Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to establish and expand a network of living labs in specific European biogeographical regions (Continental, Boreal, Alpine). The aim is to drive the transition towards healthy soils by co-creating and implementing localized soil health solutions.
This grant targets consortia comprising diverse actors, including researchers, land managers (such as farmers and foresters), Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), public authorities, and civil society. The emphasis is on a multi-actor approach, involving various types of organizations and individuals.
This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on soil health, agriculture, and environmental management.
The geographic scope is Europe, specifically focusing on the Continental, Boreal, or Alpine biogeographical regions. Proposals must center on one of these regions, ensuring the majority of their living labs are located there. Furthermore, living labs must be situated in at least three different EU Member States and/or Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria for this grant include a clear focus on soil health, the mandatory application of a multi-actor approach, location within the specified European biogeographical regions, and involvement of participants from multiple EU/Associated countries.
This grant is part of the ongoing 'Mission A Soil Deal for Europe' Work Programme, indicating it is a recurring opportunity building on previous years' efforts.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of grants, specifically categorized as Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) under Horizon Europe.
The maximum grant amount allocated per project is EUR 12,000,000.
The minimum grant amount allocated per project is EUR 12,000,000.
The total budget allocated for this specific topic is EUR 36,000,000.
Beneficiaries have the option to provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). This is intended to facilitate the active involvement of smaller actors, such as land managers, farmers, SMEs, or civil society organizations.
The maximum amount that can be granted to each third party via FSTP is EUR 60,000.
FSTP can be disbursed through calls for proposals or, if adequately justified, directly without a call.
Detailed policies regarding indirect costs and other financial aspects are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Types

Consortia must include a balanced selection of relevant key actors with complementary types of knowledge, encompassing both scientific and practical expertise.
Eligible participants include, but are not limited to: researchers, farmers, foresters and their professional associations, advisors, land managers and owners, spatial planners, food and bioeconomy businesses, consumer associations, local communities, educators, artists, citizens, civil society organizations (including NGOs), and government representatives.
SMEs are explicitly mentioned as potential recipients of financial support to third parties, indicating their eligibility for involvement.
Public administrations at national, regional, and local levels are also explicitly encouraged to participate.

Geographic Location

Proposals must exclusively focus on one of three specific biogeographical regions: Continental, Boreal, or Alpine.
The majority of the proposed living labs within each project must be physically located within the chosen biogeographical region.
Living labs established under the project must be situated in a minimum of three different EU Member States and/or Associated Countries.

Project Type

All proposals must strictly adhere to the multi-actor approach, as defined within the grant's specific work programme documentation.
The project must ensure the genuine and sufficient involvement of (end-)users and practitioners across all phases of the project, from initial concept and planning through implementation, dissemination, and potential exploitation of results.
Projects whose sole focus is on brownfield areas are excluded from this specific topic, as a separate, dedicated grant topic exists for that purpose (HORIZON-MISS-2025-SOIL-01-02).

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants are required to meet specific financial and operational capacity criteria. These criteria are detailed in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Formal Criteria

All proposals must strictly conform to the stipulated page limits and layout guidelines. These are outlined in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, as well as in Part B of the Application Form.

Application Process

This call operates under a two-stage submission model.
The deadline for Stage 1 applications is 2025-09-04 00:00:00+0000.
The latest deadline for Stage 2 applications is 2026-02-18 00:00:00+0000.
The specific application forms and templates required for submission are accessible via the dedicated Submission System.
Evaluation forms, with necessary adaptations, will be utilized during the assessment process.

Required Documentation and Materials

All proposals must adhere strictly to the specified page limits and layout guidelines. These are detailed in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, as well as in Part B of the Application Form.
Applicants will use standard application forms for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (HE RIA, IA).

Project Implementation

While projects typically run for four years, the proposed duration of projects under this grant should be flexible enough to accommodate the longer timescales often required for establishing participatory processes and for natural soil processes to occur.
Projects must allocate dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for collaboration with SOILL, which is the specialized structure established to support soil health living labs and lighthouses.
Proposals must include specific tasks and allocate resources for active collaboration with relevant existing projects and initiatives. This includes engaging in Mission Soil clustering activities to ensure synergies and avoid duplication.
Projects are expected to leverage existing knowledge and data, such as national soil health monitoring data and LUCAS data, as well as solutions developed and tested in other Horizon projects, including those funded under the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe'.

Reporting Obligations

Regular reporting on the performance of the living labs to SOILL is required throughout the project duration.
Data generated by the project must adhere to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Relevant data, maps, and other information should be made publicly available, where possible, through the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and in collaboration with the SoilWise project.
Where applicable, knowledge generated must be summarized in 'practice abstracts' following the common EIP-AGRI format to ensure wide dissemination to end-users.

Evaluation Criteria

General Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on specific award criteria, scoring methodologies, and thresholds. These are detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
For the second stage evaluation, an overall threshold of 12 points is required. Additionally, a minimum threshold of 4 points must be achieved specifically for the 'Excellence' criterion.

Biogeographical Coverage

To ensure equitable coverage across the three target biogeographical regions (Continental, Boreal, and Alpine), grants will be awarded not solely based on ranking. At least one project focusing on each of the mentioned biogeographical regions will be selected, provided these proposals meet all established thresholds.

