SOILSCAPE Open Call

The SOILSCAPE Open Call is a funding initiative aimed at promoting soil literacy, awareness, and engagement through artistic and creative approaches. It is part of the EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe" and is funded under Horizon Europe, specifically targeting the topic HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07, titled "Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil."

Eligible applicants include individuals, small consortia of up to three partners, NGOs, cultural organizations, and entities in creative industries. The funding type is categorized as Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP), which operates through grants. The initiative allows for both single applicants and small groups, catering to various geographic scopes. Specifically, the Soil Orchestra FSTP category is restricted to projects within eight designated countries: Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, Poland, and Switzerland.

The call aims to integrate the sectors of environment, arts, and education, focusing on innovative communication campaigns, artistic activities related to soil, and participatory methodologies for citizen engagement in soil protection. The total funding available is €2.01 million, with specific grants for sub-projects varying in amounts but likely ranging between €50,000 and €200,000 depending on project proposals.

Project proposals will be evaluated on concept and feasibility, creativity, potential for citizen engagement, and organizational capability. The application process operates as a single-stage submission due by September 30, 2025, requiring digital submission via a dedicated platform. Project implementation will follow a structured approach divided into three phases: Design, Development, and Validation, with payments tied to the completion and acceptance of deliverables at each stage.

The initiative emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration by evaluating proposals with dual expert panels, one focusing on soil science and the other on artistic methodologies. It ultimately seeks to create a meaningful connection between communities and the environment through innovative and artistic strategies that enhance public understanding of soil health and its critical environmental role.

The SOILSCAPE Open Call is a funding opportunity that aims to promote soil literacy, awareness, and engagement through the integration of arts, arts-based, and creative approaches. It falls under the HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07 topic, titled "Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil." The call is part of the larger EU-funded project SOILSCAPE, which stands for "Spreading Open and Inclusive Literacy and Soil Culture through Artistic Practices and Education" (Grant agreement number 101156511).

The opening date for submissions is June 2, 2025, and the deadline for submission is September 30, 2025, at 06:00 Brussels time. The submission process is single-stage, meaning there is only one deadline for submitting the full proposal.

The total funding available for this open call is 2.01 €.

The SOILSCAPE Open Call provides Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) and is divided into two categories:

1. SOILSCAPE FSTP: This category will select twelve sub-projects at different geographic scales (local, national, transnational). These sub-projects should focus on one or more of the following strands of action:
 * Develop innovative communication campaigns
 * Organise and promote artistic-soil related activities
 * Deploy innovative, creative, and participatory methodologies to engage citizens with soil protection and preservation

The implementation duration for sub-projects in this category can be 6, 12, or 18 months, with applicants selecting the duration that best suits their project.

2. Soil Orchestra FSTP: This category will select twenty-four sub-projects. These projects must take place within one of the project’s 8 Soil Orchestras (3 sub-projects per country). The Soil Orchestras are located in Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, Poland, and Switzerland. All sub-projects in this category will last for 18 months.

The implementation of all sub-projects, regardless of category or duration, is divided into three phases:

* Phase 1 - Design: This phase focuses on the design of the project. Upon completion of this phase and acceptance of the deliverable, 30% of the total funding will be disbursed. The deliverable for this phase is an Activity plan.
* Phase 2 - Development: This phase focuses on the development and implementation of the project. Upon completion of this phase and acceptance of the deliverable, 50% of the total funding will be disbursed. The deliverable for this phase is a demonstration/implementation of activity.
* Phase 3 - Validation: This phase focuses on the validation and reporting of the project's activities. Upon completion of this phase and acceptance of the deliverable, the final 20% of the total funding will be disbursed. The deliverable for this phase is a report on activities.

Once a deliverable is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Open Call Advisory Board. The board may request updates or modifications to the deliverable. Once the deliverable is officially accepted, the Treasurer will release the payment. For the Soil Orchestra FSTP, the Soil Orchestra conductor (OC) for the relevant country will also review the deliverables. Modifications requested by the OCs must be made for the deliverable to be accepted.

