← All opportunities

Horizon Europe · European Union

Living labs to enhance soil health in Continental, Black Sea, Pannonian and Steppic biogeographical regions

Opens 4 Feb 2027

The EU's Horizon Europe programme expects to make 2 awards of €12 million each, from a total budget of €24 million. Applications close on 8 Apr 2027 (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time). Organisations in EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries such as Türkiye can usually take part; the topic conditions control.

Expected outcome

Activities under this topic respond directly to the goal of the Mission Soil to set up 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition to healthy soils by 2030 and support its specific objectives [1] .

Activities should also contribute to the Common Agricultural Policy and to meeting the European Green Deal ambitions and targets and more specifically those of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 , the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and the proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive , the Zero Pollution Action Plan , the Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU , as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals [2] .

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• enhanced capacities for participatory, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary R&I to co-create, and co-implement economically viable soil health solutions;

Scope

The Mission Soil proposes the deployment of living labs as a novel approach to research and innovation in soil health [3] . Living labs have the potential to facilitate a green transition by involving multiple actors in real-life sites within a local/regional setting to co-create soil health solutions and achieve large-scale impacts on soil health and soil governance. Projects funded under this topic should deploy a number of living labs to expand and complement the network of soil health living labs initiated in previous Mission Soil topics to gradually establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030 [4] .

Soil health living labs are long-term collaborations between multiple actors to address common soil health challenges in real-life sites at local or regional level [5] (10 to 20 sites in each living lab). Living labs can address soil health challenges in or across different land uses (agricultural, (peri-)urban, (post)-industrial, forest and (semi-)natural). Depending on the level at which each living lab operates and the specific context (e.g. land use covered, or soil health challenge addressed), applicants can exceptionally propose living labs with fewer sites. Individual sites can be farms, forest holdings, urban green [6] areas, industrial areas, etc. Sites that are exemplary in their performance in terms of soil health improvement and serve as places for demonstration of solutions, training and communication are lighthouses. Lighthouse sites can be part of a living lab or be situated outside a living lab. Projects funded under this topic are expected to kick-start the participatory process or build on existing ones. If building on existing processes, the new proposed living labs should complement the existing network of Mission Soil Living Labs and deliver unique results. While on average, projects run for around four years, the duration of the projects under this topic should accommodate longer timescales required to establish participatory processes and/or for soils processes to take place.

Who can apply

Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State (Horizon Europe standard rule).

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Agriculture Agriculture related to crop production, soil biology and cultivation, applied plant biology Ecosystem services provided by soils Soil biodiversity Soil chemistry Soil conservation Soil erosion Soil fertility Soil functions Soil improvement Soil management Soil science Biogeographical region Black Sea Bottom Up Co-creation Continental Integrated sciences Interdisciplinary Living Labs

Timing

Two-stage call. Next deadline 2027-04-08; later stage/cut-off 2027-09-14. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).

How to apply

1. Read the full topic on the Funding & Tenders Portal: expected outcome, scope, type of action and the topic conditions, including any country restrictions.
2. Register each participating organisation in the Funding & Tenders Portal to get a PIC.
3. Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries (Horizon Europe standard rule; Türkiye is associated). Confirm in the topic conditions.
4. Prepare Part A (administrative forms and budget, completed in the portal) and Part B (the technical description on the official template for this type of action).
5. Submit in the portal before the cut-off time on the deadline day. Late submissions are not accepted.

From the call text

Who can apply

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Company stage

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Single applicant or consortium

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Where applicants must be based

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Where to apply

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Read the EU application guide

Where these facts come from

Official sources

Official call page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 14 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.

More from Horizon Europe