Living Labs To Enhance Soil Health In Managed Forests And In Natural/semi-natural Lands

Activities under this topic respond directly to the goal of the Mission Soil to set up 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition to healthy soils by 2030 and support the specific objectives of the Mission Soil.

Activities should also contribute to the Common Agricultural Policy, and to meeting the European Green Deal ambitions and targets and more specifically those of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU soil strategy for 2030 and the proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the EU Forest Strategy, as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals^[1].

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• enhanced capacities for participatory, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary R&I to co-create, and co-implement economically viable soil health solutions tailored to managed forests or natural/semi-natural lands;
• improved soil health monitoring and increased availability of high quality, standardized soil data at local and regional levels;
• increased availability of practice-oriented knowledge for land managers and land users, leading to better adoption of effective soil health solutions in diverse contexts;
• policymakers are more informed about local needs regarding soil health, including its drivers, and can use this knowledge to design and implement more effective policies that enhance soil health, while considering the economic sustainability of solutions.

Forests soils play a fundamental role in global environmental protection, by supporting rich biodiversity, preventing soil erosion, regulating floodings, and mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere^[2]. In Europe, forests cover nearly 40% of the total land area, with over 90% classified as managed forests, where human activities such as timber production, habitat management, recreation, etc. take place^[3]. Maintaining and enhancing soil functions in managed forests is essential for ensuring both their productivity and long-term resilience. In this context, developing a sustainable forest bioeconomy is strategically important for Europe’s green transition.

The remaining 5–10% of Europe’s forested land consists of unmanaged or natural forests, such as those within national parks or nature reserves. Monitoring the state of soil health in these natural forests lands as well as in any other natural areas^[4] across Europe, is essential for their conservation as, despite the minimal or absence of human intervention, they remain vulnerable to degradation processes originating from surrounding managed lands and diffuse pollution. Early detection of such risks is critical to allow for prevention and remediation.

The Mission Soil proposes the deployment of living labs as a novel approach to research and innovation in soil health^[5]. Living labs have the potential to facilitate a green transition by involving multiple actors in real-life sites within a local/regional setting to co-create soil health solutions and achieve large-scale impacts on soil health and soil governance.

Projects funded under this topic should deploy a number of living labs to expand and complement the network of soil health living labs initiated in previous Mission Soil topics to gradually establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030^[6].

Soil health living labs are long-term collaborations between multiple actors to address common soil health challenges in real-life sites at local or regional level^[7] (10 to 20 sites in each living lab). Depending on the level at which each living lab operates and the specific context (e.g. land use covered, or soil health challenge addressed), applicants can exceptionally propose living labs with fewer sites. Living labs under this topic can address soil health challenges in or across two land uses: managed forest or natural/semi-natural lands. Individual sites can be park plots, nature reserves parcels, protected areas, etc., where work is carried out and monitored under real-life conditions. Sites that are exemplary in their performance in terms of soil health improvement and serve as places for demonstration of solutions, training and communication are lighthouses. Lighthouse sites can be part of a living lab or be situated outside a living lab. Projects funded under this topic are expected to kick-start a participatory process or build on existing ones. If building on existing processes, the new proposed living labs should complement the existing network of Mission Soil Living Labs and deliver unique results. While on average projects run for around four years, the duration of the projects should accommodate longer timescales required to establish participatory processes and/or for soil processes to take place.

Actors working on common soil health challenge(s) of the selected land use within and across the living labs of the same project, will be able to compare results, exchange good practices, validate methodologies, replicate actions and solutions and benefit from cross-fertilisation, thereby accelerating the transition towards the shared objective of improving soil health.

Proposals should:

• support the establishment of four to five living labs to work together on shared soil health challenge(s) affecting either managed forests or natural/semi-natural types^[8]. Proposals must clearly indicate which of one of these two land types they focus on. Living labs under each proposal should work on common soil health challenge(s) relevant to the selected land type. The living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries. Proposals should explain the rationale and mechanism for cooperation within and across the living labs and how the work undertaken will contribute to one or more of the Mission’s specific objectives¹⁵;
• establish an interdisciplinary, participatory and multi-actor approach in the living labs to co-design, co-develop, and co-implement locally adapted solutions (practices, tools, strategies, etc.) for the common soil health challenge(s) on managed forests or natural/semi-natural soils, taking into account relevant soil health drivers and pressures^[9]. Proposed solutions should be adapted to the different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts in which the living labs are operating;
• establish for each living lab a baseline of the soil conditions to allow for an accurate co-assessment of the changes in the different sites over time. Monitor improvements on soil health and related ecosystem services. The set of soil health indicators/descriptors presented in the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience should be used as a basis. Proposals may complement with additional indicators tailored to the addressed soil health challenge(s), pedoclimatic conditions, and other local/regional factors within the chosen land use;
• assess and demonstrate their technical, social, economic, cultural and environmental viability of the proposed solutions, as well as their potential scalability and transferability to diverse contexts;
• identify high performing sites that may be converted into lighthouses, either at proposal stage or later, during the project implementation. Engage with SOILL^[10] project to assess the growth and development of these lighthouses and to support the establishment of a labelling process that could formally recognize these exemplary sites as lighthouses;
• propose strategies (e.g., financial, organisational) to ensure the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond the Horizon Europe funding. Strategies should include the identification of possible business models and actions involving a mix of public or private funding schemes, financial instruments, cooperation with local authorities, engagement of social economy entities, social enterprises, business communities, SMEs, as well as attracting investors and entrepreneurs.

