04 Dec 2023
JRC publishes report on soil research in the EU
On 4 December 2023, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) published a report on 'Forty years of soil research funded by the European Commission: Trends and future. A systematic review of research projects'. The review was carried out by scientists of the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) team at the JRC.
According to the review, the EU has made enormous efforts to support soil research in the past and in the near future. It has disbursed around one billion euro for more than a thousand soil-related research projects over the last 40 years. Nearly as much funding is earmarked for the next seven years under the Soil Mission in Horizon Europe. The analysis shows that the EU has invested significantly in developing integrated knowledge about the relationships between soil functions and ecosystem services and how human-induced pressures affect soil health. It adds useful information on EU funding and policies related to protecting, sustainably managing and restoring soil health.
The review finds that over the years, the total budget allocated to the successive Research Framework Programmes has continually increased, which is also reflected in an increase in funding for research in soil science. Over 60% of European soils are unhealthy and scientific evidence shows that this is getting even worse. Aiming to address key soil threats in the EU, on 5 July 2023, the EU proposed a new Soil Monitoring Law to protect and restore soils and ensure that they are used sustainably. Given the increased political attention on soils in the EU, the analysis of soil research is particularly relevant.
The Soil Mission, with an unprecedented budget of one billion euro for seven years, will fund R&I in order to protect and restore soils in Europe and beyond. The EUSO engages with the Soil Mission, steering its research agenda, ensuring alignment between EUSO and the development of research on soils in the EU. Finally, the EUSO will become the repository of the Soil Mission research projects’ outputs.