iCOSHELLs Innovative Co-Creation Soil Health Living Labs Currently about 70% of the EU soils are unhealthy* due to pollution, urbanisation, and intensive agriculture, with climate change exacerbating the problem. Soil degradation not only threatens food security, but has also economic, social, and environmental consequences, including reduced land productivity, migration, land abandonment, and biodiversity loss. iCOSHELLs aims to restore soil health across the EU by establishing six soil health living labs (SHELLs) in different climate zones to develop and implement innovative solutions in line with the EU’s soil objectives. The project focuses on sustaining these labs and pioneering soil health solutions, through collaborative efforts encompassing research, practice, and policy, ensuring their integration across regions, while laying the groundwork for future Living Labs and Lighthouses to achieve the EU’s 2030 target. Through the labs, which will be established in Sweden, Spain, Basque region, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, iCOSHELLs will bring together key stakeholders and engage them in impactful ways. The labs will develop, test, and validate innovative solutions in line with the EU’s soil health objectives. The CSCP’s role in the project is to ensure strong stakeholder engagement and co-creation within and across the living labs, including landowners, business people, researchers, policy makers and citizens. Given that soil restoration is a prolonged process, it is crucial to secure the long-term commitment of stakeholders. If stakeholders are not fully convinced of an approach, they may withdraw support prematurely. To avoid this, the CSCP will focus on designing and employing an approach that ensures comprehensive and widely accepted solutions with a long-term perspective in mind. Following stakeholder mapping for each living lab, the CSCP will conduct a baseline assessment of local ecosystems within the respective regions. These analyses form the foundation for the design and preparation of the co-creation and engagement processes within the living labs. Additionally, to promote knowledge sharing and learning across regions, the project will establish the European Regional Group, a platform for continuous exchange and collective advancement in soil health practices. The long-term impacts of iCOSHELLs include: Environmental: Restoration of 5,000 hectares of soil, improved biodiversity, and enhanced soil health across the EU Economic: Development of new businesses on reclaimed land, increased capital investment, and improved agricultural productivity Social: Engaging over 30,000 citizens, increased soil literacy, and promotion of sustainable community practices Scientific: Contribution to soil science by generating new knowledge and datasets on soil health indicators The iCOSHELLs project is funded under the HORIZON Europe Research and Innovation Actions grant, comprising a consortium of 39 partners coordinated by RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden. The CSCP-founded Do Tank, the co-do! lab is also part of the consortium and will design and deliver a capacity building programme for sustainable soil management. The project will run from 2024 to 2028. *European Commission Report of the Soil Health and Food Mission Board: “Caring for soil is caring for life”.