On May 12, 2023, SIPAC, in collaboration with the NATI00NS project, organized a national engagement event dedicated to the calls of Horizon Europe EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, which was held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the EU mission “Soil Deal for Europe” among national and regional stakeholders involved in soil and land management, provide access to validated materials and information, and support the application process for soil health Living Labs calls.
During the event, the speakers introduced the EU Soil Mission objectives and the four cornerstones of the mission, the Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouses as key elements of the mission as well as the 2023 Living Lab calls and new funding opportunities opened to contribute to the Mission Soil.
Invited speaker Lilit Sahakyan, Director of the Center for Ecological and Noospheric Research (CENS), held an extended presentation of the national soil problems and opportunities underlying the situation in Armenia.
The event generated a lot of discussion, the participants came up with a number of recommendations for developing a successful concept of Living Labs, including the selection of 
the necessary soil types for Living Labs, developing a methodology for assessing the soil health of land resources in Armenia, and including a wide range of stakeholders in the program, starting from simple farmers to government departments.
The event was attended by around 26 participants who exchanged contacts in order to organize further meetings and develop the Living labs concept. They concluded that the work of the future Living labs can greatly contribute to the general improvement of the soil and the educational quality in the country.
