Advancing agri-food system transformation through innovative soil health solutions: ensuring synergies between the Mission Soil and the EIT Food

Grant to identified beneficiary

The proposed action will pilot a collaboration between the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' (Mission Soil) and the EIT Food. EU Missions are expected to increase efforts to mobilise a broader portfolio of instruments, building synergies with other parts of Horizon Europe. Mission Soil and EIT Food share a strong commitment to sustainability and soil health, engaging a wide range of stakeholders—researchers, farmers, businesses, and public authorities—to co-create solutions and foster innovation. While they are aligned in purpose, they deploy different tools to reach their goals: Mission Soil operates primarily through large, collaborative research and innovation projects, whereas EIT Food supports market-driven innovation via accelerators, entrepreneurship programmes, and education tools that empower startups and businesses to deliver scalable, consumer-oriented solutions.

This action aims to accelerate Europe’s transition towards sustainable agriculture and facilitate market access for soil health startups and is expected to harness the strengths of both approaches, Mission Soil and EIT Food.

Expected impact:

• Accelerated progress toward competitive, sustainable, resilient agriculture and healthy soils in the EU and Associated Countries.
• Synergies and complementarities between the Mission Soil and the EIT Food result in higher impact across the EU’s and Associated Countries’ agri-food sector.

Expected Outcomes:

• Tools, mechanisms and support for de-risking the transition towards sustainable soil management involving all the actors of the value chain are further developed, tested and accessible for farmers and other operators, including retailers and consumers.
• Enhanced support and opportunities for innovators developing cutting-edge methods, tools and solutions for soil health across diverse value chains to test, validate, demonstrate and commercialise their innovations across all food value chain.
• Farmers and landowners have access to a comprehensive set of innovations and support to sustainably manage their land, enhancing their competitiveness and resilience while reducing their dependence on external inputs and chemicals.
• Synergies and complementarities between the Mission Soil and the EIT Food projects and communities are actively explored and leveraged, thereby amplifying the overall impact.

Scope:

EIT Food should:

• Building on the EIT Food’s Impact Funding Framework and the EIT Food Regenerative Agriculture Portfolio, launch a call/s for proposal focusing on the development and testing of tools and frameworks that support and monitor the transition to sustainable soil management. This includes not only improving soil health but also de-risking the transition for farmers through mechanisms such as carbon farming, cost-reduction strategies, market-based incentives (certification, labels, premiums), MRV methodologies and transparency mechanisms to evaluate impact on soil health, digital technologies, biotechnology and circular economy innovations, etc.
• Organise entrepreneurship programmes, drawing on the EIT Food Seedbed Incubator, Accelerator Networks, RisingFoodStars, and Prize-Based Challenges, centred on improving soil health. This initiative would invite startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs to develop and scale practical solutions to enhance soil quality and support sustainable land management.
• Promote and disseminate the actions in relevant key events and EIT Food’s and Mission Soil’s communications channels, including newsletters, social media, and partner spotlights.
• Participation in expert panels, demo days, or EU-level events to showcase validated solutions and policy align.
• EIT Food should collaborate with the Mission Soil Secretariat and the Mission Soil Platform. It should also consider dedicated activities and appropriate resources for coordination and joint measures with relevant Horizon Europe projects and initiatives funded under the Mission, including engagement in relevant clustering processes.

Award criteria: The criteria are described in General Annex D.

Procedure: The evaluation committee will be composed partially by representatives of EU institutions.

Legal and financial set-up of the Grant Agreements:

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021- 2025)232.

The funding rate will be 50%.

This action should follow the structure of a Coordination and Support Action (CSA).

This action supports the follow-up to the July 2023 Communication on EU Missions assessment.