Healthy soils need connected minds. The SOILL Hub is designed to bring them together.
Giulia Campodonico, SOILL-Startup Coordinator
Soil might be beneath our feet, but it's rapidly rising to the top of Europe’s innovation agenda. Over 60% of European soils are unhealthy, with degradation arising from poor land management and climate change. According to the European Commission, soil restoration offers major economic benefits: up to €1.2 trillion globally each year. In Europe, the cost of inaction on soil degradation outweighs the cost of action by six times, according to the Commission. Healthy soils support food security, biodiversity and sustainable economic growth across sectors.
As part of the EU soil strategy, the Commission has launched the Horizon Europe Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, a novel approach to research and innovation that mobilises public and private actors to work together towards a common goal: creating the first of a network of 100 living labs and lighthouses, with more than 1,000 testing sites encompassing a wide range of land-use sectors (agriculture, forestry, industry, urban and natural) across Europe. The Mission Soil Living labs are real-world hubs serving as testing grounds for innovative solutions to soil challenges. They involve long–term partnerships between researchers, land managers and other stakeholders, fostering collaboration and knowledge co-creation. Lighthouses, on the other hand, showcase successful practices for soil health, acting as inspirational models for others.
With the launch of the SOILL Hub on World Environment Day, the EU-funded SOILL-Startup project has just rolled out a digital platform to bring the growing network of Mission Soil Living Labs and Lighthouses, as well as researchers, public authorities, industry leaders, land managers, and citizens together - online, in real time and with purpose. Designed to support the ambitious goals of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, the SOILL Hub is intended to be an intuitive online space for collaboration, capacity-building and innovation.
Accessible via soill2030.app, the SOILL Hub aims to nurture a purpose-built ecosystem to empower work to restore Europe's soils. “The SOILL Hub brings together the collective intelligence of European soil health and living lab communities,” says Giulia Campodonico, head of projects at the European Network of Living Labs and SOILL-Startup project coordinator. “It creates an inclusive space for sharing knowledge, building partnerships, and designing the transformative solutions we need to reach the Mission Soil’s ambitious goal of establishing 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses leading the transition to healthy soils by 2030.”
What the SOILL Hub offers
Built around the needs of the first wave of funded Soil Health Living Labs, the SOILL Hub was developed following user-centric design and agile development principles, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience tailored to diverse professional profiles. Upon registration, users are onboarded based on their role - Living Lab members, researchers, educators, local officials, NGOs, companies, and more - and receive access to custom features and relevant content.
At its core, the SOILL Hub is a collaborative engine. Its main features include an interactive newsfeed, which resembles a social media feed, where users can share a live stream of updates, events, a user and organisation directory, i.e., a searchable space to connect with peers and potential collaborators across Europe.
Users can also participate in group spaces, public and private working groups for thematic discussions, event tools, live chat, knowledge repository, as well as an interactive map (the Atlas) to explore existing Living Lab initiatives. A helpdesk is also accessible for resolving issues around Soil Health Living Labs and navigating the Mission Soil application process.
As well as increasing efficiency, these tools were built to foster peer-to-peer learning, inspire new collaborations and accelerate the deployment of innovative soil solutions on the ground.
Supporting the Mission Soil’s 2025 funding topics
With the publication of the 2025 Mission Soil call for proposals, the SOILL Hub could be an indispensable asset for potential applicants. It can help community members discover the funding opportunities for projects aiming to establish the Mission Soil Living Labs and access guidance materials while connecting with experienced mentors. The SOILL Hub also plays a strategic role in enhancing soil literacy, stakeholder engagement, and Living Lab design, all priorities for this year's thematic events and webinars.
A hub for today and tomorrow
The SOILL Hub is built to grow alongside the Mission Soil. Future updates will expand its interactive features, integrate with other platforms, and continuously reflect user feedback. It is intended to be more than just another digital platform. As SOILL-Startup coordinator Giulia Campodonico puts it: “We designed the SOILL Hub not just as a tool, but as a community accelerator where researchers, practitioners, land managers and citizens can work hand-in-hand to bring the Soil Mission’s ambitions to life. It’s an invitation to take part, to connect and to lead change together.”
With its launch, the Hub sets the stage for a more cohesive, innovative, and participatory approach to sustainable soil management across Europe.
The SOILL-Startup consortium invites you to be part of this European movement for soil regeneration. Visit the SOILL Hub and join the network.
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