SOIL CONTENT MISSION
The EU’s Soil Mission aims to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: soil degradation. Healthy soils are essential for food production, climate regulation, biodiversity and human health. The mission’s objectives are designed to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of soils in Europe and beyond.
Objectives
- To enhance soil health and resilience: Promote sustainable soil management practices that improve soil structure, fertility, and biodiversity; restore degraded soils and prevent further degradation through innovative techniques and approaches.
- To combat soil pollution: Reduce soil contamination from industrial activities, agricultural practices, and urban development; develop and implement effective strategies for soil decontamination and pollution prevention.
- To foster soil monitoring and data collection: Establish comprehensive soil monitoring systems to track soil health and quality; collect and analyze data to inform policy decisions and management practices.
- To promote sustainable land use: Encourage land use practices that balance agricultural productivity with environmental conservation; support the development of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions for land management
- To support the development of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions for land management: Raise public awareness about the importance of soil health and the impacts of soil degradation; provide educational resources and training for farmers, land managers, policymakers and the general public.
- To support research and innovation: Fund research projects that explore new technologies and methods for soil conservation and restoration; encourage cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration to address complex soil-related challenges.
- To address socio-economic impacts: Assess the socio-economic implications of soil degradation and restoration efforts; develop strategies to support communities and industries affected by soil health issues.
- To mitigate climate change: Enhance soil carbon sequestration to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; promote practices that reduce soil erosion and increase water retention, contributing to climate resilience.
Goals
By 2030, the Soil Mission aims to:
Ensure that 75% of European soils are in good health, contributing to the EU’s Green Deal objectives and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Integrate soil health objectives into European and national policies on agriculture, environment, climate and health.
Engage a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and civil society, to work together towards common soil health goals.
Who can apply?
A consortium of at least three independent legal entities (“beneficiaries”), each established in a different EU member state or Horizon Europe associated country (e.g. Israel); at least one member of the consortium must come from an EU member state.
, border management authorities, first responders or others). Read the topic carefully to see the specific requirements.
The target audience includes SMEs, industry, academia, researchers, research institutions and others.
Funding
- Up to several million Euros per project, in accordance with the specific topic description. Participants will usually receive hundreds of thousands of Euros per project, depending on their role and responsibilities in the project
- The funding rate for this grant will be 70% or 100% of the eligible costs + 25% overhead, depending on the type of funding mechanism. Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) will cover 100% of the expenses and Innovation Actions (IA) will cover 70% of the expenses.
Submission
RIA/IA proposals must follow this provided template; CSA proposals must follow this provided template.
Evaluation process
- Your proposal will be first evaluated and scored remotely by at least 3 EU expert evaluators, each giving it a grade of up to 5 on three evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation
- The evaluators will meet at an evaluation committee that decides on the final score, taking into consideration the comments of the evaluators.
- The evaluation process is expected to take 5 months after the deadline.
Attached documents
Work Programme Missions and Cross-cutting Activities – Horizon Europe 2023-2025
Brochure with open calls – (pdf)
B2Match Partner search platform – Horizon Europe Missions Brokerage Event 2024
Last events (webinars)
Important links –
For questions and more information: eleanor.cohen@iserd.org.il