GBIF invites the submission of concept notes for project funding from sub-Saharan Africa through Biodiversity Information for Development (BID), a programme funded by the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Union.The BID programme aims to enhance capacity for effective mobilization and use of biodiversity data in support of decision- and policymaking for sustainable development. The total funding assigned to this call is approximately €600,000.This call seeks to support projects from sub-Saharan Africa that:
Mobilize biodiversity data relevant to decisions supporting sustainable development
Use and extend best practices for digitizing natural history collections and mobilizing other biodiversity data
Apply biodiversity data in support of decision-making and research
Develop lasting national, regional or thematic networks to support ongoing data sharing and reuse
The call offers support for four grant types:
Regional biodiversity data mobilization grants that establish or strengthen international collaborations to increase biodiversity data mobilization for research and policy addressing regional sustainable development needs
National biodiversity data mobilization grants that establish or strengthen national biodiversity information facilities and increase biodiversity data mobilization to respond to national priorities
Data-use grants that build on existing relationships between biodiversity data-holding institutions and decision-makers to provide data solutions that respond to a specific policy need
These grants are open to institutions based in eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Concept notes must be submitted by 27 August 2020 through the GBIF Grants Portal. Following evaluation of the concept notes, GBIF will invite applicants successful in this round to submit a full proposal.This call aims to build on the impact of BID’s first phase, in which 63 BID-funded projects mobilized 535 biodiversity datasets containing more than 1.3 million records relevant to the regions’ priority policy needs. The programme’s rigorous training and e-learning curricula have also helped improve biodiversity data skills and establish regional communities of practice for hundreds of professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific.
BID is a programme led by GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—that aims to increase the availability and use of biodiversity data for research and policymaking in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
