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Broadening the living labs approach for soil health in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

European Commission

Expected Outcome:

Activities under this topic contribute to the eight specific objectives of the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’. Activities will also contribute to the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), African Union strategies, the ‘Declaration of the EU-CELAC Summit 2023’[1], the LAC Communication[2], as well as other initiatives and action plans relevant for soil health and the support of global commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, biodiversity, and climate.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

Soil degradation is minimized or reversed, and soil health is enhanced in rural, urban and peri-urban areas of Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Local communities and small land managers and land users in Africa or LAC have increased access to scalable practice-oriented tools and learning mechanisms for soil health, including monitoring, based on participatory research.
Establishment of a recognised mechanism for exchange of soil health knowledge, of learning experiences and tools that can be replicated and that can attract additional finance to support human-centred design and testing of solutions for soil health.
Policy makers can put in place an effective framework to support continuous generation and adoption of knowledge-based, context-specific solutions for soil health and sustainable land management in Africa or LAC.

Scope:

Living labs have the potential to empower the transition towards healthy soils by closing the gap between science and practice. Three components are recognizable within the now well-established living labs research concept: (a) co-creation of solutions with a large set of stakeholders, (b) carried out in real-life settings and (c) involving the end-users. Living labs are thus collaborations between multiple actors that operate and undertake experiments on individual sites such as farms, forest stands, urban green or industrial areas, enterprises and other locations, where the work is carried out and monitored under real-life conditions.

Soil health gains require adapted, site-specific practices. However, providing millions of (small) land managers with access to regional or field-specific solutions and tailored advisory, remains challenging and requires new approaches. In particular, as the lack of feedback loops between land managers and researchers may lead to the development or implementation of inappropriate solutions or hinder the adaptation of solutions to local contexts.

Building on the abovementioned living labs principles, this topic aims to support the development of human-centred initiatives for research, development, education, extension and support sustainable soil management, with the final goal of accelerating and expanding the adoption of context-specific solutions for soil health protection and restoration in Africa and LAC. The Mission Soil living labs concept (see topic HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-01: Co-creating solutions for soil health in Living Labs) is not expected to be replicated as such, but rather to inspire the exploration of new models and participatory initiatives that, based on the same principles, emerge from African and LAC soil-related communities as drivers of change in soil management.

Proposals should:

Support the set-up of at least 12 participatory initiatives in real-life sites in at least 5 to 6 countries in each region (Africa or LAC). The participatory initiatives should co-design, co-develop and co-implement with all relevant actors, locally adapted solutions and holistic approaches to key soil health challenge(s) related with one or more of the Mission Soil specific objectives. The initiatives should cover a diversity of environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts across the regions (Africa or LAC) and the proposed solutions should be adapted to these contexts. The initiatives should integrate knowledge and expertise from SSH disciplines.
Support the participatory initiatives to monitor and assess the progress on soil health and socio-economic resilience derived from the implementation of the solutions. For this, adequate indicators (new or existing) should be used, and a baseline established.
Support land managers, land users, advisers as well as any relevant actors involved in the participatory initiatives, to co-implement the solutions, by providing training, capacity building, knowledge exchange, etc. (e.g. sharing best practices, organising demonstration activities or cross-visits). Actors involved in the participatory initiatives should not be partners of the successful proposals funded under this topic.
Identify initiatives that are exemplary in their performance on soil health improvement and can act as places for demonstration of solutions (similar to the Mission Soil lighthouse concept) to efficiently disseminate knowledge and accelerate the adoption, scale up and transferability of solutions and increase the impact on the ground.
Develop an inclusive exchange mechanism among the established initiatives to enable a rapid peer-to-peer learning and a toolbox to support the adaptation and replication of these initiatives in other contexts by others. The exchange mechanism should operate as an incubator of new initiatives in at least 5 to 6 countries in each region (Africa or LAC) and be designed to allow geographical expansion and sustainability.
Ensure long-term ambition, continuity, and sustainability of the established mechanism beyond the Horizon Europe funding, including through attracting other funding and identifying possible business models and actions involving local authorities, social economy entities and social enterprises business communities, SMEs, investors, entrepreneurs and philanthropic organisations.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ Strong, Mission-Aligned Impact (Most Important Across EC Calls)

The EC is impact-driven: proposals must show how the project will:

Solve a major European or global societal challenge

Deliver measurable, lasting benefits for EU citizens

Produce outputs that can be used by policymakers, industry, or society

Align with Horizon Europe missions, priorities, and strategic agendas

Predictor: Clear, quantifiable, EU-level impact → strongest scoring factor.

