Deadline: 3 November 2025, 15:59 CET (UTC+1)
GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—seeks concept notes from eligible organizations in sub-Saharan Africa for project funding through the Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme.
Funded by the European Union through the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), the BID programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of institutions and countries to mobilize biodiversity data, making it openly available to inform decision-making and to support the knowledge needs of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Selected projects should address critical gaps in biodiversity data by mobilizing data, promoting its application in research and policymaking, and building sustainable networks and communities of practice committed to sharing open data on biodiversity.
Objectives of the call for proposals
Concept notes should describe projects that support biodiversity data mobilization by:
- Making existing sources of biodiversity data accessible through GBIF to address knowledge gaps and meet regional information needs
- Enhancing institutional, national and regional capacity for managing and using biodiversity information
- Supporting the application of biodiversity data in support of research and decision-making
- Developing and strengthening sustainable institutional, national, and regional partnerships for biodiversity data sharing and reuse
Grant types and funding
Two types of grants are available:
1. Institutional-level biodiversity data mobilization grants
- Purpose: Strengthen institutional capacity and mobilize policy-relevant biodiversity data
- Funding: Up to €30,000
- Implementation Period: 24 months
2. Multi-institutional biodiversity data mobilization grants
- Purpose: Build or strengthen collaborations between institutions to mobilize data for research and policy addressing national or regional priorities
- Funding: Up to €60,000
- Implementation Period: 24 months
Detailed project budgets submitted by applicants and approved by the selection committee will determine the exact funding amounts.
Eligibility
To apply, applicants must:
- Be legal entities (e.g. research institutions, universities, museums, non-governmental organizations or government agencies) registered in eligible sub-Saharan Africa countries (see full list below). Organizations with a legal presence in an eligible country (e.g. a branch or regional office), but headquartered in a non-eligible country, will be considered eligible provided they submit their application through their local entity.
- Propose projects aligned with the objectives of the BID call for proposals
- Ensure all proposed activities are not for profit
- Ensure that all data mobilized is published under a CC0 1.0 waiver or CC BY 4.0 licence
Application process and timeline
Step 1: Submission of concept notes
- Submit concept notes in English through the GBIF Grants Portal by 3 November 2025, 15:59 CET (UTC+1). Please note that the creation of a new account in the GBIF Grants Portal can take up to three working days.
- GBIF Secretariat staff will screen applications for eligibility, relevance and alignment with objectives of the BID call for proposals.
- Eligible and in-scope applications will undergo two independent reviews and scoring, followed by an expert panel’s selection of a shortlist of applicants invited to submit a full proposal.
Step 2: Submission of full proposals
- The GBIF Secretariat will invite shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals in Q1 2026.
- Full proposals must include detailed project plans, budgets and letters of support. In addition, applications led by a legal entity and/or involving partners from countries or organizations that already participate in GBIF must include a statement of endorsement from the GBIF Head of Delegation or node manager.
- Proposals will undergo two independent reviews and scoring, followed by final selection by an expert panel.
- Projects not selected for funding may be placed on a reserve list for future consideration within the BID programme.
Step 3: Project implementation
- Projects selected for funding are expected to start on 03 July 2026 and will run for a maximum of 24 months.
- Selected projects will be required to send one representative to a data mobilization capacity enhancement workshop and obtain a skills certification. This workshop is expected to take place during Q3 or Q4 2026, and the cost of participation will be met separately from GBIF/BID funds (applicants need NOT include this in the project budget).
For more information.