# From SoilHealth research and innovation to lasting impact - Savonia AMK

> Healthy soils require more than promising technologies. Evidence presented at the Soils for Europe Conference in Coimbra.

## Overview
Healthy soils require more than promising technologies. Evidence presented at the Soils for Europe Conference in Coimbra shows that research, co-creation, sustainable business models, stakeholder trust, investment readiness and enabling policy are needed to translate SoilHealth research into solutions that can be adopted and sustained beyond individual projects.

SoilHealth refers to the continued capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem that sustains biodiversity, supports food and biomass production, regulates water and nutrient cycles, stores carbon, filters pollutants and contributes to climate resilience, human well-being and wider ecosystem services.

## Soils for Europe Conference 2026
The Soils for Europe Conference was held at the University of Coimbra from 7 to 11 September 2026. Co-organised by multiple Mission Soil projects, it engaged more than 60 European soil-related projects and initiatives. The programme addressed all Mission Soil objectives, featuring a dedicated Living Labs and Project Fair to facilitate exchange among researchers, policymakers, farmers, land managers, civil-society organisations, industry representatives and practitioners.

## Waste4Soil and Business Model Innovation
Waste4Soil develops technological and methodological solutions for recycling food-processing residues into local, bio-based soil improvers. The project combines ten solutions with seven Emerging European Living Labs.

Key insights from the “Developing SoilHealth Business Models: Learnings from the DeliSoil-Waste4Soil Joint Workshop” include:
*   **Structured Co-creation:** Business cases clarify context and draft an initial Business Model Canvas, followed by expert assessment, model refinement and the development of a Value Proposition Canvas.
*   **Multidimensional Readiness:** A soil improver or digital tool must be technologically credible, commercially meaningful, institutionally feasible and socially acceptable.
*   **Policy and Market Uptake:** Barriers such as regulatory fragmentation, quality and trust concerns, and weak investment readiness require coordinated policy, evidence, demonstration and financing responses.

## SOILPROM and Digital Decision Support
SOILPROM approaches SoilHealth through an open Modelling Platform for scientists and a Decision Support Tool for practitioners. The project is organised around nine pilot use cases across Europe addressing pollution challenges linked to PFAS, microplastics, pesticides, nutrients and metals.

The project collaborates with the PHISHES project to position digital platforms as practical interfaces between scientific models, scenario analysis and decisions for SoilHealth protection. Long-term sustainability is addressed through portfolio thinking, which compares and combines options that balance user value, governance, resources, policy alignment and maintainability.

## EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe
The European Commission’s EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” aims to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030 by:
*   Establishing 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses in rural and urban areas.
*   Funding mission-oriented research and innovation.
*   Developing a harmonised European soil-monitoring framework.
*   Increasing soil literacy in society.

## Project Resources
*   [Waste4Soil](https://www.waste4soil.eu/)
*   [SOILPROM](https://soilprom.eu/)
*   [DeliSoil](https://delisoil.eu/)
*   [PHISHES](https://www.phishes-project.eu/)
*   [Bin2Bean](https://www.bin2bean.eu/)
*   [PREPSOIL](https://prepsoil.eu/)
*   [Mission Soil Platform](https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/)
*   [Soils for Europe Conference 2026](https://soils4europe2026.eu/)

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*Author: Tuomo Eskelinen, Research Manager, Sustainable Societies, Savonia University of Applied Sciences*