Innovative biotechnologies to restore soil health and improve agricultural competitiveness and resilience

This grant aims to support activities advancing Mission Soil's objectives and EU strategies for soil and biodiversity by developing, validating, and bringing innovative, scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective biotechnologies to market readiness. Emphasis is placed on biotechnologies—particularly those leveraging the soil microbiome—to enhance crop quality and productivity, remediate soil pollution, and restore soil health. Solutions should enable reduced dependency on synthetic chemicals, increased crop resilience, and improved agricultural productivity. Projects must develop, upscale, pilot, and validate biotechnology solutions across diverse European conditions, focusing on bioremediation of contaminated soils, increasing soil organic carbon, and improving soil structure. The approach must be multi-actor, involving various stakeholders to ensure market readiness, regulatory compliance, and socioeconomic feasibility.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	4 Feb 2027
End date	8 Apr 2027
Max funding	6,400,000 EUR per grant
Budget	12,800,000 EUR for this topic in 2027
Coverage	Funding is provided as a lump sum as defined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme and subject to the rules stipulated by the European Commission.

Grant application conditions

Admissibility Conditions	Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout as described in Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries	Applicants from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries; certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if their national provisions allow (refer to Horizon Europe Programme Guide).
Multi-actor Approach	Projects must implement the multi-actor approach, ensuring involvement of all relevant value chain actors (academia, research organizations, SMEs, start-ups, investors, legal advisors, manufacturing and distribution partners, end-users such as farmers and practitioners).
Financial and Operational Capacity	Applicants must have the required financial and operational capacity, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and Financial Set-up	Eligible costs will be reimbursed as lump sums according to the Horizon Europe rules and the Model Grant Agreement.
Application Forms	Standard application forms (HE IA) must be used. Application requirements and evaluation forms are described in the online manual and General Annexes.
Involvement in Coordination Activities	Projects should include a dedicated task, resources, and plan for collaboration with other projects under this and related topics, including participation in joint workshops, communication and dissemination activities, and upscaling potential.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-MISS-2027-05-SOIL-05-two-stage

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements