It is one of the 225 selected projects

The European Commission has today approved funding for 225 new projects under the LIFE+ programme, the European Union's environment fund. The projects selected were submitted by beneficiaries in all 28 Member States and cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, climate change, environmental policy and information and communication on environmental issues across the EU. Overall, they represent a total investment of some €589.3 million, of which the EU will provide €282.6 million.

The Commission received 1.468 applications in response to its latest call for proposals, which closed in June 2013. Of these, 225 were selected for co-funding through the programme’s three components: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance and LIFE+ Information and Communication.

One of the 225 selected projects is LIFE TRANSFOMEM, project coordinated by IMDEA WATER, which aims to test an innovative and environmentally-friendly recycling process for waste reverse-osmosis desalination membranes, currently landfilled, in order to produce lower pressure ultra-nanofiltration membranes

LIFE TRANSFOMEM is framed in the "LIFE+ Environment Policy & Governance" component: pilot projects that contribute to the development of innovative policy ideas, technologies, methods and instruments. Of the 961 proposals received, the Commission selected 125 projects for funding from a wide range of public and private sector organisations. The winning projects, led by project beneficiaries in 22 Member States, represent a total investment of €318.5 million, of which the EU will provide some €130.8 million.

Under this component, the Commission will contribute more than €41.2 million to 33 projects directly tackling climate change, with a total budget of €109.4 million. The selected projects, situated in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, are highlighted in the annex to this press release. In addition, many other projects focusing on other issues will also have an indirect impact on greenhouse emissions. Other important areas of focus include waste and natural resources, innovation, water, and chemicals.

Background

LIFE+ is the European financial instrument for the environment and has a total budget of €2.1 billion for the period 2007-2013. The Commission launched one call for LIFE+ project proposals per year.