Living labs to enhance soil health in Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions

The Horizon Europe call for proposals, identified as HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-two-stage, focuses on establishing living labs aimed at enhancing soil health within the Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions. This initiative is part of the EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe," which seeks to set up 100 living labs by 2030. The total budget for this funding opportunity is €24 million, with the expectation of funding approximately two large projects, each receiving around €12 million.

Eligible applicants must form a multi-actor consortium that includes various stakeholders such as researchers, landowners, industry representatives (particularly SMEs), public authorities, and civil society organizations. Projects must involve the development, validation, and demonstration of locally adapted solutions for soil health challenges, distributed across at least three different Member States or Associated Countries.

The application process is a two-stage submission. The first stage entails submitting an outline proposal by April 14, 2026, which will be evaluated based on criteria such as excellence and impact. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by September 15, 2026. In both stages, collaborative work within living labs—comprised of 4 to 5 labs with 10 to 20 sites each—is essential, promoting shared objectives related to soil health.

Projects are expected to engage in participatory governance and establish a baseline for soil conditions, contributing to improved soil health monitoring and ecosystem services. While there is no mandatory co-funding requirement, proposals must demonstrate long-term sustainability strategies for the living labs beyond EU funding.

This funding aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating natural and social sciences to foster solutions for soil health that are technically, socially, and economically viable. Overall, the funding opportunity aligns closely with broader EU environmental strategies and emphasizes the need for innovative approaches that engage diverse stakeholders in a structured, long-term manner to address soil health issues comprehensively.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call for proposals under the program "Supporting the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe Mission" (HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-two-stage). The call focuses on "Living labs to enhance soil health in Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions" and is structured as a two-stage process. The type of action is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The planned opening date for the submission system is 12 February 2026. The deadline for the first stage is 14 April 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the deadline for the second stage is 15 September 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The overall goal is to support the Mission Soil in establishing 100 living labs and lighthouses by 2030 to promote the transition to healthy soils. This initiative aligns with the Common Agricultural Policy, the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, the proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Project results are expected to contribute to: enhanced capacities for participatory, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research and innovation (R&I) to co-create and co-implement economically viable soil health solutions; improved soil health monitoring and increased availability of high-quality, standardized soil data at local and regional levels; increased availability of practice-oriented knowledge for land managers and land users, leading to better adoption of effective soil health solutions in diverse contexts; and policymakers being more aware of local needs regarding soil health, enabling them to design and implement more effective policies while considering the economic sustainability of solutions.

The scope involves deploying living labs as a novel approach to research and innovation in soil health. These living labs are envisioned as long-term collaborations between multiple actors to address common soil health challenges in real-life sites at local or regional levels, typically involving 10 to 20 sites per lab. These labs should address soil health challenges across various land uses, including agricultural, peri-urban, post-industrial, forest, and semi-natural areas. Individual sites can include farms, forest holdings, urban green areas, and industrial areas. Sites demonstrating exemplary soil health improvement can be designated as lighthouses.

Projects funded under this topic are expected to either initiate participatory processes or build upon existing ones, complementing the existing network of Mission Soil Living Labs. The project duration should accommodate the timescales required for establishing participatory processes and for soil processes to take place. Actors within and across living labs will be able to compare results, exchange practices, validate methodologies, and replicate actions, accelerating the transition towards improved soil health.

Proposals should support the establishment of four to five living labs in either the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical region, with the majority of labs located within the chosen region. The living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries and should collaborate on common soil health challenges relevant to the selected biogeographical region. Proposals should explain the rationale and mechanism for cooperation and how the work will contribute to the Mission’s specific objectives. Proposals focusing solely on soil health in forests or natural/semi-natural land types are excluded, as a dedicated topic addresses this area.

An interdisciplinary, participatory, and multi-actor approach is required to co-design, co-develop, and co-implement locally adapted solutions, considering relevant soil health drivers and pressures. Solutions should be adapted to diverse environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts. Each living lab must establish a baseline of soil conditions to co-assess changes over time, using the soil health indicators/descriptors from the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience as a basis, supplemented with additional indicators tailored to specific challenges, pedoclimatic conditions, land use, and other local/regional factors.

Proposals should assess and demonstrate the technical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental viability of the proposed solutions, as well as their potential for scalability and transferability. High-performing sites should be identified for potential conversion into lighthouses. Strategies for the long-term sustainability of the living labs beyond Horizon Europe funding should be proposed, including business models and actions involving public or private funding schemes, financial instruments, cooperation with local authorities, engagement of social economy entities, and attraction of investors and entrepreneurs.

The multi-actor approach is essential, involving researchers, landowners, land managers, industry representatives (SMEs), public administrators, and civil society representatives. The capabilities, roles, and resources of the actors should be described, with an effective contribution from social sciences, humanities, and the arts (SSHA) expected to foster social innovation, knowledge transfer, and socio-cultural and behavioral change.

Applicants are reminded of the various participation types possible under Horizon Europe, including beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors, and recipients of financial support to third parties (FSTP). FSTP can be provided through calls or, if justified, without a call, to facilitate active involvement of small actors, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 granted to each third party. Funded activities can include site management, implementation or monitoring of soil health solutions, data collection, sampling, participation in events, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and demonstration initiatives.

