Presentation of the program

We are pleased to announce the launch in 2026, following contractualization, of the PEPR SolsVivants program - Understanding soil interactions in order to take action.

This program is proposed by the AGRALIFE Agency, with a budget of €9 million over five years, and is co-led by INRAE and the CNRS. The mission of this PEPR is to generate knowledge on the role of soil organisms and their multiple interaction networks in the multifunctionality of soils, for a variety of soil types, uses, and management practices or systems, in order to meet the challenge of preserving and improving soil health.

A webinar to launch the PEPR SolsVivants took place on 6 July 2026. The recording and the documents shared during the webinar are freely available via this link.

The objectives of the PEPR SolsVivants are to structure and animate the national scientific community in ecology and soil sciences and to financially support two ambitious research projects, in interaction with research organizations, universities, schools, and relevant stakeholders. These two targeted projects concern:

1. networks of interactions in soils (trophic and non-trophic interactions),
2. the impact of biotic interactions in soils on soil multifunctionality.

Particular emphasis will be placed on two sets of functions:

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

Four cross-cutting areas of focus have also been identified:

1. Developing multi-taxa research
2. Linking empirical and theoretical approaches
3. Exploring scenarios of environmental change
4. Creating synergies between specialists working in temperate and tropical environments.

Yours sincerely,
Philippe Hinsinger and Jérôme Mathieu (co-directors of the PEPR SolsVivants program)
If you have any questions, send us an email to: direction@pepr-solsvivants.fr