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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To establish and expand a network of living labs focused on soil remediation and green redevelopment of brownfields across Europe, contributing to the EU's "A Soil Deal for Europe" mission and the EU soil strategy for 2030.
Target recipients: Consortia of diverse actors including researchers, land managers, industry, civil society, and public administrations.
Size: Not explicitly limited by size, but includes SMEs and mentions support for smaller actors via FSTP.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Soil health, environmental remediation, urban planning, agriculture, and sustainable development.
Geographic scope: EU Member States and Associated Countries, with living labs located in at least three different countries.
Key filtering criteria: Focus on brownfields, multi-actor approach, international collaboration, alignment with EU soil and green deal strategies.
Grant frequency: Part of the annual Work Programme 2025 under Horizon Europe, suggesting recurring calls.
Program context: Implementation of the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe', building on previous work programs.

Financial Structure

Budget for the call topic HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-01: EUR 12,000,000.
Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 12,000,000.
Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 12,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Funding type: Action Grant (budget-based/mixed actual cost).
Eligible costs: Actual costs, unit costs, flat-rate costs, lump sum costs.
Cost categories include: Personnel costs, subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, accommodation, subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services), financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services (for HE).
Indirect cost policy: Flat-rate of 25% of eligible direct costs (excluding volunteers, subcontracting costs, financial support to third parties, and exempted specific cost categories).
Financial support to third parties (FSTP) is allowed: Maximum amount per third party is EUR 200,000.
In-kind contributions provided by third parties free-of-charge may be declared as eligible direct costs.
Co-financing: EU grants normally require co-financing from beneficiaries' own resources, income generated, or contributions from third parties.
Certificates on Financial Statements (CFS): Required if requested EU contribution to costs is >= EUR 150,000 or >= EUR 325,000, or if estimated budget is >= EUR 200,000 or >= EUR 750,000 (standard thresholds, specific threshold not given).

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Consortia are mandatory, composed of multiple actors including:
Researchers
Farmers, foresters, and representatives of their professional associations
Advisors
Land managers and owners (including urban and spatial planners, decision-makers in public/private domain for land use)
Food and bioeconomy businesses
Consumer associations
Local communities
Educators, cultural and creative industries, artists
Citizens, civil society organizations (including NGOs, youth organisations)
Government representatives
Industry representatives (e.g., SMEs)
Entities can participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors, or recipients of financial support to third parties.

Geographic Location

Living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries.

Project Approach

Must apply the multi-actor approach described in the work programme introduction.
Proposals must be for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient technical and financial resources to carry out the project successfully, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial support to third parties (FSTP) is possible for smaller actors (e.g., land managers, SMEs, civil society) up to EUR 200,000 per third party.

Application Process

Application Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-30.
Submission type: Single-stage submission.
Submission system: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation:
Application form (specific to call, available in Submission System).
Part B of the Application Form (for page limits and layout).
Compliance with Annex A and Annex E of Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (for page limit and layout).
Submission format: Online platform.

Project Implementation

Project duration: Normally four years, but projects should accommodate longer timescales if required for participatory processes or soil processes.
Implementation involves setting up four to five living labs in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries.
Each living lab should involve 10 to 20 sites (fewer possible if justified).
Long-term collaborations required for living labs.

Reporting and Monitoring

Continuous reporting of deliverables via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Periodic reports due 60 days after the end of each reporting period.
Reports on cumulative expenditure (if grant amount is over EUR 5 million and reporting period over 18 months).
Regular reporting of living lab performance to SOILL.
Ensure relevant data, maps, and information are publicly available through the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO).
Data produced must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

Post-Award Requirements

Develop strategies for the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond Horizon Europe funding, including identifying possible business models and funding mixes.
Record-keeping: Maintain records and supporting documents for 5 years after final payment (3 years for grants <= EUR 60,000).
Checks, reviews, audits, and impact evaluations can occur up to 5 years after final payment (3 years for grants <= EUR 60,000).

Evaluation Criteria

General Scoring

Overall threshold for evaluation: 12 points.
Minimum threshold for 'Excellence' criterion: 4 points.

Strategic Alignment and Impact

Contribution to at least one of the three key strategic orientations of the Strategic Plan 2025-2027.
Contribution to long-term impacts: innovative governance, improved soil health monitoring, increased awareness/engagement.
Contribution to Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' objectives (specifically 3, 4, 6, 8 of the implementation plan).
Alignment with European Green Deal ambitions, EU soil strategy for 2030, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Zero Pollution Action Plan, Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, proposed Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU.
Contribution to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
Demonstration of viability (technical, social, economic, cultural, environmental) of proposed solutions.

Project Quality and Methodology

Credible pathways to deliver results by 2030.
Rationale and mechanisms for cooperation across living labs.
Realistic combination of variables (e.g., soil health challenges, pedo-climatic conditions, land uses).
Interdisciplinary, participatory, and multi-actor approach for co-design, co-development, and co-implementation.
Adaptation of solutions to different environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts.
Establishment of a baseline for relevant soil descriptors/indicators for brownfields (using proposed Directive as basis).
Identification of high-performance sites for potential lighthouses.
Strategies for long-term sustainability of living labs (financial, organisational, business models).
Effective contribution of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (SSHA) to foster social innovation, knowledge transfer, socio-cultural, and behavioural change.
Clarity on capabilities, roles, and resources of different actors in living labs.
Integration of existing knowledge (e.g., national soil health monitoring, LUCAS data).
Dedicated tasks and resources for collaboration with relevant projects (SOILL, SoilWise, Mission Soil clustering activities, ESFRI, HE Partnerships, EIP-AGRI).
Route towards open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of knowledge and outputs (FAIR data).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and relevant programme regulations.
Compliance with applicable national law on taxes, labour, and social security.
Adherence to ethical standards and EU values (Article 14, Annex 5 of AGA).
Compliance with data protection and privacy regulations (Article 15, AGA).
Environmental compliance in line with EU soil strategy for 2030, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Zero Pollution Action Plan, and Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.
Leverage findings from the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience for baseline soil indicators.

Project Implementation Standards

Mandatory multi-actor approach (refer to definition in work programme introduction).
Projects must implement the action as described in Annex 1.
Solutions must be adapted to different environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts.
Contribution from Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (SSHA) is expected.

Data and Knowledge Management

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): Adherence to specific rules on IPR, background, results, access rights, and rights of use (Annex 5 of AGA). Open access is expected.
Knowledge and outputs should ensure longevity, sustainability, and interoperability.
Data produced must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) and accessible through EUSO.
Summarise knowledge in "practice abstracts" in the common EIP-AGRI format where applicable.

Collaboration and Synergies

Dedicated tasks and resources for collaboration with SOILL (structure supporting soil health living labs and lighthouses).
Expected to build on existing knowledge and solutions from other Horizon projects.
Engagement in Mission Soil clustering activities.
Cooperation with European research infrastructures (ESFRI), Horizon Europe Partnerships on Agroecology and on Sustainable Food Systems, and local networks like EIP-AGRI operational groups.

Special Considerations

Uniqueness lies in expanding the network of "Mission Soil living labs and lighthouses" by tackling soil remediation and green redevelopment of brownfields in real-life settings.
Emphasis on long-term sustainability for the established living labs beyond the funding period.
Opportunity to contribute directly to the EU's vision of healthy soils by 2050 and the New European Bauhaus initiative (urban regeneration).

Grant Details