Designing Mission Soil Living Labs: from policy priorities to practical approaches
SLIDES
This webinar is part of a series organised by SOILL to support applicants preparing to set up Mission Soil Living Labs in the framework of the Horizon Europe Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe".
The session focuses on the preparation of the second stage proposal under two specific two-stage topics open under the 2026 Mission Soil call:
- HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-02-two-stage — Living labs to enhance soil health in managed forests and in natural/semi-natural lands
- HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-01-two-stage — Living labs to enhance soil health in Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions
The webinar opens with an overview of relevant policy developments and funding opportunities, and the current state of play of Mission Soil Living Labs within the Horizon Europe framework. It then moves into technical presentations covering soil-related approaches in managed natural and semi-natural forest areas, and regional soil management practices applicable to Alpine and Atlantic biogeographical regions.
Recording
Beyond the scientific and policy framing, the webinar dedicates significant time to the practicalities of proposal development — specifically, how applicants should plan and structure their collaboration with SOILL when preparing a submission. This guidance is aimed at helping prospective applicants avoid common pitfalls and make the most of the support infrastructure the network can offer.
A Q&A session at the end of the webinar gives participants the opportunity to put their questions directly to the speakers.
Speakers:
Kinga Sepielak
Krakow Technology Park
SOILL
Moderators:
Karen Gallagher
Portfolio Officer Deep Demonstartion Irish land and agri-food system, SOILL-Stepup, Climate KIC
Speakers:
Tyler Arbour
An interdisciplinary scientist with a background in biochemistry, microbiology, and environmental genomics, he focuses on agricultural knowledge-sharing and accelerating the transition to sustainable food systems.
Senior Research and Innovation Officer, IFOAM Organics Europe, SOILL-Stepup
Speakers:
Sergio Pellegrini
Researcher at Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, CREA
Speakers:
Nikolaos Toumasis
Cranfield University
SOILL
Speakers:
Karen Gallagher
Portfolio Officer Deep Demonstartion Irish land and agri-food system, SOILL-Stepup, Climate KIC
Moderators:
Kinga Sepielak
Krakow Technology Park
SOILL
Speakers:
Kinga Sepielak
Krakow Technology Park
SOILL
Who should attend
The webinar is primarily aimed at researchers, project coordinators, and consortium partners preparing stage 2 applications to the 2026 Mission Soil Living Labs call. It is also relevant to regional and national contact points, land managers, and policy practitioners with an interest in soil health governance and the Horizon Europe Mission framework.