SOIL Startup

Funding: Horizon Europe, European Union

Coordinator: European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), Belgium 

Duration: January 2024 – December 2025

Consortium Partners: The project brings together 29 partners from 12 European countries (10 EU + Serbia and UK) 

Innovation for Healthy Soils – Startup of the Support Structure for SOIL Living Labs

The physical and chemical condition of soils, as well as the diversity of soil life, are fundamental indicators of the resilience of ecological systems, directly determining the possibilities for agriculture and food production. SOILL-Startup is one of the first project launched under the umbrella of the SOILL Framework Partnership (there will be, in total, three projects over 7 years) which aims at empowering the development of 100 Soil Health (SH) Living Labs (LLs) and Lighthouses (LHs) (i.e., exemplary locations) funded under the Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” to lead the transition towards healthy soils as enablers of bridging the silos between the pillars of the innovation providers, the creators, and the whole society.

Specifically, the SOILL-Startup project just over two years aims to co-design and launch the SOILL one-stop structure for coordination, support, enlargement, and promotion of the network of 100 SHLLs/LHs in participatory collaboration with the first waves of SHLL/LHs and key stakeholders and initiatives.

Objectives of the project

  • To put in place and maintain a one-stop-shop support and coordination that ensures the launch of high-quality and sustainable projects that will deliver tangible results in soil preservation and restoration.
  • To co-develop a harmonized and validated methodology for SHLL/LHs that supports these initiatives in the development, deployment, evaluation, monitoring, and assessment of their activities.
  • To enlarge the SHLL/LHs network through the promotion of creation of new SHLL/LHs, facilitation of consortia creation and providing advice on proposal preparation and LL setup.
  • To ensure the engagement and dialogue in and across SHLL/LHs through creating visibility for SHLL/LHs and their achievements, and facilitating knowledge exchange, synergies and collaboration among them.
SOILL Startup

The ÖMKi’s role

The ÖMKi plays an important role in the project and in SOILL with the ÖMKi On-Farm Living Lab as an inspiring example for soil health living lab. Besides, the ÖMKi’s primary role in the project is to organize and transmit theoretical knowledge and practical insights to network members related to the establishment and operation of SHLL/LHs through trainings and coaching. To this end, educational materials will be developed and made available through various formats and channels for the SHLL/LHs. Moreover, ÖMKi is also in charge of fostering mutual learning and knowledge sharing within the SHLLs network to promote the exchange of best practices through mutual visits, various learning events and matchmaking to increase the impact of the SOILL and support the dissemination of results.

SOILL Startup

Contact person

Bittermann Csillag

Csillag Bittermann

project leader

Biochemist, certified specialist in human ecology

  • csillag.bittermann@biokutatas.hu
  • +36 30 258 6436

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement No 101145592.

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