Funding: Research Executive Agency (HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-02), 6,847,325 € (563,793.75 € for UPCT).
P.I. C. Ritsema: WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY NL
48 months (concession on January 11, 2024).
1 WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY NL: Coordinator C. Ritsema
2 STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH NL
3 NIBIO - NORSK INSTITUTT FOR BIOOKONOMI NO
4 VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZO BE
5 FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBH DE
6 UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE CARTAGENA ES
7 GEOPONIKO PANEPISTIMION ATHINON EL
8 POLITECHNIKA GDANSKA PL
9 SAVONIA-AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY FI
10 HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH DE
11 EUROQUALITY SAS France
12 Masarykova univerzita Czechia
The overall objective of SOILPROM is to deliver upgraded and integrated models for pollutant transport and fate that assess the impact of soil pollution on soil functions and related ecosystem services and to support local stakeholders towards sustainable land management strategies and policies for healthy soils all over Europe, by considering a selection of pollutants that are considered to have a high risk to the environment and humans.
SOILPROM will improve the modelling of soil pollution processes for metals, PFAS, nutrients, microplastics, and pesticides through soil, air, water, and plants compartments, to reach reduced levels of pollution and healthier soils across Europe. Using both existing European databases and local newly collected standardised datasets in accordance with DestinE and EUSO requirements, project partners will upgrade, integrate and validate existing soil pollution models under field conditions in its 6 diversified use-cases. The upgraded and integrated models will be usable in an open-access Modelling Platform for scientists coupled with a decision-support tool for practitioners. It will allow to gain knowledge and to increase the capacities in describing key pollution processes and their long-term impacts with respect to the different soil processes, functions, and related ecosystem services. Particularly, emphasis will be placed on quantifying ecosystem services in the 6 SOILPROM use-cases and the related impact of local policies and practices, leading to the development of scenarios. Thus, SOILPROM will deliver suitable recommendations to enhance the uptake of policies and sustainable soil management practices for environmental and human well-being. All along the project and through regular workshops, consultations, and meetings, SOILPROM will work in close collaboration with its end-users, ranging from the R&D community to local, national, and EU policymakers, but also various land managers and related EU projects.
Between October 22 and 24, 2024, the Kickoff meeting of the European SOILPROM project was successfully held at the UPCT