LivingSoiLL Open Call

LivingSoiLL Open Call

Type of grant: Cascade funding

Opening date: 05 March 2025

Deadline model: single-stage

Deadline date: 05 May 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Status: Open for submission

Expected duration of participation: Selected applicants are expected to cooperate with the Living Lab members and LivingSoiLL partners for, at least, 30 months. During this period, applicants are expected to contribute to the LivingSoiLL activities and, on the other hand, benefit from the research and innovation activities implemented by the project.

Total funding available: €400,000.00

Project acronym: LivingSoiLL

Full name of the EU funded project: Healthy Soil to Permanent Crops Living Labs

Grant agreement number: 101157502

Topic: HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-08 - Co-creating solutions for soil health in Living Labs

Submission & evaluation process

Through this Open Call, the LivingSoiLL project aims to strengthen the Loire Valley & Beaujolais and Grójec Living Labs (LLs) by enlarging the number of actors and experimental sites engaged in the co-creation activities and co-design of solutions for enhancing soil health in the regions of these LLs, i.e., France and Poland, respectively.

TYPE OF APPLICANTS

The LivingSoiLL Open Call will fund projects implemented by one (1) legal entity or by (2) a consortium of two legal entities applying as a consortium. The following types of entities are invited to submit their proposals:

1. Landowners or land managers.
2. Research Centres.
3. Companies (including start-ups, SMEs, and large companies).
4. Public administration.
5. Representatives of civil society (e.g. environmental NGOs, consumers’ organisations)
6. Both private and public entities are eligible to apply.

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES

Entities established in France or in Poland are eligible to participate in the LivingSoiLL Open Call. Applicants should include in their proposal at least 1 new experimental site located in the region of one of the Living Labs to which they are applying, i.e, LL4 - Loire Valley & Beaujolais LL (France); or LL5 - Grójec LL (Poland).

SUBMISSION PROCESS

The application procedures are described in more detail in the Guide for Applicants available at https://livingsoill.eu/open-calls

Submissions will be done exclusively via https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/LivingSoiLL_2025_OC

_{It is strongly recommended that applicants do not wait until the last minute to submit their proposal. The failure to submit a proposal on time, for any reason, including network communications delays or working from multiple browsers or multiple browser windows, is not acceptable as an extenuating circumstance. The time of receipt of the application as recorded by the submission system will be definitive.}

PROPOSALS EVALUATION

An initial eligibility verification will be done to filter out and discard non-eligible proposals. Proposals considered eligible will move on to the evaluation phase. The evaluation will be done remotely by a jury composed of senior members from the LivingSoiLL partners’ organisations. Each application will be evaluated by at least three (3) jury members: one from the coordinating institution, one from the LL to which the proposal is applying and one from one of the research partners’ entities.

The proposals will be scored (between 0- fail and 5- excellent) based on the criteria below:

1. EC1. Alignment: Characteristics of the proposed experimental site (including location, area, crop, soil structure and challenges); Alignment with the LivingSoiLL project objectives.
2. EC2. Innovation potential and impact: Quality and credibility of the proposed activities for engagement in the selected LL; Potential impact of the proposed contribution to the LL and to the Mission Soil.
3. EC3. Competences and capabilities: Demonstration of commitment from the applicant; Skills, competence, and expertise to implement the proposed activities.
4. EC4. Cost-benefit: Adequacy of the requested budget with the proposed activities.

The minimum threshold for each criterion is three (3).

The LivingSoiLL consortium aims at selecting at minimum of five (5) proposals and a maximum of ten (10), and at least two (2) addressing the Loire Valley & Beaujolais Living Lab (France); and at least two (2) addressing the Grójec Living Lab (Poland).

Further information

Two webinars will be organised to present the Open Call:

1. 25^th March 2025 - 11:00 CET, focused on the Loire Valley & Beaujolais Living Lab.
2. 1^st April 2025 - 11:00 CET, focused on the Grójec Living Lab.

More information about the Open Call and webinars is available at https://livingsoill.eu/open-calls.

It is highly recommended that interested applicants read ALL the documentation related to the Open Call.

Applicants are encouraged to contact LivingSoiLL support team for additional information and guidance: livingsoill@inova.business.

Task description

Two types of projects are available within the LivingSoiLL Open Call.

1. Type A: projects up to 35 000 Euros
2. Type B: projects up to 75 000 Euros

Eligible activities can include, but are not limited to, the following options:

# Fieldwork Activities, such as:

·Activities related to soil management to enhance soil health (mandatory).

·Other fieldwork activities relevant to the proposed project.

# Capacity Building and Collaboration, such as:

·Travel directly related to the project scope.

·Participation in technical meetings.

·Organisation of events, workshops, or meetings (mandatory for Type B projects).

·Performing and participating in LL activities.

·Other capacity building and collaboration activities relevant to the proposed project.

# Dissemination and Reporting, such as:

·Awareness-raising and communication activities.

·Preparation and collaboration on reports.

.Other dissemination and reporting activities relevant to the proposed project.

Proposals must achieve all the following outcomes by the end of the collaboration period:

1. Co-create and implement innovative soil management techniques, practices, or technologies to enhance soil health in the new experimental site (s) brought by the applicant, under real-life conditions;
2. Maintain active collaboration with LivingSoiLL project partners, adhering to LL governance and leadership structures throughout the project;
3. Share data on soil health indicators and the impacts of new techniques (a minimum of two (2) soil sampling campaigns);
4. Contribute to the validation and scaling of sustainable soil management practices (e.g., piloting techniques, providing recommendations, or documenting results);
5. Report all activities performed, outcomes achieved, and lessons learned throughout the collaboration with the LivingSoiLL project.