Call for MRV providers to test solutions under the LILAS4SOILS Project

Description

Provider's specifications The foreseen beneficiaries of this call will be technological small and medium enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, spin-offs or research teams from research institutions with promising new technology/device or tools that need to be tested and validated in real conditions. For the testing, selected providers will have access to the project’s network of 100 farms located across LILAS4SOILS Living Labs. Access could be both in terms of access in situ or access to data depending on the solution to be tested and subject to previous agreement of the testing plan with the farmer. Details on farms’ locations, agricultural systems and CFPs are provided in Annex 1 of the full call guidelines. LILAS4SOILS foresees the selection of MRV technologies that can reduce both sampling cost and the uncertainty of estimates of SOC change. Examples of technologies and applications include: In-situ estimation of SOC concentration and bulk density with sensors or handheld probes, which allows to increase the number of samples and improve spatial estimates Combination of SOC measured with dry combustion and spectroscopy (at the field or laboratory). Tools using remote sensing (satellite, drone, and airborne systems) and/or proximal sensing (IoT sensors, spectroscopy, electromagnetic methods) at some stage of the MRV process Modelling and (online) platforms to apply developed models at specific study areas Models or tools to estimate carbon inputs into the soil (e.g., dry biomass from cover crops and crop residues) required for modelling approaches, from a variety of systems (annual crops, perennial crops, agroforestry). Digital solutions (AI/ML solutions, digital twins, data integration) Improving sampling design efficiency with the use of remote or proximal sensors Applications of other MRV technologies that align with LILAS4SOILS needs and objectives are welcome (e.g. N2O measurement combined with SOC, methods and tools for biomass measurements). Provider's responsibilities Selected providers are expected to commit to the following: Co-create the testing protocols with LILAS4SOILS Living Lab Leaders and farmers (how, when, where) Travel to demo-sites as needed Share data and collaborate with Living Lab Leaders to analyse the testing results for the purpose of the project Attend at least one co-creation workshop (annual event usually planned in February) organised by the Living Lab where the chosen demo-site is located to provide feedback on the test results Potentially join capacity building or demonstration activities for farmers (if relevant) Collaborate in publications of results, whenever possible considering data anonymization requirements and IP considerations Provide testing reports after each testing period

Beneficiary & submission

Sumission Interested providers are invited to review the full call guidelines available at LILAS4SOILS and submit their applications by 24th January 2026 (23:59 PM CET) via this link APPLY NOW. Applications should include the following: Proof of registration of the company Documents demonstrating absence of debt to Finance and Social Security Authorities or equivalent entity in other countries (supporting documents) Details of the contact person and company’s website (if available) CV of lead solution developer Brief overview of team composition Methodological approach and technical specifications of the solution, including a brief summary of results obtained so far Testing plan: what to test, in which Living Lab and in which agricultural system (see annex for guidance), including a proposed timeline. Please indicate if you would be interested in testing your solution in multiple Living Labs. Impact: Description of how testing within LILAS4SOILS could support further development of the solution, and potential for scalability. Overview of team composition, methodological approach and technical specifications, testing plan and impact considerations should be sent as a presentation (pdf or powerpoint) not exceeding 8 slides. Applications must be complete and submitted in English. Complete applications will be notified of their acceptance. Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the selection criteria will be automatically rejected. By applying, providers give consent for the application to be processed by the LILAS4SOILS Consortium and two independent evaluators. They also confirm their willingness to provide further information or documents confirming the facts presented above as needed. All personal data will be handled in line with the GDPR and all documents will be treated as confidential. Selection process The selection process will consist of three stages: 1.   Eligibility check 2.      Shortlist of MRV providers based on the application (by 13th February 2026) 3.      Phone interview with shortlisted MRV providers if needed to clarify or collect additional information (by 27th February) The final results of the selection process will be communicated on 6th March 2026. All applications will be evaluated using transparent selection criteria detailed below. The results of the call will be directly communicated to all providers participating in the call. EIT Food reserves the right to select less than 15 MRV providers and relaunch the call if the present selection process does not yield satisfactory results in terms of quality of the proposals and geographical distribution across Living Labs. The selected providers will be required to sign an agreement with EIT Food, in English, and provide supporting documents as needed before receiving the grant. If selected, providers declare the willingness to act as a contributor of the LILAS4SOILS project based on conditions described under “Provider’s responsibilities”. Selection criteria Applications will be evaluated based on the selection criteria below. The same criteria will be used during the phone interview which is expected to be used to clarify information provided in the application and validate the suitability of the testing plan. Eligibility criteria Legal entity registered in a country eligible to receive funding from Horizon Europe. Physical persons or individuals are not eligible for the grant. Complete application form in English, including all supporting documents (3 files) Conduct the testing in the LILAS4SOILS Living Labs regions and farms (see Annex 1) Other selection criteria a.Technical excellence (40%): Soundness of methodology and scientific rigour, team composition, alignment with LILAS4SOILS goals, alignment with most recent guidelines of the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation b.Technical feasibility (30%): Clear and well-thought-out plan for testing and validation c.Impact (30%): Innovation potential in terms of cost reduction, accuracy (e.g. SOC measurements) and usability (ease of implementation and of use); potential scalability and replicability of the solution Each selection criteria will be scored from 1 to 5. The quality threshold for selection is a total weighted score of 3.5. The top highest-scoring applications in each geography will be selected.

Further information

EIT Food South is the Coordinator of the Horizon Europe-funded project “LILAS4SOILS - Fostering Carbon Farming Practices through Living Labs in the Mediterranean & Southern EU for the healthy future of European soils”. LILAS4SOILS put in place 5 Living Labs (LLs) in 6 countries – Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Israel - to co-create and implement Carbon Farming Practices (CFPs) in 100 farms across these countries, in areas dedicated to the project (see Annex 1). LILAS4SOILS Living Labs are open innovation ecosystems that bring together farmers, researchers, public authorities, private sector and civil society to test CFPs in real-life settings such as commercial farms. The project will contribute to measuring and quantifying the change in CO2 equivalent emissions from the implementation of CFPs and contribute to establishing regenerative agriculture as a commercially viable option. Via this Open Call, EIT Food will select up to 15 innovative MRV solutions and technologies to be tested under the LILAS4SOILS project during the period 2026-2028. The project aims to support the testing and validation of MRV technologies that facilitate sampling and analysis and contribute to the standardization and simplification of MRV activities across the project to measure the impact of CFPs implemented by LILAS4SOILS farmers. The data acquired with the novel technologies will be compared with the results obtained from the conventional sampling process (measure and remeasure) and process-based modelling developed under other LILAS4SOILS activities.