2️⃣ Clear, Ambitious, but Achievable Objectives

Successful proposals show:

2–4 well-defined objectives linked to the Work Programme call text

Clearly articulated research questions or innovation goals

Logical, realistic expected outcomes and deliverables

Feasible scientific and technical approaches

Predictor: Balanced ambition + feasibility.

3️⃣ Excellent, Cutting-Edge Science or Innovation

For RIA/IA/CSA or ERC-level grants, reviewers expect:

High novelty and innovation

Strong grounding in current state-of-the-art

Clear advancement beyond existing approaches

Solid theoretical or experimental foundations

Robust methodological design

Predictor: Scientific excellence is essential for competitive scoring.

4️⃣ Strong Consortium with Complementary Expertise

EC proposals are consortium-driven (except ERC/EIC Accelerator).

High-scoring consortia:

Cover all needed competencies (science, industry, policy, ethics, dissemination)

Include SMEs, industry partners, NGOs, and public bodies when relevant

Are geographically diverse across EU Member States and Associated Countries

Demonstrate strong leadership and communication structures

Predictor: Well-constructed consortium with clear roles.

5️⃣ Clear Pathway From Outputs → Outcomes → Impact

Evaluators look for a credible trajectory showing:

How research leads to specific outputs (data, tools, prototypes)

How outputs lead to uptake or use

How use produces societal, economic, scientific, or policy impact

Strong Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and impact metrics

Predictor: Clearly mapped impact pathway.

6️⃣ Strong Implementation Plan (Work Packages, Deliverables, Gantt Chart)

Winning proposals have:

Well-designed Work Packages (WPs) with clear scope and responsibilities

Interdependencies identified and risk-mitigation strategies

Detailed milestones and deliverables

Feasible budget aligned with tasks

Strong project management plan

Predictor: High implementation quality boosts the “Excellence” and “Implementation” scores.

7️⃣ Policy Relevance and Contribution to EU Strategies

Especially critical for health, climate, digital, and social calls.

Proposals score higher when they link to:

EU Cancer Mission

EU Green Deal

Digital Europe strategy

EU Biodiversity Strategy

EU Health Union & One Health

Open Science & FAIR data mandates

Predictor: Clear alignment with EU policies.

8️⃣ Strong Stakeholder & Citizen Engagement (Especially in Social & Health Missions)

EC values inclusivity:

Patient groups

Civil society organizations

Public sector bodies

Regulatory agencies

Citizen science components

Stakeholder letters of intent or commitment strengthen credibility.

Predictor: Engagement adds impact and relevance.

9️⃣ Robust Data Management, Open Science, and Ethics

Mandatory components include:

FAIR Data Management Plan

Open access publications

Ethics self-assessment

GDPR compliance

Data security, governance, and ethical approvals

Animal-use reduction and justification (if applicable)

Predictor: Clear compliance with ethical and data obligations.

10️⃣ Well-Justified Budget and Resource Allocation

Budget must be:

Proportional to tasks

Transparent and reasonable

Efficiently distributed among partners

Free from padding or unjustified costs

Predictor: Realistic budgets improve Implementation scores.

🚫 COMMON PITFALLS THAT LEAD TO EC GRANT REJECTION

Pitfall	Why It Fails
Weak connection to Work Programme text	Immediate score reduction
Vague or generic impact statements	Poor Impact score
Overly ambitious, unrealistic scope	Feasibility concerns
Poorly structured consortium	Low Implementation score
No policy relevance	Weak strategic alignment
Lack of concrete KPIs or outcomes	Impact unclear
Weak data or ethics plan	Eligibility/score penalties
No exploitation or dissemination plan	Insufficient impact credibility
Budget misalignment	Reviewer distrust

Specialties

Environmental Health

Eligibility Requirements

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

Due to the scope of this topic, all legal entities established in: (i) all African Union member states*; or (ii) in all member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)** are exceptionally eligible for Union funding (i.e., even if they are not established in a low-middle income country, following the ‘List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe’, which are directly eligible for funding).

In addition, international organisations with headquarters in an EU Member State, an Associated Country, an African Union member state* or a CELAC member state** are exceptionally eligible for funding.

* "African Union member states" includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.

** The member countries of CELAC.

Proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in the introduction to this work programme part.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Commission

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Rue de la Loi 200 / Wetstraat 200, 1049 Brussels

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