Living labs to enhance soil health in Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions

Overview

Funding for establishing living labs to co-create and implement soil health solutions in the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical regions, targeting land managers, researchers, public authorities, and civil society to enhance soil health monitoring, data sharing, and policy alignment.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of multiple actors, including research institutions, landowners, SMEs, public administrators, and civil society organizations. Proposals must apply the multi-actor approach and involve at least three different eligible countries.

Funding Details

• Maximum grant amount: €12,000,000
• Funding rate: Not specified
• Financial support to third parties: Up to €60,000 per third party (e.g., farmers, SMEs, or civil society) for active involvement in living labs.

What Is Funded

• Establishment of 4–5 living labs in either the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical region, addressing common soil health challenges (e.g., erosion, pollution, organic carbon loss).
• Co-design and implementation of locally adapted soil health solutions (practices, tools, strategies) across agricultural, urban, peri-urban, or (post-)industrial land uses.
• Baseline soil condition assessments, monitoring of soil health improvements, and validation of solutions for technical, economic, and environmental viability.
• Development of lighthouses (exemplary sites for demonstration and training) and strategies for long-term sustainability of living labs.
• Collaboration with existing initiatives (e.g., SOILL, EUSO, SoilWise) and participation in Mission Soil clustering activities.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 7–9 (system prototype demonstration to actual system proven in operational environment).

Key Dates

• Open date: 2026-02-11
• Deadline: 2026-04-13

Application Process (High-Level)

• Two-stage evaluation process.
• Submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Post-Award Obligations

• Collaboration with SOILL and other Mission Soil initiatives for capacity building, knowledge exchange, and monitoring.
• Ensuring FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles for project outputs, with integration into the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).
• Reporting on soil health improvements, solution scalability, and long-term sustainability strategies.

Geographic Scope & Language

• Eligible countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries (Norway, Iceland, UK, Switzerland), and select non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions.
• Application language: English.

Notes

• Proposals must focus exclusively on either the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical region, with the majority of living labs located within the chosen region.
• Excludes proposals where all living labs focus solely on forests or natural/semi-natural lands (dedicated topic available).
• Multi-actor approach mandatory, with emphasis on social sciences, humanities, and arts (SSHA) for social innovation and behavioral change.
• Financial support to third parties allowed to facilitate involvement of smaller actors (e.g., farmers, SMEs).