Collaboration with SOILL, the structure supporting soil health living labs and lighthouses, is required, with dedicated tasks and resources for capacity building, knowledge exchange, promotion, dissemination, networking, and monitoring. Proposals should build on existing knowledge and solutions, collaborating with relevant projects and initiatives, participating in Mission Soil clustering activities, considering data and expertise from European research infrastructures (ESFRI), and cooperating with Horizon Europe Partnerships and local networks.

Proposals should demonstrate a route towards open access, longevity, sustainability, and interoperability of knowledge and outputs through collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and the project SoilWise, ensuring data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

To ensure coverage of both biogeographical regions (Atlantic and Alpine), grants will be awarded not only based on ranking but also to at least one project focusing on each region, provided proposals meet all thresholds.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Proposals must apply the multi-actor approach as defined in the work program introduction. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award criteria require proposals to focus on either the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical region, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. The overall threshold for the second stage evaluation is 12, with a minimum threshold of 4 for the ‘Excellence’ criterion. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual, with an indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement also detailed in Annex F.

Legal and financial aspects include the possibility for beneficiaries to provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) up to EUR 60,000 per third party, as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, with standard forms (HE RIA, IA) used. Evaluation form templates will be adapted as necessary. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), and call-specific instructions. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, and the EU Grants AGA.

The budget for each of the two topics, HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-01-two-stage and HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-02-two-stage, is EUR 24,000,000. The indicative number of grants for each topic is around 2.

Partner search announcements are available, and the submission system is planned to open on 12 February 2026. Applicants are advised to consult the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to establish and support living labs focused on enhancing soil health within the Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions. It requires a multi-actor approach, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of sustainable solutions that can be scaled and transferred to diverse contexts. The projects should contribute to the Mission Soil's objectives of transitioning to healthy soils by 2030, aligning with various EU policies and Sustainable Development Goals. The call emphasizes participatory processes, data sharing, and collaboration with existing initiatives and infrastructures.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are broad and encompass a multi-actor approach. This includes researchers, landowners or land managers, industry representatives (e.g., SMEs), public administrators, and civil society representatives (e.g., consumers, local residents, environmental NGOs, youth organisations). The call emphasizes the importance of involving diverse actors within the living labs.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe program. It utilizes a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). Beneficiaries may also provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries. The call emphasizes the multi-actor approach, implying the need for a consortium of diverse participants.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility focuses on the Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions within Europe. The living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is primarily agriculture/food and environment, with a strong focus on soil health. It also touches upon climate, biotech/medtech (biomanufacturing), and innovation, particularly concerning sustainable and economically viable solutions for soil health.

Mentioned Countries: The call specifies that the living labs must be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries within the Alpine or Atlantic biogeographical regions. While no specific countries are named, the eligibility extends to EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries within the specified biogeographical regions.

Project Stage: The project stage is geared towards development, validation, and demonstration. The call aims to establish living labs to co-design, co-develop, and co-implement locally adapted solutions for soil health challenges. It also emphasizes assessing and demonstrating the technical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental viability of proposed solutions.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic is EUR 24,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 2, suggesting an average funding of around EUR 12,000,000 per project.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a two-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 12 February 2026, with deadlines on 14 April 2026 and 15 September 2026.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. Additionally, the opportunity facilitates financial support to third parties (FSTP) to enable the active involvement of smaller actors.

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages.

Success Rates: The success rate can be estimated based on the budget and the indicative number of grants. With a budget of EUR 24,000,000 and an indicative number of 2 grants, the success rate is likely to be below 10%, given the competitiveness of Horizon Europe calls.

Co-funding Requirement: The call does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement from the applicant. However, it encourages strategies for the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond the Horizon Europe funding, which may involve a mix of public or private funding schemes.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the Mission Soil initiative, aims to establish living labs to enhance soil health in the Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions. The call seeks to support projects that will create four to five living labs in either of these regions, focusing on common soil health challenges. These living labs should involve a diverse range of actors, including researchers, landowners, SMEs, public administrators, and civil society representatives, following a multi-actor approach.

The projects are expected to co-design, co-develop, and co-implement locally adapted solutions, considering the environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts. A baseline of soil conditions must be established for each living lab, and improvements in soil health and ecosystem services should be monitored. The call also emphasizes the technical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental viability of the proposed solutions, as well as their potential for scalability and transferability.

The total budget for this call is EUR 24,000,000, with an indicative funding of around EUR 12,000,000 per project. The application process is a two-stage open call, with deadlines in April and September 2026. The funding is provided in the form of a grant, with the possibility of providing financial support to third parties (FSTP) to facilitate the involvement of smaller actors.

The call is aligned with the EU's broader goals of the Common Agricultural Policy, the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals. It aims to contribute to enhanced capacities for participatory research and innovation, improved soil health monitoring, increased availability of practice-oriented knowledge, and more effective policies for soil health.