Launch of the TRAILS4SOIL Project at the University of Córdoba, with USAMV Cluj-Napoca among the partners

On 16–17 September 2025, the University of Córdoba (Spain) hosted the launch meeting of the TRAILS4SOIL Project – “Living laboratories for improving soil health: Promoting conservative and regenerative agriculture across Europe” (GA no. 101218949/2025), funded by the Horizon Europe programme.

The project brings together 22 partners from 12 European countries – Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine – and involves over 100 experimental sites.

The total budget is €11.7 million, of which €639,328.75 goes to the Romanian team, represented by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca.

At the project launch meeting, our university was represented by the project manager, Prof. Dr. Teodor Rusu, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, together with Prof. Dr. Ileana Bogdan and international partners, representatives of the European Commission and the agricultural community.

The project will create five European living laboratories as examples of good practice in conservative and regenerative agriculture. Romania coordinates the Black Soil Laboratory, which also includes the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.