Horizon Europe Project SOILCRATES: Soil Innovation Labs: Co-regeneration and transformation of European soils

Today, it is estimated that between 60% and 70% of EU soils are severely degraded due to unsustainable land-use practices and pollution. The SOILCRATES consortium includes 21 partners from across the Quadruple Helix who fully recognize the importance of healthy soils and wish to work together on the tasks defined by the EU mission "A Soil Deal for Europe." SOILCRATES' ambition is to create four sustainable and dynamic Living Labs (LLs) to monitor soil health and biodiversity beyond the state-of-the-art, improve soil structure and health, and increase soil literacy in society.

Over the life of the project, four LLs based in the Netherlands, France, Ireland, and Spain will improve and monitor the soil structure, soil life, and growing conditions of mineral soils. In these LLs, stakeholders will work with land managers at experimental sites (ES) to foster innovations and practices appropriate to the local context. Through co-creation and co-learning, the LLs will increase their knowledge of soils and underlying soil processes. Particular attention will be paid to exploring crop diversity and vegetation cover, applying organic soil amendments and irrigation techniques, and combining these practices at the farm level. Through the use of various educational tools, SOILCRATES will make this knowledge available to the general public and further use it to inform science, practices, and policy briefs to reduce pressures on soils.

At the end of the project, four regional LLs would be fully sustainable and operational.

The initial partnership will be expanded to include 40 sub-beneficiaries: ES and lighthouses (LH) that will test and demonstrate the best practices developed through the project (a budget of €1,600,000 allocated for the FSTP). Collaboration will also be established with other LLs, sister projects, JRC, and EUSO. The proposed solutions are expected to generate greater regional innovation, the adoption of monitoring practices and solutions, and increase the project's impact.