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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

To develop an EU Global Soil Footprint framework to track, assess, and reduce the impact of EU demand for bio-based products on global soil health. This involves fostering knowledge, raising awareness, and proposing policy recommendations. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organizations of various types (researchers, land managers, businesses, NGOs, government entities, citizens) forming multi-actor consortia. No specific size limitations for individual entities, but collective capacity is key. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Projects will be led by entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Collaboration with partners from Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and Africa is strongly encouraged for expertise and global impact assessment. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on soil health, bio-based products, global environmental footprint, multi-actor collaboration, and research & innovation (RIA) actions. - Grant frequency and program context: Part of the annual Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically under the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe', building on previous phases and aiming for long-term objectives by 2030.

Financial Structure

  • Funding amounts: Projects under this specific topic are expected to receive 6,000,000.0 EUR.
  • Co-financing requirements: Not explicitly stated in the provided text for this specific grant. General Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) typically fund up to 100% of eligible costs for non-profit organizations and 70% for for-profit organizations.
  • Eligible vs ineligible costs: Not detailed in this specific grant description. For full details, refer to Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
  • Payment schedules: Not specified in the provided text.
  • Financial guarantees: Not specified in the provided text.
  • Tax implications and financial reporting requirements: Refer to EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Structure
  • Eligible for various organization types, including but not limited to: researchers, farmers, foresters, professional associations, advisors, land managers, food and bioeconomy businesses, consumer associations, local communities, educators, cultural and creative industries, citizens, civil society organizations (NGOs), and government representatives.
  • Mandatory: Participation in a 'multi-actor project' consortium, which ensures genuine and sufficient involvement of different actors (essentially the (end-)users of the project results).
  • Consortium must include a balanced choice of relevant key actors who have complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical, etc.).
Geographic Location
  • Organizations must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country to be eligible for funding.
  • Cooperation with partners from non-EU/non-Associated Countries, especially Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and African partners, is highly encouraged. The eligibility for funding of these non-EU/non-Associated Country participants depends on specific provisions in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide (not detailed in this document).
Technical & Capacity Requirements
  • Projects must demonstrate capabilities in developing and testing a robust framework or tool.
  • Expertise in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) related to environmental footprint is required.
  • Capacity for communication, awareness-raising, and dissemination activities is essential.
  • Ability to collaborate with ongoing Mission projects, support structures, and international organizations.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Not specified in the provided text. General Horizon Europe exclusion criteria apply (e.g., related to financial capacity, legal standing, and ethical conduct).

Application Process

Application Timeline
  • Submission window: Opens 2025-05-06.
  • Application deadline: 2025-09-30 00:00:00+00 (This is the latest deadline available for this topic).
  • Evaluation process: Single-stage submission and evaluation process. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission Materials
  • Required documentation: Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) specific to this call, which is available in the Submission System. Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and in Part B of the Application Form.
  • Supporting materials: Proposal content should reflect the multi-actor approach by detailing how the project addresses user needs, the consortium composition, inclusion of tacit knowledge, facilitation of engagement, and a plan for developing ready-to-use knowledge and its dissemination.
Application Process
  • Submission platform: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
  • Procedure: Applicants must confirm their choice of action type and model grant agreement in the submission system, as this choice cannot be changed later.
  • Draft proposals: Existing draft proposals for this topic can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the 'My Proposals' page of the 'My Area' section.
Post-Award & Reporting
  • Project implementation: Projects are expected to establish credible pathways to contribute to the Mission's objectives by 2030.
  • Reporting obligations: Include summarizing knowledge in 'practice abstracts' in the common EIP-AGRI format where applicable. Projects are also expected to actively contribute to the development of the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and liaise closely with the Mission Secretariat.
  • Compliance: Adherence to EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and other specified general conditions.

