GBIF’s BID programme calls for proposals from Sub-Saharan Africa by 27 Aug 2020

Below is a message received from the JRS Biodiversity Foundation on funding opportunities on Biodiversity Information.

We are pleased to share that the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is inviting concept notes for project funding in sub-Saharan Africa through its Biodiversity Information for Development (BID), a program funded by the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Union.

The BID program aims to enhance capacity for effective mobilization and use of biodiversity data in support of decision- and policymaking for sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The total funding assigned to this call for Africa is approximately €600,000.

This call builds 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 program’s rigorous training and e-learning curricula have also helped improve biodiversity data skills and establish regional communities of practice.

The GBIF call will 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

·         Institution-level biodiversity data mobilization grants that mobilize biodiversity data relevant for sustainable development

·         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.

Concept notes must be submitted by 27 August 2020. If you have questions about the program or call for proposals, please contact BID@gbif.org.

The JRS Biodiversity Foundation is recognizes GBIF and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Union for their commitment to African biodiversity information systems.