Launch of the SolsVivants PEPR in 2026

This programme, proposed by the AGRALIFE Agency, has a budget of €9 million over five years and is co‑led by INRAE and CNRS. Its mission is to generate knowledge on the role of soil organisms and their multiple interaction networks in soil multifunctionality, across a diversity of soil types, uses, and management practices, in order to address the challenge of preserving and improving soil health.

The SolsVivants PEPR aims to structure and energise the national scientific community in ecology and soil science, and to provide financial support for two ambitious research projects, developed in collaboration with research organisations, universities, engineering schools, and relevant stakeholders. These two targeted projects focus on:

• interaction networks in soils (trophic and non‑trophic interactions),
• the impact of biotic interactions in soils on soil multifunctionality.

A particular emphasis will be placed on two groups of functions:

• soil structure and the transfer of water, gases, solutes, and soil particles,
• transformations involved in the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, P, and other nutrients.

Four cross‑cutting thematic areas have also been identified:

• Developing multi‑taxa research,
• Linking empirical and theoretical approaches,
• Exploring scenarios of environmental change,
• Creating synergies between soil specialists working in temperate and tropical environments.

Given its themes, the programme will interface with several other PEPRs, particularly FairCarboN.

Philippe Hinsinger and Jérôme Mathieu (Co‑Directors of the SolsVivants PEPR)