SOLO developed online tools for document creation, storage, collaboration, communication, and dissemination. A key achievement is an online tool for creating, publishing, and open reviewing consortium documents, ensuring public review of future roadmaps and supporting knowledge co-creation. The platform facilitates broad stakeholder interaction with project outputs. A scoping document highlighting initial knowledge gaps for the final roadmap was published and reviewed. In the context of SOLO we also established the Soil Network of Knowledge (SNK), that includes researchers, growers, agricultural consultants, policy experts, and organizations like the UN Food and Agricultural Organization and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The SNK generates research background and expert knowledge to identify critical knowledge gaps, their causes, and solutions. SOLO also implemented Think Tanks for each Mission Soil objective, enabling stakeholders to co-create roadmaps and feedback. Guidelines for Think Tanks and the SNK were created. In the first 18 months, Think Tanks produced nine preliminary assessments of knowledge gaps, completed in May 2024. These assessments informed the final roadmaps, involving collaboration between Think Tank partners and the partners responsible for generating an overall European roadmap for research and innovation on soils, as well as as to harmonize the reporting and evaluate priorities. Final roadmaps will address identified gaps with technical, social, and economic strategies, highlighting the need for better knowledge production and transfer mechanisms. SOLO partners assessed conditions for implementing the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, broadening soil monitoring scope. SOLO investigated drivers of soil health changes in the EU using the DPSIR framework and meta-analysis. This activity supports the discussion of the specific and overall roadmaps by identifying specific drivers, helping assess implications of solving knowledge gaps and setting funding priorities. Results will be published and potentially integrated into an interactive web tool. Initial findings were included in overarching roadmap discussions, thematic priorities, and regional/local activities. Workshops and events like Soil Weeks and Regional Nodes identified regional soil health gaps and trade-offs. Soil Weeks disseminate results and gather feedback, while Regional Nodes develop tailored roadmaps and future Living Labs. These activities help regionalize research and innovation funding, addressing varying regional needs. Finally, SOLO also worked with the Mission Soil Secretariat, Mission Board, and Mission Soil Platform to propose Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for tracking R&I activities. These KPIs include quantitative and qualitative indicators, interpretations, and methods for obtaining them, providing a comprehensive view of Mission Soil R&I activities. SOLO emphasized qualitative impact narratives to describe funding priority effects, moving beyond quantification to capture real impacts. These results were proposed to the Mission Soil Platform and are awaiting assessment.
