Open Call for the Selection of Providers of Innovative MRV technologies
OpenDescription
The activities that qualify for financial support include: • The development and implementation of technologies for measuring soil health indicators such as water retention, organic matter, microbial biodiversity, among others. • The installation and maintenance of innovative equipment and technologies at the experimentation sites. • Training farmers and Living Lab teams on the use of these technologies to maximise their impact on soil monitoring. • Reporting results and analysing the data collected during two agricultural seasons. • Collaboration with Farmers and Engagement of Actors in the Living Labs: Technology providers must actively engage with farmers and LL stakeholders to test and refine their MRV solutions. This includes on farm testing, training sessions, and feedback loops to ensure usability and effectiveness in real-world Conditions. MRV Harmonization Across Living Labs Given that different Living Labs may employ distinct MRV technologies, ensuring data comparability and harmonization is a key priority. The following strategies will be implemented by the consortium members: • Standardized Data Collection Protocols: Regardless of the MRV technology used, all LLs will adhere to a common framework for data collection, ensuring that core soil health indicators (e.g., soil organic carbon, microbial activity, water retention) are measured in a standardized manner. • Interoperability Requirements for MRV Technologies: The technologies developed across different LLs should provide interoperability and data-sharing capabilities, allowing seamless integration of different technologies into a unified data analysis framework. • Cross-LL Calibration and Validation: Periodic inter-Living Lab validation exercises will be conducted to benchmark and harmonize data from different MRV tools, ensuring consistency across regions and experimental conditions.
Beneficiary & submission
The aim of the call is to select providers of innovative technologies that offer advanced solutions for measuring and monitoring soil health indicators at experimentation sites within the 5 Living Labs of the project: LL1 – Mediterranean Southern Europe (Spain & Portugal) Sustainable permanent cropping system under Mediterranean climate conditions LL2 – Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland) Regenerative agriculture approaches towards organic farming systems LL3 – Germany (National Living Lab) Improving soil health for climate change LL4 – Continental Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Ukraine) Innovative solutions for black soil conservation LL5 – Slovenia (National Living Lab) Conservation Agriculture with crop-livestock integration to enhance soil health This process seeks to improve the precision of evaluating the impacts of ReCAP (Regenerative and conservation agricultural practices) and promote collaboration between the agricultural and technological sectors. Through this call, the following results are expected: • The implementation of innovative technologies in a significant number of lighthouses and experimentation sites for the monitoring of key soil health indicators over two agricultural seasons. • The acquisition of precise and relevant data on indicators such as water retention, organic content, microbial biodiversity, among others. • The establishment of collaborations between farmers and technology companies, fostering innovation in the agricultural sector. Eligible Costs: Maximum amount of financial support for each third party (200 000 €): • Total budget: 250 000 €. • Maximum funding per technology: 50 000 €. A.Submission: Interested providers are invited to submit their applications by 31 August 2026 (23:59 CET) via this link APPLY NOW. The application form may be completed in english. Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the eligibility criteria will be automatically rejected. 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, including a proposed timeline. Please notice the solution should be tested in multiple Living Labs. • Impact: Description of how testing within TRAIL4SOIL could support further development of the solution, and potential for scalability. • Detailed economic Budget All this information should be uploaded in a PDF not exceeding 8 pages. B.Selection process 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 before in this document. Each application will be scored, based on a scoring system described previously, 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 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. C. Eligibility criteria and Selection criteria Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for evaluation. Persons or categories of persons that may receive financial support: • Private technology providers offering innovative solutions for soil health monitoring. • Technological companies specializing in environmental indicator measurement, capable of adapting their solutions to the specific needs of the experimentation sites within the Living Labs. • Collaborating entities that present proposals aligned with the objectives of TRAILS4SOIL and offer viable and effective technologies for soil monitoring. Each applicant may submit only one application under this call. 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. Eligible applications will be evaluated against the following criteria: Technological Innovation: The novelty and degree of innovation of the proposed solutions for measuring soil health (min score: 3; maximum score:5). Technical Feasibility: Technologies must be viable for implementation at the experimentation sites and adaptable to different agronomic conditions (min score: 3; maximum score:5). Scalability and Replicability: Priority will be given to solutions that can be replicated at other sites or scaled to a larger number of hectares or crops (min score: 3; maximum score:5). Contribution to the Project’s Objectives: Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they will contribute to monitoring the benefits of ReCAP (min score: 3; maximum score:5). Provider Experience: Previous experience in implementing technologies for environmental monitoring will be a key factor. The technology readiness level (TRL) shall be duly taken into account. (min score: 3; maximum score:5). Each criterion will be scored on a scale of 1 to 5, and applications will be ranked based on the overall score calculated through a weighted formula. 1 = poor 2 = fair 3 = good 4 = Very good 5 = excellent P= 20%A+25%B+20%C+20%D+15%E The scoring methodology will be applied consistently to all applications. In case of equal scores, priority will be given based on an online interview with the selected candidates. D.Timeline Call opens: 30 June 2026 Call closes: 31 August 2026 (23:59 CEST) Announcement of selected applications (shortlist): 30 September 2026 Interviews: 14 to 18 September 2026 Confirmation of selected companies: 30 October Agreements signed: 2-6 November 2026
Further information
For further information, please refer to the information and guidelines published on the call website: https://trails4soil.eu/open-MRV-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: trails4soil@uco.es. 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.