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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Broadening the living labs approach for soil health in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). - Target recipient type and size: Primarily consortia of diverse actors, including research organizations, land managers, civil society organizations (CSOs), SMEs, and local communities. Open to various organizational sizes. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Projects must establish participatory initiatives in at least 5 to 6 countries within the chosen region. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on soil health, mandatory multi-actor approach, strict geographic focus on Africa/LAC, and organizational eligibility based on country establishment. - Grant frequency and program context: Part of the 'A Soil Deal for Europe' Mission's 2025 Work Programme, building on previous calls. This is a recurring opportunity within the Mission's timeframe (until 2030).

Financial Structure

Total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-02-two-stage) for 2025: EUR 12,000,000.
Expected number of grants awarded under this topic: 2.
Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 6,000,000.
Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 6,000,000.
Currency for all financial amounts: EUR.
Financial support to third parties (FSTP): Mandatory. The grant requires applicants to provide financial support to third parties, exclusively in the form of grants.
Maximum FSTP amount to be granted to each individual third party: EUR 300,000.
Minimum FSTP allocation: At least 60% of the total requested EU contribution for the project must be allocated for providing financial support to third parties.
Eligible FSTP recipients: The group of actors involved in the participatory activities in each initiative, which may include, for example, research organizations, land-managers, start-ups, SMEs, civil society organizations, and/or other interdisciplinary actors.
Financial sustainability expectations: Projects should ensure long-term ambition, continuity, and sustainability of established mechanisms beyond Horizon Europe funding, including by attracting other funding and identifying possible business models.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types and Legal Status

Eligible organizations: Any legal entity established in an African Union (AU) member state or a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) member state.
International organizations: Exceptionally eligible for funding if headquartered in an EU Member State, an Associated Country, an African Union member state, or a CELAC member state.
Consortium requirement: Mandatory 'multi-actor approach'. The consortium must include a balanced choice of relevant key actors who have complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical).

Geographic and Capacity

Geographic eligibility: Legal entities established in any of the 55 African Union member states or 33 CELAC member states.
Operational capacity: Demonstrated capacity to operate at regional level within Africa or LAC.
Expertise: Expertise in human-centered design and deep understanding of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts, as well as existing soil health needs and management practices in Africa or LAC.

Multi-Actor Approach Definition (Mandatory)

The project must involve genuine and sufficient participation of a targeted array of actors throughout the entire project lifecycle (from inception and planning to implementation, dissemination, and potential exploitation of results).
Actors can include, but are not limited to: researchers, farmers, foresters, professional associations, advisors, land managers, land owners, spatial planners, food and bioeconomy businesses, consumer associations, local communities, educators, cultural and creative industries, citizens, civil society organizations (including NGOs), and government representatives.
(End-)users and practitioners must be involved, contributing their practical and local knowledge and/or entrepreneurial skills to develop solutions and create 'co-ownership' of results.

Exclusion Criteria

Recipients of financial support to third parties within one participatory initiative cannot be recipients of financial support in another participatory initiative under this same topic.

Application Process

Application Procedure

The application process follows a two-stage submission model.
Proposals must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Applicants will use the standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1) and the application form specific to this call, both available in the Submission System.

Deadlines

Stage 1 submission deadline: 2025-09-04 00:00:00+0000.
Stage 2 submission deadline: 2026-02-18 00:00:00+0000.

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout requirements as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form.
Specific application forms for this call are available directly in the Submission System.

Project Implementation Timeline and Reporting

Projects are expected to contribute to the overall EU Missions' goal of delivering concrete solutions by 2030.
Projects must define transparent selection criteria for their Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) calls.
A dedicated task, appropriate resources, and a clear plan are required for building on results from and/or collaborating with related projects funded by philanthropic entities and other relevant Horizon Europe actions (e.g., Soils4Africa).
Knowledge derived from the project, especially for areas related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), must be summarized into 'practice abstracts' using the common EIP-AGRI format.
For areas outside the EU CAP Network and CAP specific objectives, other similarly effective solutions for dissemination and interaction with innovation groups at EU level should be sought.

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Projects are expected to ensure long-term ambition, continuity, and sustainability of the established mechanism beyond the Horizon Europe funding period.
This includes identifying potential business models and attracting additional funding, potentially involving local authorities, social economy entities, SMEs, investors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropic organizations.
Close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the project SoilWise is required to ensure open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of knowledge and outputs.
Data produced within the project must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and relevant data, maps, and information should potentially be made publicly available through the EUSO.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Scoring

The evaluation is a two-stage process.
Overall threshold for the second stage evaluation: 12 points.
Minimum threshold for the 'Excellence' criterion: 4 points.

