AGENT aims to transform genebanks (GB) from living archives into bio-digital resources centres, equipped to meet the needs of a changing world. Fifteen GB and four genebank genomic centers will create a network to work exemplarily on barley and wheat for (i) establishing a European (global) crop genomic diversity atlas, (ii) activating currently inaccessible legacy phenotypic data, (iii) implementing a novel concept of concerted accumulation of phenologic and agronomic data for individual GenRes collections to establish training population datasets for the genome-wide prediction of untested GenRes accessions. Phenotyping will take into account diverse environmental conditions (climate, soil, geography, pathogens) provided by the diversity of eco-geographic locations of the participating GB and their partners. These activities will be supported by a bioinformatics network that will implement FAIR data principles, standards, protocols, and data formats enabling data storage, access, use, and re-use, extending the existing EURISCO GenRes portal for new data types. AGENT will use existing solutions established by ongoing European projects and international initiatives, but also develop new tools for novel functionality of data access, visualisation, and use, which will be connected and implemented via plugin or web-services, allowing their incorporation in EURISCO and other data portals, and their easy application to other crop GenRes, based on data already available at EURISCO or provided by AGENT partner GB. A coordinated testing network is another unique layer of AGENT, directly involving stakeholders (e.g. farmer cooperatives, breeding companies, NGOs) in monitoring, mentoring, capacity building and training in the development of workflows and tools. Thus, AGENT project results will be directly disseminated to GB, researchers, breeders, policy makers and the general public and raise awareness of the general as well as the specific societal importance of GenRes.

Soil health is vital for the delivery of food, energy, and biomaterials, as well as climate action, ecosystem services and biodiversity. Pressure on land and soil is growing due to competing demands for land and biobased products. A sustainable soil management that satisfies the increasing demand and avoids soil degradation requires coordinated R&I. This project will employ a multi-actor approach to create an effective framework for action in the wider area of soil health and land management by coordinating efforts and pooling resources, by developing a coherent portfolio of R&I activities and by identifying criteria for Living Labs and lighthouses to demonstrate solutions. The CSA will bring together the main players in soil health and management in a transdisciplinary approach. Planned activities include the analysis of the needs for R&I on soil and land management as expressed through stakeholder/citizen consultation and ongoing research projects, the identification of gaps, priority areas and types of action for intervention including Living Labs and lighthouses. The action fields sprawl from agriculture and forestry to spatial planning, land remediation, climate action, and disaster control. Outcomes and results will be - A stakeholder-based, co-created roadmap for R&I to support the Horizon Europe Mission in the area of Soil Health and Food. - Improved coordination with existing activities in Europe and globally, thereby raising visibility and effectiveness of R&I funding. - Identification of and learning from existing and potential Living Labs and lighthouses for testing and demonstrating solutions in order to simultaneously satisfy competing demands of soil use. With its activities, the CSA will support the EC and the Mission Board of the Horizon Europe Mission in the area of Soil Health and Food in delivering the objectives.