II Online General Assembly Meeting, February 24, 2025 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

The II Online General Assembly Meeting, held on February 24, 2025, brought together the members of the coordination board and project partners to discuss progress and future activities within the BIOservicES project.

Highlight of the event

• The first project reporting period for the first 18 months begins. The reporting period is 60 days, with interim deadlines in March and April.

Main topics of discussion

• The meeting commenced with an overview of the project’s current status. Raul Zornoza, Project Coordinator at BIOservicES, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts and communication among partners to ensure the success of the BIOservicES initiative;

• A significant focus was placed on communication strategies and stakeholder engagement. The communication and dissemination WP includes many initiatives to which all project partners contribute. These initiatives need a specific recording for future reporting and general communication within the project team and with external stakeholders;

• A survey for stakeholders will be launched in the first week of March to better understand the value of soil ecosystem services within three target segments: researchers and academia, public institutions, and farmers and foresters. Partners were encouraged to promote the survey via their networks;

• All partners within WP1, responsible for stakeholder mapping, put in considerable effort. This is the foundation of future actions and achieving the project’s objectives and milestones. WP1 is the driver of strengthening and creating stakeholder communities along the project, serving as a central hub for the performance of all other WPs;

• Andres Rodriguez-Seijo, coordinator of WP2, reported that soil analyses are progressing without issues;

• A literature review has been performed on current policy and economic incentives for soil biodiversity. In the next two months, an ex-post evaluation based on the reported performance and semi-structured interviews with experts will be conducted;

• Raul Zorzona closed the meeting by discussing the BIOservicES publication strategy, emphasizing the importance of disseminating findings to a broader audience.

Collaboration, timely reporting, and effective communication will be essential for the BIOservicES project’s progress.