Geographic Coverage

To ensure broad coverage across both regions (Africa and LAC), grants will be awarded not only based on ranking but also to at least one highest-ranked project focusing on Africa and one highest-ranked project focusing on LAC, provided they achieve all minimum thresholds.
Proposals must clearly indicate the region (Africa or LAC) they are addressing.

Multi-Actor Approach Integration

The proposed objectives and planned activities must specifically target the needs, problems, challenges, and opportunities of the (end-)users.
The consortium's composition must demonstrate a balanced selection of relevant key actors with complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical, etc.) to ensure the delivery of results ready for practical application.
Existing practices and tacit knowledge must be included, illustrated by a sufficient number of high-quality knowledge exchange activities, clearly outlining the precise and active roles of non-scientific actors in the work.
The multi-actor engagement process must be facilitated using the most appropriate methods and expertise.
The project should develop practical and ready-to-use knowledge, approaches, tools, or products that are easily understandable and freely accessible.
Results and outputs ready for practice should feed into the existing dissemination channels most consulted by (end-)users across various countries and regions.

Impact and Outcomes

Expected contribution to minimizing or reversing soil degradation and enhancing soil health in rural, urban, and peri-urban areas of Africa or LAC.
Expected contribution to increasing access to scalable practice-oriented tools and learning mechanisms for soil health for local communities and small land managers and users.
Expected establishment of a recognized mechanism for the exchange of soil health knowledge, learning experiences, and tools that are replicable and can attract additional financing.
Expected contribution to enabling policymakers to establish an effective framework that supports the continuous generation and adoption of knowledge-based, context-specific solutions for soil health and sustainable land management.

Quality and Implementation

Support for the establishment of at least 12 participatory initiatives in real-life sites across at least 5 to 6 countries in the chosen region (Africa or LAC).
Co-design, co-development, and co-implementation with all relevant actors of locally adapted solutions and holistic approaches to key soil health challenges, covering a diversity of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts.
Integration of knowledge and expertise from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is essential.
Support for monitoring and assessing progress on soil health and socio-economic resilience, using adequate indicators and establishing a baseline.
Provision of training, capacity building, and knowledge exchange for land managers, land users, and advisors involved in the participatory initiatives (e.g., sharing best practices, organizing demonstration activities).
Identification of exemplary initiatives to act as demonstration sites ('lighthouses') for efficient knowledge dissemination and accelerated adoption, scaling up, and transferability of solutions.
Development of an inclusive exchange mechanism among the established initiatives to enable rapid peer-to-peer learning and a toolbox to support the adaptation and replication of these initiatives in other contexts.
Demonstration of long-term ambition, continuity, and sustainability of the established mechanism beyond Horizon Europe funding, including attracting other funding and identifying possible business models.
Proposals must include expertise in human-centered design, capacity to operate at regional level, and a deep understanding of the different environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts, as well as existing soil health needs and management practices.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with the general conditions outlined in Annex A to G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, covering admissibility, eligibility, financial capacity, evaluation, and legal/financial set-up.
Compliance with the EU Financial Regulation (2024/2509) is implicit.

Data Protection and Intellectual Property

Data generated by the project must adhere to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).
Relevant data, maps, and information should be made publicly available, potentially through the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).
Specific intellectual property policies are governed by the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (MGA) and broader framework, which are not detailed in the provided text.

Ethical and Social Standards

The 'multi-actor approach' is a core requirement and is defined as a form of responsible research and innovation.
An effective contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is essential to ensure strong participatory initiatives, foster social innovation, and enhance social, cultural, and behavioral change.
The project design must consider and adapt to a diversity of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts within Africa and LAC.

Risk Management

Applicants are expected to demonstrate how their established mechanisms will achieve long-term ambition, continuity, and sustainability beyond the Horizon Europe funding, which implies a consideration of future operational and financial risks.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

Exceptional eligibility for Union funding: Legal entities established in any African Union (AU) member state or any member state of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are eligible, even if not established in a low-middle income country.
Strategic alignment: The grant strongly contributes to the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), African Union strategies, the 'Declaration of the EU-CELAC Summit 2023', and the LAC Communication.
Global commitments: Projects are expected to support global commitments, notably the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, biodiversity, and climate action.
Collaboration and synergy: Projects are encouraged to actively build on and collaborate with ongoing Mission projects and support structures (e.g., SoilWise, Mission Soil Platform). They must also liaise with the Mission Secretariat and contribute to the European Soil Observatory (EUSO).

Grant Details