On 5-6 November 2025, SOILL-Startup participated in the European Mission Soil Week 2025 at Aarhus University, joining a high-level mix of policymakers, soil researchers, land managers, and financial institutions.
Official Banner of European Mission Soil Week 2025
This year's event, hosted under the auspices of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, centred on a critical theme: exploring investments and business models for soil health. It provided a crucial platform for public and private actors to find new ways to channel resources toward sustainable land management, a key goal of the Horizon Europe Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe".
This event comes at a defining moment for soil health in Europe. It follows the recent agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on the EU Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive: the approval of Europe's first-ever Soil Monitoring Law, which marks a historic leap forward for soil protection and restoration across the EU.
Organised by the Danish Ministry of Green Transition, Aarhus University, and the European Commission’s DG AGRI, the event's breakout sessions, exhibitions, and networking opportunities were all geared toward one goal: accelerating the transition to healthier European soils.
European Mission Soil Week 2025: Key Takeaways
The European Mission Soil Week represented a key moment for the SOILL consortium partners to engage with a wide array of high-level policy stakeholders, Living Lab representatives, soil researchers, land managers, and farmers from across Europe.
Following the high-level opening by Diego Canga Fano, Acting Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's DG AGRI, and Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University, representatives from the European Commission provided a crucial update on the progress of the Mission Soil, especially in light of recent policy developments, such as the new Soil Monitoring Law.
The update led into a series of plenary sessions, which were followed by an engaging "Project Trail". This interactive session allowed attendees to visit and learn from various Mission Soil-funded projects, discovering their objectives and innovative solutions for soil health.
It was an excellent opportunity to deep dive into soil-related initiatives, including CURIOSOIL, LOESS, ECHO, DeliSoil, Waste4Soil, Bin2Bean, and many others, while exploring new networking opportunities.
The Living Lab Ceremony: Celebrating Europe's Soil Pioneers
A highlight of the event was the Mission Soil Living Lab Ceremony. Representatives from flagship Mission Soil Living Labs established under the EU Mission Soil "A Soil Deal for Europe" were invited to the stage to be awarded the official Mission Soil plate, celebrating their role in the first and second wave of the initiative.
The awarded projects included GroundWork, Nemesis, TRAILS4SOIL, URSOILL, iCOSHELLs, LILAS4SOILS, LivingSoiLL, GOV4ALL, and SOILCRATES.
Mission Soil Living Labs representatives at the Living Lab Ceremony on 5 November
To further showcase the outstanding work of these pioneers, SOILL has published the Catalogue of Mission Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses. This publication offers a comprehensive overview of the planned work, scope, and ambitions of these Living Labs as they embark on their journey.
For each Living Lab, the catalogue details target land use types, relevant Mission objectives, key strengths, and planned improvement techniques, serving as a valuable resource for anyone interested in their work. By offering insights into each project's specific goals, the catalogue aims to foster greater collaboration and connect a continent-wide community of innovators, and reflects a shared European commitment to tackling pressing soil challenges.
What's Next: SOILL Policy-Oriented Conference in Brussels
On 3 December 2025, SOILL-Startup organises a policy-oriented Conference on "Shaping the Future of Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouses in Europe".
The conference, which is hosted by the European Committee of the Regions, is open to the public and the registration is free of charge. In-person participation is highly encouraged, with the option to watch the event online.