Multi-Actor Approach Integration

Proposals must provide a clear and comprehensive description of:
- How the proposed objectives and planned activities directly address the identified needs, problems, challenges, and opportunities of the (end-)users.
- How the composition of the consortium reflects a balanced selection of relevant key actors, demonstrating complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical, etc.), to ensure the delivery of results ready for practical application.
- How existing practices and tacit knowledge will be integrated into the project. This must be demonstrated through a sufficient number of high-quality knowledge exchange activities, clearly outlining the precise and active roles of non-scientific actors in the work.
- How the multi-actor engagement process will be effectively facilitated, utilizing appropriate methods and expertise.
- How practical, ready-to-use knowledge, approaches, tools, or products will be developed in an easily understandable and freely accessible format.

Impact and Contribution

Proposals must outline credible pathways demonstrating their contribution to at least one of the three key strategic orientations of the Strategic Plan 2025-2027. More specifically, they must contribute to the following long-term impacts of the Mission Soil:
- The implementation of improved soil health governance, policies, practices, and incentives that integrate environmental, social, economic, regulatory, and cultural factors, particularly at regional and local levels.
- The adoption of improved and coherent soil health monitoring by land managers, researchers, and Member States, utilizing cost-efficient techniques including remote sensing and digital technologies.
- Increased awareness among researchers, land managers, policymakers, and citizens regarding soil health issues, leading to their engagement in designing solutions.
Projects are expected to contribute to specific objectives 1 to 8 of the Mission Soil, such as reducing land degradation, increasing soil organic carbon, mitigating soil pollution, preventing erosion, improving soil structure, reducing the EU's global footprint on soils, and enhancing soil literacy within society.
Proposals should align with the ambitions and targets of the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU soil strategy for 2030, the proposed Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, and contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 15 (Life on land) and 3 (Good health and well-being).

Technical Approach and Methodology

Each proposal should support the establishment of four to five living labs at a regional or local level within the selected biogeographical region.
An interdisciplinary, participatory, and multi-actor approach must be established within the living labs for co-designing, co-developing, and co-implementing locally adapted soil health solutions.
A baseline of current soil conditions must be established for each living lab. This should utilize the set of soil health indicators/descriptors presented in the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience as a foundation, with the option to complement with additional indicators based on specific challenges, conditions, or land use.
Projects must monitor and evaluate the effects of the proposed solutions on soil health and associated ecosystem services, demonstrating their technical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental viability, as well as their scalability and transferability to different contexts.
Proposals should identify sites that exhibit high performance and have the potential to be converted into 'lighthouses' (exemplary demonstration sites).
Strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond the Horizon Europe funding period must be proposed. These strategies should include identifying potential business models and actions involving a mix of public or private funding schemes, financial instruments, cooperation with local authorities, and engagement with social economy entities, SMEs, investors, and entrepreneurs.
An effective contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities and the Arts (SSHA) is expected to foster social innovation, facilitate knowledge transfer, and encourage socio-cultural and behavioural change.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must ensure compliance with relevant EU policies and international commitments, including but not limited to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the UN Convention on Biodiversity, the Long-term Vision for the EU's rural areas, and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Specific adherence to the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience is required, particularly concerning the use of its defined soil health indicators.

Ethical Standards

The grant explicitly states that the multi-actor approach constitutes a form of responsible research and innovation, emphasizing ethical considerations in research design and implementation.
Compliance with financial and operational capacity criteria and exclusion rules, as detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes, is mandatory.

Data Management

Projects are required to ensure open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of all generated knowledge and outputs.
Close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the SoilWise project is expected to facilitate data integration and dissemination.
All data produced within the project must conform to the FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property policies and guidelines are outlined in the Model Grant Agreements (MGA) and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Special Considerations

Biogeographical Focus: Proposals are uniquely required to specify and primarily locate their living labs within one of the three designated biogeographical regions: Continental, Boreal, or Alpine. This ensures targeted regional impact.
Multi-Actor Approach (Mandatory): This grant strictly mandates the multi-actor approach, requiring the genuine and active involvement of diverse stakeholders, including (end-)users and practitioners, throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Living Lab Setup: Each successful proposal is expected to establish and operate four to five distinct living labs as part of its project implementation.
Lighthouses: Projects are encouraged to identify and develop sites that demonstrate exemplary performance in soil health improvement. These sites can then serve as 'lighthouses' for demonstration, training, and communication.
Long-term Sustainability: A crucial aspect of the proposal is to present robust strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability and continued operation of the established living labs beyond the period of Horizon Europe funding. This includes exploring various business models and funding mechanisms.
SSHA Integration: An effective and meaningful contribution from Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts (SSHA) is expected. This integration aims to foster social innovation, facilitate knowledge transfer, and drive socio-cultural and behavioural change related to soil health.
Collaboration Requirements: Projects are mandated to collaborate actively with SOILL (the support structure for soil health living labs), other ongoing Horizon projects, relevant European research infrastructures (ESFRI), and local networks such as EIP-AGRI operational groups.
Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP): The grant allows for providing financial support to third parties, enabling the active participation of smaller actors. The maximum amount for FSTP per third party is EUR 60,000.

Grant Details