More specifically, the proposals should:

• Support the setup of four to five living labs to work together on soil remediation solutions (practices, tools, strategies, etc.) and green redevelopment of brownfields. The living labs should be located in at least three different Member States and/or Associated Countries. Proposals should explain the rationale and mechanisms for cooperation across the living labs and explain how the work undertaken will contribute to one or more of the Mission’s specific objectives[2]. Proposals should present a realistic combination of a limited selection of variables which should be clearly described (e.g., number of soil health challenges addressed, pedo-climatic conditions, land uses, Mission objectives addressed).
• Establish an interdisciplinary, participatory, and multi-actor approach in the living labs to co-design, co-develop and co-implement locally adapted solutions for the common soil health challenge(s), taking into account relevant drivers and pressures. Proposed solutions should be adapted to the different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts in which the living labs are operating.
• Establish for each living lab a baseline for the relevant soil descriptors/indicators adequate for brownfields, to allow for an accurate co-assessment of the changes in different sites over time. The set of soil health indicators/descriptors presented in the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience should be used a basis; proposals may complement with additional indicators depending on the soil health challenge(s) addressed, pedoclimatic conditions, land use, etc.
• Propose and assess innovative solutions for soil remediation and potential green redevelopment plans for the sites (brownfields) involved in the living labs that would enhance soil health and related ecosystem services. This should include a demonstration of the viability (technical, social, economic, cultural and environmental) of the solutions.
• Identify sites that demonstrate high performance in terms of their actions and results on soil remediation and green redevelopment of brownfields, and that may be converted into lighthouses. This can be performed both at proposal stage or later on, during the living lab operation.
• Propose strategies (e.g., financial, organisational) to ensure the long-term sustainability of the established living labs beyond the Horizon Europe funding. Strategies should include the identification of possible business models and actions, involving a mix of public or private funding schemes, financial instruments, cooperation with local authorities, engagement of social economy entities, social enterprises, business communities, SMEs, as well as attracting investors and entrepreneurs.

In line with the nature of living labs, projects must adopt the multi-actor approach. The actors involved in each living lab may vary based on its unique characteristics, and may include, among others, researchers, landowners or land managers, industry representatives (e.g. SMEs), public administrators and civil society (e.g. consumers, local residents, environmental NGOs, youth organisations). Care should be taken to describe the capabilities, roles and resources of the different actors involved in the living labs. An effective contribution of social sciences and humanities and the arts (SSHA) is expected to foster social innovation, knowledge transfer and socio-cultural and behavioural change.