The Horizon Europe project LILAS4SOILS, coordinated by EIT Food South, has launched a new Open Call for MRV providers to support the testing and validation of innovative technologies for soil organic carbon (SOC) monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) across Mediterranean and Southern European agricultural systems.
The call aims to identify up to 15 MRV solutions capable of improving accuracy, reducing sampling costs, and contributing to the standardization of SOC monitoring activities across the project’s network of five Living Labs located in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Israel.
Why this call matters
Carbon farming practices are increasingly recognized for their potential to:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Enhance carbon storage in soils and biomass
• Improve soil health
• Generate additional income for farmers through carbon markets
In this context, rigorous and scalable MRV methods are essential to ensure quality, transparency and comparability across European carbon farming initiatives.
What LILAS4SOILS offers
Selected providers will have the opportunity to test their solutions in real farming conditions across 100 farms, benefitting from direct collaboration with Living Lab Leaders, researchers and farmers.
Funding
• €2,000 per technology and cropping season
• Up to €4,000 per provider (2 cropping seasons, 2026–2028)
• Total available budget: €60,000
Examples of eligible MRV technologies:
• In-situ SOC estimation tools (sensors, handheld probes)
• Laboratory or field-based spectroscopy• Remote sensing (satellite, drone, airborne)
• Proximal sensing (IoT, electromagnetic methods)
• Modelling platforms and digital tools
• Biomass assessment methods
• AI/ML solutions and digital twins
• Any innovative technology aligned with SOC monitoring needs
Providers’ responsibilities
• Co-create testing protocols with Living Lab teams
• Travel to demo-sites as needed
• Share data and collaborate on analysis of test results
• Participate in at least one annual co-creation workshop
• Collaborate in knowledge sharing activities
• Submit two testing reports over the project period
Application process
Eligible applicants include SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs and research teams legally registered in a Horizon Europe-eligible country.
• Proof of company registration
• Documents confirming absence of debt to financial/social authorities
• Contact information
• CV of lead developer
• Team overview
• Technical description of the solution
• Testing plan
• Expected impact and scalability
Key Dates:
• Call launch: 24 November 2025
• Application deadline: 24 January 2026
• Selection results: 6 March 2026
Background: LILAS4SOILS
LILAS4SOILS aims to foster the adoption of Carbon Farming Practices (CFPs) in the Mediterranean and Southern EU by testing solutions in real-life settings through Living Labs. The project has already completed its first soil sampling campaign in autumn 2025, establishing baseline SOC stocks across its 100 demo-sites. Future assessments will combine traditional sampling, modelling and innovative MRV technologies.
More Information
For questions about the call, please contact:
Sonia Pietosi – Coordinator, LILAS4SOILS - Sonia.pietosi@eitfood.eu
Funded by the European Union (Grant no. 101157414).
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor any other granting authority can be held responsible for them.
