Deadline: 27-Sep-22
The European Commission (EC) is accepting proposals that will help to progress towards Green Deal objectives, notably the Zero Pollution Strategy. It contributes to the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe'[1], in particular to its specific objective 4 “Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration”.
Scope
Soil contamination is widely acknowledged as a severe hazard to humans as well as to soil health, affecting the ability of soils to provide ecosystem services including the provision of safe and sufficient food, clean water or habitats for biodiversity. There is a need to better understand the precise sources (both point source and diffuse pollution) and the status of soil pollution as well as its effects on soil health, the environment, and its socio-economy consequences as a basis for more effective and wide-spread remediation of soils. Given the diversity of situations regarding the type and severity of pollution as well as an incomplete view on the scale of polluted soils, effective strategies need to be in place that allow to prioritise investments, identify the most appropriate methods and financial strategies for decontamination and prepare the ground for concrete actions.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Project results should contribute to all of the following outcomes:
- Private and public land managers can better prioritise and plan activities and investments for soil restoration and decontamination based on increased knowledge on the state of land and soil pollution.
- Knowledge on technical solutions for soil decontamination and restoration is more widespread and better integrated in a wider sustainable land use and spatial planning approach.
- Effective measures for soil restoration are in place and contribute to noticeable improvements in soil health on the medium term as well as to the circular use of land and to the achievement of no net land take in the EU by 2050.
- Better insights into origin, fate and hotspots of pollution are made available to support assessments of hazard, exposure and risks from soil pollution.
- MS regions affected by the need for a green transition are supported in their efforts to remediate and reuse contaminated soils such as from former mining sites and benefit from new opportunities for soil use.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
-
eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit European Commission.
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