In line with the nature of living labs, projects must adopt the multi-actor approach. The actors involved in each living lab may vary, based on its unique characteristics and may include, among others, researchers, landowners or land managers, foresters, industry representatives (e.g., SMEs), public administrators and civil society representatives (e.g., consumers, residents, environmental NGOs, youth or other community organisations). Care should be taken to describe the capabilities, roles and resources of the different actors involved in the living labs. An effective contribution of social sciences and humanities and the arts (SSHA) is expected to foster social innovation, knowledge transfer and socio-cultural and behavioural change.

To encourage and facilitate the involvement of different types of actors in the living labs, applicants are reminded of the different types of participation possible under Horizon Europe. This includes not only beneficiaries (or their affiliated entities) but also associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors, and recipients of financial support to third parties. Financial support to third parties (FSTP) to facilitate active involvement of small actors (e.g. land managers and landowners such as farmers, foresters, SMEs or civil society) in the living labs of a project, can be provided through calls, or, if duly justified, without a call for proposals. The type of activities that could be funded are for example, those related to site management or implementation or monitoring of soil health solutions including hourly rates for collection of data, sampling or participating in events, knowledge exchange, capacity building or demonstration and awareness initiatives equipment; equipment; and/or compensation for loss of production. Applicants are advised to consult the standard conditions set out in Annex B of the General Annexes including those that apply to FSTP.

Dedicated tasks and appropriate resources should be envisaged to collaborate with SOILL, the structure created to support soil health living labs and lighthouses with a wide range of actions that include dedicated capacity building, knowledge exchange, promotion, dissemination, networking opportunities, regular monitoring activities on living labs performance and lighthouses growth assessment. The details of the collaboration will be further defined during the grant agreement preparation phase.

Proposals are expected to build on existing knowledge (e.g. data from national soil health monitoring, LUCAS) and solutions developed and tested at national scale or in the frame of other Horizon projects including those funded under the Mission Soil. Proposals should therefore include dedicated tasks, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with relevant projects and initiatives carrying out relevant activities under other initiatives in Horizon Europe, including those funded under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06: Improving grassland management in European livestock farming systems and topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-01-two-stage: Living labs co-creating innovative solutions for forests and freshwater ecosystems restoration. Proposals are also encouraged to engage in relevant Mission Soil clustering activities and to cooperate with the Horizon Europe Partnerships on Forests and/or relevant networks active at local level, such as the EIP-AGRI operational groups to promote the involvement of key local stakeholders. Lastly, proposals should consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures (ESFRI).

Proposals should demonstrate a route towards open access, longevity, sustainability and interoperability of knowledge and outputs through close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the project SoilWise. In particular, proposals should ensure that relevant data, maps and information can potentially be available publicly through the EUSO. Concrete efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of the funded project is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

To ensure that both land types are covered (managed forests and natural/semi-natural), grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but also to at least one project focusing on each of these two land types, provided that proposals attain all thresholds.

[1] In particular SDG 3- Good health and well-being, and SDG 15 – Life on Land.

[2] Soil benefits - HoliSoils

[3] Home Forest Europe - FOREST EUROPE

[4] Directive - 92/43 - EN - Habitats Directive - EUR-Lex

[5] Implementation Plans for the EU Missions - European Commission

[6] Catalogue 2024 - Mission Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses| Mission Soil Platform

[7] In this topic, it is recommended to define the living labs location using the NUTS2 division (Eurostat Statistical Atlas ; Regulation - 1059/2003 - EN - EUR-Lex).

[8] An ecosystem with most of its processes and biodiversity intact, though altered by human activity in strength or abundance relative to the natural state (IPBES)

[9] Soil Needs and Drivers of Change Across Europe and Land Use Types - Booklet from PREPSOIL project

[10] www.soill2030.eu/about-us