From 6–10 October 2025, partners of the SoilWise Project gathered in Wageningen, the Netherlands, for the project’s second Annual Meeting, hosted by ISRIC – World Soil Information. The meeting brought together consortium members for several days of intensive collaboration focused on progressing the development of the SoilWise Catalogue.
Rather than relying on traditional presentation-heavy formats, this year’s meeting focused on interactive sessions, co-creation and practical testing, creating an atmosphere of productivity, open exchange and positive momentum.
An inspiring setting at the World Soil Museum
The meeting took place at Building Gaia (ISRIC / Wageningen University & Research), with plenary sessions held in the World Soil Museum. Surrounded by soil monoliths from around the world, participants were immersed in a setting that perfectly reflects the mission of SoilWise: improving access to soil knowledge and data.
The venue not only provided an inspiring backdrop but also reinforced the project’s core ambition: improving access to soil knowledge and strengthening the role of soil data in research, policy and practice.
Day 1 – Reflecting on progress and co-designing solutions
The first full day opened with welcome remarks from ISRIC and an introduction to the meeting by project coordinator representatives. A work package retrospective panel reviewed progress achieved over the past year, highlighting milestones and identifying areas requiring further attention.
In the afternoon, partners took part in an interactive rotating session covering the four key phases of SoilWise development:
- Co-design
- Development
- Testing and validation
- Use case implementation and demonstration
These exchanges encouraged cross-team dialogue and alignment, culminating in a plenary wrap-up and a guided tour of the World Soil Museum, followed by informal networking on campus.
Day 2 – Hands-on testing and field exploration
The second day shifted the focus to hands-on testing and demonstration preparation. Live breakout sessions allowed participants to work directly with SoilWise components, including:
- Metadata templates
- Knowledge graph and chatbot functionalities
- Harvesting and repository integration
- Front-end search features
After preparing use case demonstrations, the group ventured outdoors for a field tour exploring soils and land use around Wageningen, offering a valuable opportunity to connect digital solutions with real-world soil diversity. The day concluded with a joint dinner, strengthening collaboration across the consortium.
Day 3 – Management, communication and future steps
The final day addressed project management, dissemination and capacity building, alongside discussions on Mission Soil Week activities and frameworks for monitoring use case KPIs. The meeting closed with a wrap-up session summarising key outcomes and outlining priorities for the coming period.
A positive and energising outcome
Although several challenges were identified, the Annual Meeting delivered a highly positive outcome. The collaborative format enabled tangible progress on the SoilWise Catalogue, reinforced partnerships and clarified next development steps.
Beyond technical achievements, the meeting fostered a sense of shared purpose and momentum, leaving participants energised for the next phase of the project.