The SOILL project does not start from scratch. It benefits from the groundwork laid by previous initiatives of the Mission Soil. These forerunners played a crucial role in raising awareness and equipping potential applicants to establish Soil Health Living Labs (SHLLs) and Lighthouses (SHLHs).
Synergy with Predecessors
Even before Mission Soil formally launched, projects like Soil Mission Support, EJP SOIL, and ALL Ready were already tackling soil challenges. Since 2021, efforts have become even more focused and coordinated under the EU Mission Soil Deal for Europe.
SOILL leverages the valuable legacy of Mission Soil Coordination and Support Actions, particularly projects like NATI00NS and PREPSOIL.
PREPSOIL: Preparing for the ‘Soil Deal for Europe’ Mission
PREPSOIL facilitates the Mission's deployment across Europe. Key regional players gain support in reducing soil degradation, boosting soil awareness, and enhancing soil literacy.
What PREPSOIL does:
- Raises awareness and knowledge on soil needs among stakeholders across European regions.
- Promotes Living Labs as a way to engage stakeholders in improving soil health across various land uses (agriculture, forestry, urban, etc.).
- Creates understanding on how different soil monitoring approaches can support sustainable land use.
- Engages with soil ambassadors and gathers information on soil education.
- Establishes a state-of-the-art web platform as a one-stop shop for soil literacy, communication, and engagement.
PREPSOIL is a Coordination and Support Action funded by the European Commission Horizon Europe programme (HORIZON-MISS2021-SOIL-01). Coordinated by Aarhus University, PREPSOIL is supported by 18 other partners, including the EC Joint Research Centre, representing 12 EU Member States and Associated Countries. The project officially started on 1st of July 2022 and will run for 36 months.
NATI00NS: National engagement activities to support the launch of the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe’ 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses
The main objective of NATI00NS is reaching out to and preparing regional and national stakeholders across Europe to apply for and implement soil health Living Labs, facilitating the deployment of the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” (NATI00NS is one of the nine new projects selected to prepare the ground for the transition towards healthy soils by 2030 by the European Research Executive Agency).
What NATI00NS does:
- NATI00NS acts as a messenger of the Mission, raising awareness among national and regional stakeholders, providing access to capacity-building materials and information, spurring the discussions on the best Living Labs setups to address regional soil needs, and fostering early matchmaking for cross-regional Living Labs clusters.
- Through national engagement events organised in 43 countries (all EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries), the project reaches out to relevant stakeholders seen as potential actors and through individual coaching sessions, capacity building activities and matchmaking sessions prepare them to apply for and implement soil health Living Labs.
NATI00NS is a European project funded under the HORIZON-MISS-2021-SOIL-02 programme and coordinated by Aarhus University (Denmark). NATI00NS' 14-partner consortium includes top experts on soil science and co-participatory place-based innovation approaches to be implemented in key network group representatives and all their networks. The project officially started on 1st of November 2022 and will run for 24 months.
Together, Stronger
SOILL, PREPSOIL, and NATI00NS, along with other CSAs, form a powerful network propelling the Mission Soil agenda forward. By collaborating and building upon each other's work, they are creating a fertile ground for the establishment and success of Soil Health Living Labs across Europe.