On September 10, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden, the iCOSHELL research and innovation project was officially launched this week, focusing on enhancing soil health across the EU. Using Living Labs located in the Basque Country, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Sweden, the project integrates a wide range of local stakeholders to co-design and test effective strategies for improving soil health.
Soil is fundamental to life on Earth, yet a concerning 60%-70% of EU soils are considered unhealthy due to pollution, urbanization, and intensive agriculture—conditions exacerbated by climate change. This degradation presents significant economic, social, and environmental challenges, manifesting as reduced land productivity and loss of biodiversity. The iCOSHELLs project aligns with the EU’s mission “A Soil Deal for Europe,” which aims to reduce soil pollution, enhance biodiversity, and improve soil health across the continent by 2030.
The iCOSHELL project is part of the EU mission “A Soil Deal for Europe,” which aims to lead the transition toward healthy soils by 2030. The project will specifically contribute to goals 4, 6, and 8 of the mission, which include reducing soil pollution and enhancing restoration, improving soil structure to boost soil biodiversity, and improving the role of soil in society.
The project uses a systematic approach to build stakeholder capacities, bridge science with practical applications, deepen the understanding of soil indicators, and replicate effective soil recovery methods. The ultimate goal is to develop, test, and validate scalable solutions.
The diverse geographical and climatic scope of the six Living Labs promotes the replicability of innovative solutions, addressing unique regional challenges, from agricultural soil health in Southern Sweden to soil restoration in contaminated sites in Western Macedonia, Greece.
- Southern Sweden, addressing agricultural soil health issues.
- Southeastern Spain (Murcia and Almería), creating a living ecosystem for sustainable agriculture.
- Basque Country, improving cross-border soil structure in wetlands, semi-urban, and forested areas.
- In Greece, in the region of Western Macedonia, focusing on soil restoration and rehabilitation in contaminated mining areas.
- Northern Italy, emphasizing agricultural soil health in rural, urban, and semi-urban areas.
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria, addressing soil organic matter depletion, poor soil structure, and soil biodiversity.
Erik Sindhöj, Senior Scientist at the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and lead scientist of iCOSHELLs, shares an interesting aspect of the project:
“Our Living Labs are more than just testing grounds. They are vibrant hubs where groundbreaking innovations for soil health are cultivated. Covering diverse climate zones in Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, these labs are designed to produce adaptable solutions that enhance soil biodiversity and ecosystem services tailored to local needs. This dynamic network of labs not only focuses on local improvements but also ensures that successful strategies are scalable and applicable across Europe, serving as a model for a pioneering approach to environmental restoration.”
Dr. Georgios Ntalos, Professor and Principal Investigator from the University of Thessaly, a partner in the project, emphasizes: “It is a great opportunity to utilize contaminated areas, such as the lignite mines in Greece, for the production of biomass, which our country increasingly needs due to the rise of electricity production companies using biomass combustion.”
iCOSHELL involves 39 partners from across Europe, coordinated by the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. The project started on September 1, 2024, and will continue for four years, with regular updates available on a dedicated LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104658102/.
Contact
Coordination: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, cheryl.marie.cordeiro@ri.se
Scientific Responsible: Erik Sindhöj, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, erik.sindhoj@ri.se
Communication & Media: Laura Nieto Cuervo, Greenovate! Europe, l.nieto@greenovate-europe.eu
On behalf of the University of Thessaly, the program is managed by Professor Dr. Georgios Ntalos. gntalos@uth.gr
Project Data
Consortium Partners:
RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN;
CSCP CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION;
ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DE LA ENERGIA Y DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE DE LA REGION DE MURCIA;
ZABALA INNOVATION CONSULTING S.A.;
IFAU APS;
LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AND BIOECONOMY;
Greenovate! Europe;
ASOCIACIÓN DE INDUSTRIAS DE CONOCIMIENTO Y TECNOLOGIA – GAIA – EUSKALHERRIKO EZAGUTZA ETA TEKNOLOGIA INDUSTRIEN ELKARTEA;
West Macedonia Bioeconomy and Environment Group (CLuBE).
ISTITUTO DI STUDI PER L’INTEGRAZIONE DEI SISTEMI (I.S.I.S) – SOCIETA’ COOPERATIVA;
AGRAREN UNIVERSITET – PHILIPPOPOLIS;
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID;
AGROBIGDATE KONSULT AB;
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET;
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS;
INSTITUTO MURCIANO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y DESARROLLO AGRARIO Y MEDIOAMBIENTAL (IMIDA); FUNDACION GRUPO CAJAMAR;
ESKILARA S KOOP TXIKIA;
EUSKAMPUS FUNDAZIOA;
OBISPADO DE BILBAO;
INNOVATEKBI KREA SOCIEDAD LIMITADA;
AYUNTAMIENTO DE FORUA;
ANONYMI ETAIREIA DIACHEIRISIS APORRIMMATON PER DYTIKIS MAKEDONIAS;
UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY;
NEA GEORGIA NEA GENIA URBAN NON-PROFIT COMPANY;
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO;
COMUNE DI OPPEANO;
RUMA SRL SOCIETA;
INNOVHUB – STAZIONI SPERIMENTALI PER L’INDUSTRIA SRL;
CONSORZIO VOLONTARIO PER LA TUTELA DEI VINI CON DENOMINAZIONE FRANCIACORTA E SEBINO;
POLITECNICO DI MILANO;
PARCO REGIONALE DEL MINCIO;
UNIVERSITA CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE;
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO;
STATENS VETERINAERMEDICINSKA ANSTALT;
Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund;
IDEELLA FORENINGEN ODLING I BALANS MED FIRMA ODLING I BALANS;
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY SERVICE.
