Living labs to enhance soil health in managed forests and in natural/semi-natural lands

Overview

Funding for establishing living labs to co-create and implement soil health solutions in managed forests or natural/semi-natural lands, targeting researchers, land managers, public authorities, and civil society to enhance soil monitoring, data standardization, and policy-informed practices.

Who Can Apply

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

Funding Details

• Maximum grant amount: €12,000,000
• Financial support to third parties (e.g., land managers, SMEs) is permitted, with a maximum of €60,000 per third party.

What Is Funded

• Establishment of 4–5 living labs per proposal, each comprising 10–20 sites (exceptionally fewer), addressing shared soil health challenges in either managed forests or natural/semi-natural lands.
• Co-design and implementation of locally adapted soil health solutions, including monitoring, baseline assessments, and scalability testing.
• Collaboration with existing initiatives (e.g., SOILL, EUSO, SoilWise) to ensure data interoperability and long-term sustainability.
• Development of lighthouses (exemplary sites) for demonstration, training, and communication.
• Strategies for financial and operational sustainability beyond Horizon Europe funding.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• Target Technology Readiness Levels (TRL): 7–9.

Key Dates

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

Application Process (High-Level)

Two-stage evaluation process. Proposals must first pass an initial threshold (minimum 4/5 for ‘Excellence’), followed by a full evaluation with an overall threshold of 12/15. Applications are submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Post-Award Obligations

• Collaboration with SOILL for monitoring, capacity building, and lighthouse assessment.
• Ensuring FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles and integration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).
• Reporting on soil health improvements, solution viability, and scalability.

Geographic Scope & Language

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

Notes

• Proposals must focus exclusively on either managed forests or natural/semi-natural lands.
• Living labs must be located in at least three different eligible countries.
• Preference for balanced coverage of both land types in the funded portfolio.