Angelo Salsi - Head of Unit of the LIFE Programme at EASME – recently spoke about the new look 2020 LIFE call for project proposals.

Regarding how the crisis affected the launch of the 2020 LIFE call for project proposals, he claimed that the COVID-19 crisis did not stop or alter the launch of the call. Even though they are all working remotely, they managed to publish the call on 2 April as planned. 

Clearly they had to take stock of an unprecedented situation and took immediate decisions.  For example, they extended all deadlines by one month. They are not sure if this will be enough time for applicants - it all depends on how the COVID-19 crisis evolves. More decisions will no doubt be taken soon.

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For the very first time, they are also holding one-on-one virtual meetings with potential applicants. They have set up an online system, in which possible applicants can choose who they want to talk with. It could be an NCP, a project advisor or an entity looking for partners.
He thinks they should be able to handle up to 500 bilateral meetings. This is ambitious but he wanted to pre-empt some of the problems that applicants may have. 

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Source: European Commission