Applications must be submitted digitally through the Open Call Platform (https://opencalls.fund). Interested parties should visit the project website (https://soilscape.eu/) and the Frequently Asked Questions of the platform for updates. Submissions received through any other channel will be automatically discarded. Documents required in subsequent phases will be submitted via dedicated channels (e.g. via email or via the Open Call Fund platform), which will be indicated by the SOILSCAPE consortium in the contracting phase. In case multiple versions of the same application are submitted, only the last version will be evaluated. All previous versions will be discarded. Throughout the entire process, the confidentiality of applicants' identities and the contents of the proposals will be rigorously upheld. By applying to the SOILSCAPE Open Call applicants automatically accept the terms and conditions of the Open Call as described in the Open Call kit.

After the SOILSCAPE Open Call is closed, an eligibility check will be carried out to ensure that all of the administrative and procedural requirements are met. Proposals that meet the eligibility criteria move on to the technical evaluation carried out by the external expert evaluators. Each proposal will be reviewed by two (2) external evaluators. Each evaluator pair will include one (1) expert in the field of soil science and one (1) with artistic/creative methodologies expertise.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, each carrying equal weight:

1. Concept and feasibility
2. Creativity and potential to engage citizens
3. Impact and exploitation
4. Organizational capacity and sufficiency in the team’s background

Each award criterion can be scored from 1 to 5 with a threshold of 3 points in each category, and a minimum of 12 points in total.

The SOILSCAPE Open Call is designed to support individual applicants and small consortia (up to three partners). It seeks to fund projects that creatively use art and artistic methods to educate and engage the public about the importance of soil and its preservation. The call offers two distinct tracks: one for projects with flexible locations and durations focusing on communication, artistic activities, and participatory methodologies, and another specifically tied to "Soil Orchestras" in designated European countries, with a fixed duration. Successful projects will be divided into three phases, each requiring a deliverable and leading to a portion of the total funding. This initiative aims to foster a deeper connection between communities and the environment through innovative and artistic approaches.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are individual applicants and small consortia (up to three partners).

Funding Type: The funding type is Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP), which is a type of grant.

Consortium Requirement: Both single applicants and consortia are eligible, with consortia limited to a maximum of three partners.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): For the SOILSCAPE FSTP category, the geographic scale can be local, national, or transnational. For the Soil Orchestra FSTP category, actions must take place within the project's 8 Soil Orchestras, which are located in specific countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is a combination of arts, culture, education, and environment, specifically focusing on soil literacy, awareness, and preservation through artistic and creative approaches.

Mentioned Countries: Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, Poland, and Switzerland.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on development, demonstration, and implementation of activities, with an emphasis on engaging citizens and raising awareness.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is 2.01 €. The specific funding range for individual sub-projects is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred that the funding is divided among the 12 sub-projects in the SOILSCAPE FSTP category and the 24 sub-projects in the Soil Orchestra FSTP category.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money.

Application Stages: The implementation of sub-projects is divided into three phases: Design, Development, and Validation. Each phase requires the submission and acceptance of a deliverable.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The SOILSCAPE Open Call is an initiative to promote soil literacy, awareness, and preservation by integrating artistic and creative approaches. It falls under the HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07 topic, "Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil." The call is structured around two main categories: SOILSCAPE FSTP and Soil Orchestra FSTP. The SOILSCAPE FSTP category will fund twelve sub-projects at local, national, or transnational levels, focusing on innovative communication campaigns, artistic activities related to soil, and participatory methodologies for citizen engagement. The Soil Orchestra FSTP category will fund twenty-four sub-projects within eight specific Soil Orchestras located in Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Bulgaria, Poland, and Switzerland, with three projects per country.

The call is open to individual applicants and small consortia of up to three partners. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of September 30, 2025. Applications must be submitted digitally through the Open Call Platform. Proposals will be evaluated based on concept and feasibility, creativity and potential for citizen engagement, impact and exploitation, and organizational capacity. The implementation of sub-projects is divided into three phases Design, Development, and Validation with payments tied to the acceptance of deliverables at the end of each phase. The total funding available for the open call is 2.01 €. The SOILSCAPE project aims to spread open and inclusive literacy and soil culture through artistic practices and education.