The Mission Soil will put in place a network of 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses in rural and urban areas by 2030 to support the transition towards healthy soils. Living Labs and Lighthouses play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices by users and in fostering the development of solutions tailored to specific local conditions.
Mission Soil Living Labs are user-centred, place-based and transdisciplinary research and innovation ecosystems that involve multiple partners (e.g., land managers, scientists, citizens, businesses, and local authorities) to co-design, test, monitor and evaluate solutions in real-life settings for improving soil health.
Mission Soil Living Labs involve partners from different backgrounds, disciplines and/or sectors and are composed of several sites. The number of sites will depend on the specific context (e.g., the land use(s) and the soil health challenge(s) addressed by the Living Labs). By working together on themes of common interest, the various partners involved in the sites will be able to replicate actions and solutions, compare results, exchange good practices, validate methodologies and benefit from cross-fertilisation within a local/regional setting.
Two topics to fund Living Labs were included in the call for proposals of the Work Programme 2023, which closed on 20 September 2023. Flash information about the results is available on the Funding & tenders (europa.eu) portal.
The Work Programme 2024, published on 17 April 2024, includes two further calls for proposals funding the creation and establishment of Living Labs: HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01-01: Co-creating solutions for soil health in Living Labs and HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01-02: Living Labs in urban areas for healthy soils. The calls for proposals will be open for submission between 8 May and 8 October 2024.
To help you with the preparation of your application, the Mission-funded project NATI00NS is organising engagement events, webinars, coaching sessions as well as providing information and capacity-building material. More information about relevant events and how to register can be found on the NATI00NS website. Applicants are also encouraged to engage with the SOILL-Startup project, the dedicated 'Living Lab Support Structure,' to receive tailored advice and support in the day-to-day operations.
Related links:
Funding & Tender Portal: HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01-02: Living Labs in urban areas for healthy soils
Living Labs Webinars | NATI00NS