Living labs to enhance soil health in Continental, Black Sea, Pannonian and Steppic biogeographical regions

Di cosa tratta questo bando?

The call funds research and innovation projects that set up four to five soil health living labs in the Continental region or in the Black Sea, Pannonian and Steppic regions. Researchers, land managers, businesses, public bodies and civil society co-create and test solutions in real sites.

Cosa finanzia questo bando?

Scope

The topic expands the Mission Soil network towards 100 living labs and lighthouses by 2030. Soil health living labs are long-term collaborations between multiple actors that tackle shared soil health challenges in real-life sites, usually 10 to 20 sites per lab, across agricultural, urban, industrial, forest or natural land. Each project supports four to five living labs, mostly in its chosen focus: either the Continental biogeographical region, or one or more of the Black Sea, Pannonian and Steppic regions.

Proposals should

• Co-design, co-develop and co-implement locally adapted solutions through an interdisciplinary, participatory and multi-actor approach.
• Establish a soil baseline for each living lab and monitor soil health, using the indicators of the proposed Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive as a basis.
• Assess the technical, social, economic, cultural and environmental viability of solutions and their scalability.
• Identify high-performing sites that may become lighthouses, working with SOILL.
• Propose financial and organisational strategies to keep the living labs running after the funding ends.
• Make data FAIR and available through the EU Soil Observatory, and take part in Mission Soil clustering.

Support for small actors

Financial support to third parties can help farmers, landowners, SMEs or civil society take part, for example for site management, monitoring, data collection or compensation for loss of production.

Expected outcomes

Stronger participatory research capacity, better soil monitoring and data, more practical knowledge for land managers and better-informed soil policy.

Quando scade il bando?

8 aprile 2027 (153 giorni)

Two-stage call: first-stage deadline 8 April 2027; second-stage deadline 14 September 2027.