On 11 November 2025, the Irish SOILCRATES Living Lab delivered an Online Proposal Preparation Workshop aimed at assisting prospective applicants to the SOILCRATES pilot funding call. As part of a broader series of support events designed to build capacity and facilitate meaningful participation from local stakeholders, this online session offered a flexible and accessible platform for farmers, advisors, and landholders across Ireland to gain targeted guidance on their project ideas.
The workshop opened with a detailed walkthrough of the SOILCRATES funding call, including emphasised eligibility requirements, expected outputs, and alignment with project priorities such as soil health improvement, stakeholder engagement, and innovation in practice. Facilitators explained how proposals should articulate expected impacts, methodologies for monitoring results, and strategies for managing project activities within the Living Lab framework.
Interactive breakout sessions enabled participants to ask specific questions about their draft proposals. Many attendees took the opportunity to discuss real-life farm conditions, soil health issues they face, and ways in which proposed activities could demonstrate innovation and applicability within the SOILCRATES context. Specialist facilitators offered tailored suggestions on refining project objectives, matching them to the criteria of the call, and identifying potential partnerships to strengthen submissions.
The online format allowed engagement from across Ireland, reaching farmers and stakeholders who might have been unable to attend in-person events. Participants also gained insights into common pitfalls and best practices from previous rounds of agricultural project development, helping to clarify expectations for documentation, budgeting, and proposal structure.
By fostering a collaborative and supportive environment, the workshop contributed to improved confidence among participants in their ability to submit high-quality proposals, reinforcing the Irish Living Lab’s role as an active broker of local innovation and participatory development within SOILCRATES.
More information here.
Contact
For press inquiries, contact the communications team : natalia.brack@iid-sii.org and jessica.bailloux@iid-sii.org
