it helps transform participation in the LIFE Programme from isolated initiatives into a systemic process. It builds the infrastructure that will enable Ukrainian organisations to better understand LIFE opportunities, find partners, prepare quality applications and implement projects addressing environmental and climate challenges.

In a broader context, the project supports Ukraine’s European integration, contributes to bringing national policy closer to EU standards, and strengthens the capacity of communities, universities, public authorities and civil society organisations to work with European financial instruments.