NATI00NS

Brief description

NATI00NS is assisting the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” through part of its first ‘induction and pilot’ phase (2021 – 2025), where the implementation structures and resources for achieving the Mission will be deployed in the Member States (MS), Associated Countries (AC), regions and sectors. The Mission aims at establishing an effective network of 100 regional Living Labs and Lighthouses (LLs). 

NATI00NS acts as a messenger of the Mission, conveying the main awareness-raising messages to national and regional stakeholders across European countries, providing access to capacity-building materials and information, spurring the discussions on the best LL setups to address regional soil needs, and fostering early matchmaking for cross-regional LL clusters.

NATI00NS synergises with the PREPSOIL project, in which Trust-IT is also involved.

Our Role

Trust-IT acts as Event Supervisor, leading the largest block of work in NATI00NS, as well as the most critical for the adequate fulfilment of the project objectives. Two rounds of events are going to be held in the project's lifetime, accompanying the LL Open Calls. A total number of 44 countries (27 MS and 17 AC) will be covered, featuring a mix of hybrid, physical and digital events held in the national languages to allow for the highest outreach.

Trust-IT also provides the consortium with its proprietary software package TRUST-VIRTUALEVENTS, a solution that can support both fully virtual and hybrid events of varying complexity. In addition, our responsibilities include the operation and management of the helpdesk, a key channel to monitor user satisfaction, as well as support in the delivery of capacity-building webinars.

In collaboration with the affiliated entity COMMpla, Trust-IT co-develops and manages the NATI00NS branding and online presence, including the project website, social media channels, and other digital materials.

Impact

NATI00NS assist the Soil Mission during most of its first ‘induction and pilot’ phase (2021 – 2025), where the implementation structures and resources for achieving the Mission are deployed in EU Member States (MS), Horizon Europe Associated Countries (AC), regions and sectors. NATI00NS acts as a messenger of the Mission, conveying the main awareness raising messages to national and regional stakeholders, providing access to capacity building materials and information, spurring the discussions on the best Living Labs setups to address regional soil needs, and fostering early matchmaking for cross-regional Living Labs clusters. Eventually, the smooth execution of the project will be reflected in the number of high-quality applications addressing the topics funding the Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouses, which can lead the way for the systemic change boosted by the Mission. The takeaways will be also useful to upcoming activities in the Mission’s second ‘expansion and innovation’ phase (2025 – 2030) when the rest of the waves of Living Labs will be selected.

• National engagement events in 44 countries (EU Member States + Associated Countries)
• Training materials, supporting applicants to draft competitive applications
• Helpdesk

Results

NATI00NS raises awareness among a high number of stakeholders by organising 92 national engagement events over two years in 44 EU countries and associated countries. The project produces a standard content presenting the Mission Soil and the concept of Soil Health Living Labs, which was translated into national languages for each event. 

NATI00NS produces 2 series of Capacity building webinars and linked e-learning modules. The project organised coaching webinars with National Contact Points (NCPs). 

The helpdesk was set up in a combination of FAQ on the NATI00NS website and a contact form for potential applicants requesting further information. The helpdesk received many requests for assistance and NATI00NS collaborated with the Mission Secretariat and REA to ensure that responses to questions were formally correct. 

Moreover, a web-based matchmaking tool was set up and presented at virtual sessions of the National Engagement Events, thematic events and webinars activities with hundreds of participants who have held meetings within the platform.