GBIF invites the submission of proposals for funding from the Caribbean and the Pacific under for the Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme. The total potential funding assigned to these two calls is €1,000,000, or €500,000 for each region.

The first phase of project funding through BID provided nearly €1 million to 23 projects in sub-Saharan Africa. The recipients include 34 organizations from 20 African countries, whose projects earned selection by an international panel from an initial pool of 143 initial proposals.

The new calls for the Caribbean and the Pacific seek projects that will:

Mobilize biodiversity data relating to protected areas, threatened species, and invasive alien species
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
Types of grants
GBIF invites proposals in three broad categories of grants.

Regional biodiversity data mobilization grants that establish or strengthen international collaborations to increase the availability and use of biodiversity data. NOTE: A regional consortium must involve partners from a minimum of three different countries or overseas territories from the region. The consortium coordinator and at least one other partner must be located in an ACP country (see the list of eligible countries in the Caribbean and the Pacific). Each partner can receive up to €20,000 and the consortium coordinator may receive a maximum grant of €30,000.
National biodiversity data mobilization grants that establish or strengthen national biodiversity information facilities and to increase the biodiversity data available about the country to respond to national priorities. Up to €60,000 will be made available per national grant.
Small biodiversity data mobilization grants that mobilize biodiversity data relevant for biodiversity conservation priorities with a maximum funding of €5,000.
Application process and timeline
Two panels of international experts with experience in the respective regions will evaluate applications through a competitive two-stage process.

Initial concept notes, using the templates provided for the Caribbean and the Pacific, must be submitted by 10 November 2016.
Based on the panels’ recommendations, GBIF will invite a select group of applicants to prepare full proposals, due in early February 2017.
Following a final review and selection by the panels, funded projects will start in April 2017.
The concept note template and accompanying guidelines are available for each of the three grant types on the BID grantseekers’ site.

Those interested in receiving updates on the BID programme can sign up for email alerts. General questions and inquiries may be sent to [email protected].

This programme is funded by the European Union.

IMAGE: Mangrove island, Caye Caulker, Belize. CC BY-NC-SA 2009, Camelia TWU.

SOURCE: http://www.gbif.org/newsroom/news/bid-caribbean-pacific-call-for-proposals