Co-creating solutions for soil health in Living Labs

This call is addressed to farms applying to participate as experimentation sites within one of the five TRAILS4SOIL Living Labs.

1. LL1 – Mediterranean Southern Europe (Spain & Portugal) Sustainable permanent cropping system under Mediterranean climate conditions
2. LL2 – Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland) Regenerative agriculture approaches towards organic farming systems
3. LL3 – Germany (National Living Lab) Improving soil health for climate change
4. LL4 – Continental Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Ukraine) Innovative solutions for black soil conservation
5. LL5 – Slovenia (National Living Lab) Conservation Agriculture with crop-livestock integration to enhance soil health

Interested farmers are invited to submit their applications within a deadline that will be confirmed upon publication of the call (expected to be approximately two months after publication), through the online application form:

Spain

Austria

Switzerland

Germany

Moldova

Romania

Ukraine

Slovenia

The application form may be completed in the applicant’s preferred language. Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the eligibility criteria will be automatically rejected. The selection process consists of the following stages:

Stage 1 – Eligibility Check

All applications will first be reviewed to ensure they comply with the formal eligibility requirements of the call. Only those meeting these requirements will proceed to the evaluation stage.

Stage 2 – Evaluation and Scoring

Eligible applications will be evaluated by an Expert Committee composed of project partners and/or external experts, ensuring independence and absence of conflict of interest. Applications will be assessed against the predefined selection criteria described in Section 8. Each application will be scored, based on a scoring system described in Section 8, and a ranking list will be established based on the total score.

Stage 3 – Clarification and Verification (if required)

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interviews and/or field visits to verify the feasibility and suitability of the proposed activities. These steps aim to confirm the information provided and do not introduce new evaluation criteria.

Final Selection

The final selection will be based on the ranking list, the available budget, and the strategic balance within each Living Lab. All applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome. TRAILS4SOIL reserves the right to relaunch the call if necessary.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for evaluation:

1. The farm must be located in one of the TRAILS4SOIL countries (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Moldova, Romania or Ukraine).
2. A minimum of 1 hectare of land must be dedicated to the implementation of Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Practices (ReCAP).
3. The applicant must be legally entitled to manage the land where the activities will be implemented.
4. Each applicant may submit only one application under this call. The application may include one or more fields (experimentation sites) proposed for participation.
5. The applicant must declare the absence of any conflict of interest that could affect the impartial implementation of the proposed activities.

Applications that do not comply with these eligibility criteria will be rejected.

Selection criteria

Eligible applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:

1. Relevance and alignment with the proposed ReCAP practices
2. Technical feasibility of the proposed implementation
3. Commitment and capacity of the applicant to carry out the activities
4. Availability and quality of data for monitoring purposes
5. Potential contribution to project objectives, including soil health improvement, sustainability and knowledge exchange

Each criterion will be scored, and applications will be ranked accordingly. The scoring methodology will be applied consistently to all applications. In case of equal scores, priority will be given based on the strategic balance within the relevant Living Lab and the overall diversity of selected experimentation sites.

Eligible cost

Financial support is provided as a lump sum of €5,000 per season for a maximum of three cropping seasons. This support contributes to the implementation of the agreed Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Practices (ReCAP), including related activities such as data collection, participation in Living Lab activities, and knowledge exchange. For subsequent seasons, the continuation of the support is subject to the fulfilment of the agreed commitments and a positive assessment of progress.

Selected farmers designated as lighthouse sites receive additional financial support (€5,000), subject to additional responsibilities.

In case of breach of obligations, misrepresentation, or misuse of funds, the project consortium reserves the right to suspend payments, terminate participation and recover the financial support granted.

Timeline

1. Call opens- 6th May 2026
2. Call closes- 6th July 2026 at 23:59 CEST
3. Announcement of selected applications (shortlist) – 13th July 2026
4. Interviews- 14th to 22nd July 2026
5. Confirmation of selected experimental sites- 27th July 2026
6. Agreement signed -31st July 2026

For further information, please refer to the information and guidelines published on the call website: https://trails4soil.eu/open-call/

To ensure a fair and transparent evaluation process, all communication with applicants during the application phase will be managed centrally. All questions related to this Open Call must be addressed to a central contact point: [email protected]. Individual contact with Living Lab leaders regarding the content of the call or the application process is discouraged during the application phase to ensure equal access to information for all applicants. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) will be published on the project website and updated regularly. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult this page before submitting any queries. Applicants are also encouraged to visit the official TRAILS4SOIL project website for additional information on the Open Call, project objectives, and related activities: trails4soil.eu.