Evaluation Criteria

Project Relevance and Alignment
  • Contribution to objectives of Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe', particularly its specific objective 7: 'Reduce the EU global footprint on soils'.
  • Alignment with the three key strategic orientations of the Strategic Plan 2025-2027, focusing on long-term impacts related to:
    • Soil health-improving innovative governance, policies, practices, and incentives.
    • Improved and coherent soil health monitoring using cost-efficient techniques, harnessing remote sensing and digital technologies.
    • Awareness and engagement of researchers, land managers, policymakers, and citizens in designing solutions for soil health.
  • Consideration of soil health indicators from the Mission Soil Implementation Plan and soil descriptors in the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience.
Quality of the Project
  • Robustness of the proposed framework/tool to track, assess, and establish a baseline for the global soil footprint of EU demand for bio-based products.
  • Methodological soundness in exploring the positive and negative social, economic, and environmental impacts of improved production systems elsewhere.
  • Credibility of proposed policy recommendations and effective identification of obstacles and incentives for uptake and scale-up.
  • Demonstrated route towards open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of knowledge and outputs through close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and Life Cycle Assessment group.
  • Quality and relevance of communication and awareness-raising activities.
Multi-actor Approach Integration
  • How proposed objectives and planned activities are specifically targeting the needs, problems, challenges, and opportunities of the (end-)users.
  • How the composition of the consortium reflects a balanced choice of relevant key actors with complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical, etc.).
  • Inclusion of existing practices and tacit knowledge, illustrated by a sufficient number of high-quality knowledge exchange activities.
  • Effective facilitation of the multi-actor engagement process using appropriate methods and expertise.
  • Development of practical and ready-to-use knowledge, approaches, tools, or products that are easily understandable and freely accessible.
  • Plan for how results and outputs ready for practice will feed into the existing dissemination channels most consulted by (end-)users across countries and regions.
Impact Potential
  • Expected significant contribution to: improved access to knowledge and data for policymakers and stakeholders; enhanced recognition and comprehension by businesses, stakeholders, and citizens; and accelerated uptake of integrated innovative approaches.
  • Potential to mobilize other resources and actors where relevant and possible.
  • Expected contribution to relevant EU policies and international commitments (e.g., Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, Common Agricultural Policy).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance
  • General conditions: Projects must adhere to general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, covering aspects like admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria.
  • Strategic alignment: Projects must align with the EU soil strategy for 2030 and contribute to the implementation of the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience.
  • Ethical standards: The multi-actor approach described is presented as a form of 'responsible research and innovation'.
Data and Intellectual Property
  • Open access: Proposals should demonstrate a route towards open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of knowledge and outputs.
  • Data sharing: Close collaboration is expected with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the Life Cycle Assessment group, ensuring data and knowledge feed into these platforms.
Collaboration and Synergies
  • Mandatory coordination: Projects are required to include dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for coordination measures and joint activities with other relevant projects and initiatives funded under the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe', including engagement with relevant cluster activities.
  • Existing projects: Proposals are explicitly expected to build on and collaborate with ongoing Mission projects and support structures such as SoilWise, the Mission Soil Platform, and the SOLO project (specifically its roadmap on knowledge gaps and opportunities).
  • International cooperation: Expected collaboration with international organizations like UNEP, UNCCD bodies, FAO, and FARA. Synergies with SCAR-ARCH and Agricultural Research for Development are also encouraged.
Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities
  • Global focus: This topic specifically addresses the global footprint of EU demand for bio-based products on soils worldwide, necessitating an international perspective and cooperation.
  • Co-creation: Strong emphasis on the 'multi-actor approach' which involves a co-creation process, integrating scientific knowledge with practical and local knowledge from diverse stakeholders.
  • Policy influence: A key objective is to bring forward policy recommendations, offering a direct opportunity to influence future EU policy on soil monitoring and resilience.
  • Targeted international partnerships: Encouragement for involvement of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) and African partners aligns with specific EU international cooperation agendas (e.g., EU-CELAC Action Plan on Science, Technology and Innovation).

Grant Details

soil health soil management soil degradation global footprint bio-based products life cycle assessment lca environmental impact policy recommendations multi-actor approach research and innovation eu soil strategy soil monitoring sustainable development goals sdgs agriculture forestry bioeconomy land management digital technologies earth observation international cooperation latin america caribbean africa unccd fao unep soil biodiversity soil conservation soil science
EU global footprint on soils
HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-05
Horizon Europe
SME NGO PUBLIC UNIVERSITY OTHER
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE
AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY OTHER
DEVELOPMENT OTHER
OTHER
SDG2 SDG6 SDG12 SDG13 SDG15
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY_BUILDING PILOT_PROJECTS INNOVATION_COMMERCIALIZATION NETWORKING
73000000.00
6000000.00
6000000.00
EUR
None
Sept. 30, 2025, midnight
None