The SOILL Hub is a purpose-built digital environment developed to bring together the growing community of Soil Health Living Labs, Lighthouses, researchers, policymakers, land managers, industry, and civil society. The Hub is designed to promote collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing to restore soil health across the continent. It serves as a single point of access for Living Labs, Lighthouses, and all other stakeholders engaged in advancing soil health and sustainable land management. Designed specifically for the needs of the Mission Soil initiative, the SOILL Hub brings together a diverse range of actors and facilitates collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation across Europe.
The SOILL Hub provides a set of tools that enable users to connect, communicate, and coordinate their activities in a structured and efficient way. At its core, the SOILL Hub promotes an inclusive environment where researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and citizens can work together to address soil-related challenges. It is tailored to facilitate both everyday interactions and strategic collaboration within the Soil Health Living Labs ecosystem.
A Personalised Newsfeed
At the heart of the SOILL Hub lies a personalised home page featuring a dynamic newsfeed. This space aggregates updates, posts, and shared content from users, organisations, and groups, ensuring that each user remains informed about relevant activities and developments. The homepage also acts as a central navigation point, providing direct access to key features such as user profiles, organisation directories, chat, events, and thematic groups.
Thematic Groups and Collaboration Spaces
The SOILL Hub supports both public and private groups, allowing users to engage in focused discussions, share resources, and coordinate on specific topics. Groups can be created around themes, projects, or stakeholder interests and include tools for administrators to manage participation and content.
Events and Webinars
One of the core components of the platform is the event management system. Users can create and discover events, whether physical or virtual, and manage participation seamlessly. Integrated video conferencing, based on the secure and open-source JITSI platform, allows for efficient virtual meetings directly within the Hub. This feature promotes active engagement and ensures that events are accessible to a wide audience. A dedicated chat and video communication module allows for real-time interaction among users, supporting quick exchanges and collaborative work.
Directories for Users and Organisations
These tools complement the platform’s social features and contribute to an integrated user experience. The Hub includes robust directories for users and organisations. These directories allow stakeholders to search for and connect with others based on various criteria such as expertise, location, and institutional affiliation. Users can create rich profiles that highlight their skills and interests, enabling meaningful connections and facilitating networking opportunities.
Living Labs Atlas and Profile Pages
Living Labs and Lighthouses can use the platform to create their own dedicated pages, which include interactive features such as collaborative tools, document sharing, and the ability to invite team members. The Hub also features the Atlas of Living Labs and Lighthouses—a map-based interface that showcases these initiatives geographically and allows for easy discovery and exploration.
Knowledge Hub
The Knowledge Hub within the platform serves as a centralised repository for sharing and accessing valuable information related to soil health. It includes a curated collection of tools, publications, guidelines, and other materials contributed by the SOILL-Startup consortium, Living Labs, and external partners. An advanced tagging and filtering system allows users to search resources by topic, geography, language, and relevance to Mission Soil objectives. Automatic translation features are being integrated to improve accessibility across linguistic boundaries.
Monitoring and Self-Assessment
To support ongoing improvement and strategic development, the Hub offers a self-assessment and reporting tool for Living Labs. This tool helps assess progress against defined criteria across five key dimensions, including strategy, operations, openness, user engagement, and impact. It supports semi-annual reporting cycles and provides guidance and examples to aid users in completing assessments.
Helpdesk
In addition, the platform incorporates a matchmaking tool to support the creation of partnerships and consortia. Stakeholders can present project ideas, receive feedback, and identify suitable partners. This feature builds upon the experience gained through the NATI00NS project and is being enhanced to better meet the needs of the SOILL community. The SOILL Hub also includes a dedicated Helpdesk, where users can submit questions related to soil themes, the Living Lab methodology, or transversal issues such as citizen engagement and digital technologies. Questions are reviewed by experts and answered through a structured process that ensures quality and relevance.
Help Center and Code of Conduct
A Help Center (FAQ section) and a Code of Conduct are also integral parts of the platform. The Help Center ensures users have the guidance they need to use the Hub effectively, while the Code of Conduct promotes respectful, inclusive, and safe interactions across the community.
How to Access the SOILL Hub
To begin using the SOILL Hub, follow these simple steps:
Visit the SOILL Hub
Go to https://soill2030.app
Create an Account
If you are a new user, click on "Register" and complete the account creation form. You will be asked to provide your name, email address, and other basic details.
Receive a PIN Code
Once registered, you will receive a one-time PIN code by email or text message (SMS) each time you log in.
Enter the PIN to Log In
Use the PIN code to securely access the Hub. This step ensures compliance with security and data protection requirements.
Explore the Platform
After logging in, you can complete your profile, join groups, attend events, submit questions to the Helpdesk, and start collaborating.
A Foundation for the Mission Soil Community
The SOILL Hub represents a foundational tool in advancing the objectives of the Mission Soil initiative, as it allows the network of Soil Health Living Labs to thrive. It brings together the capabilities of a social network, a collaborative workspace, a knowledge exchange system, and a monitoring instrument, creating an integrated environment where soil stakeholders can innovate and lead the way toward a healthier future for European soils.