URSOILL Project launches aiming at restoring urban soils across Europe 

home » Latest » News » URSOILL Project launches aiming at restoring urban soils across Europe 
ByMarcell Boviz

9 September 2025, Uppsala, Sweden – The URSOILL research and innovation project officially begins this month with its kick-off meeting in Uppsala, Sweden. As part of the European Commission’s Mission Soil programme, URSOILL focuses on developing innovative solutions for urban soil restoration through a network of five Living Labs located across Europe. 

Urban soils are increasingly under pressure from contamination, sealing, and degradation due to urbanisation, industrial activity, and climate change. However, they provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water regulation, biodiversity, and urban cooling. URSOILL aims to co-create and test practical solutions that restore soil functions, enhance climate resilience, and improve the quality of life in cities. 

The project is going to build five Living Labs in different climatic zones and socio-economic contexts. Each will act as a collaborative hub for researchers, municipalities, businesses, and citizens to design and test innovative soil restoration practices together: 

  • Sweden (Uppsala & Stockholm): Decontamination of polluted soils and testing de-sealing solutions in fast-growing urban areas. 
  • Spain (Vitoria & Forua): Restoration of degraded sites and naturalisation of schoolyards, with strong citizen involvement. 
  • Greece (Kozani & Ptolemaida): Soil restoration in post-industrial areas and creation of urban community farms. 
  • Italy (Milan & Turin): Nature-based solutions for soil restoration and urban biodiversity support in metropolitan regions. 
  • Luxembourg (Minett region): Soil recovery in industrialised areas and promotion of soil literacy through citizen engagement. 

By covering such diverse conditions, URSOILL’s Living Labs will generate knowledge and solutions that are replicable and scalable across Europe, directly supporting the EU Mission Soil’s goal of 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses by 2030. 

Nargish Parvin, Project Coordinator (Senior researcher) from RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) shares what makes URSOILL unique and how the project fits in the already existing European Soil Mission framework:  

“In essence, URSOILL revolves around two pivotal objectives: the sustainable operation of urban LLs and the pioneering of solutions to enhance urban soil health. This vision encompasses a comprehensive framework of technical and operational objectives, ranging from stakeholder engagement to policy recommendations.” 

Coordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, URSOILL brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 29 research institutions, municipalities, industry partners, and non-profit organisations from across Europe. The project will run for four and a half years and actively contribute to the EU’s ambition of creating 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses for soil health by 2030. 

———————————- 

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor REA can be held responsible for them. 

Contact 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ursoill 

Project Data 

  • Grant Agreement ID: 101219012 
  • Topic ID: HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01 (Research and Innovation and other actions to support the implementation of Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’) 
  • Duration: September 2025 – February 2030 
  • EU contribution: €11,999,806.25 

Consortium partners: RISE – RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN, STICHTING INSTITUTE FOR URBAN EXCELLENCE, CETENMA, ZABALA SA, TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN, GREENOVATE! EUROPE, ESKILARA, CLUBE, INNOVHUB, LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, POLITECNICO DI MILANO, SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES,  AYUNTAMIENTO DE FORUA, ATB (LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FÜR AGRARTECHNIK UND BIOÖKONOMIE), UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO, CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS AMBIENTALES, DIADYMA SA, MUNICIPALITY OF KOZANI, ANONYMI ETAIREIA DIACHEIRISIS APORRIMMATON PER DYTIKIS MAKEDONIAS, UNIFIED SPECIAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL OF ANO KOMI KOZANI, MUNICIPALITY OF EORDEA, DIMOS KOZANIS, DHMOS EORDAIAS,  REGION OF WESTERN MACEDONIA, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN MACEDONIA, COMUNE DI TORINO, COMUNE DI MILANO, UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO, CITIZENS FOR ECOLOGICAL LEARNING LIVING CELL, GEOCONSEILS S.A., SOCIETE DE DEVELOPPEMENT AGORA, ADMINISTRATION DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT (AEV) 

Keywords 

Urban Soils, Soil Restoration, Living Labs, Mission Soil, Ecosystem Services, Stakeholder Engagement, Climate Resilience 

Similar Posts