GBIF invites current GBIF participants (both voting and associate) to submit concept notes for project funding through the Capacity Enhancement Support Programme (CESP), which enables collaboration between GBIF participants to address identified needs at regional and global levels.
This call aligns with the GBIF Capacity Development Framework. It focuses on enhancing the long-term capacity of participants to benefit from and contribute to GBIF’s mission to mobilise the data, skills and technologies needed to make comprehensive biodiversity information freely available for science and decisions addressing biodiversity loss and sustainable development.
Project proposals must target specific capacity needs identified by the participants themselves and be aligned with one or more of the objectives in the 2024 Nodes implementation plan. GBIF encourages all participants to complete a capacity self-assessment to help identify capacity strengths and needs.
Project proposals must be based on collaborative actions, led by a GBIF participant node, where the results will benefit the GBIF community. They can involve one or more of the following types of action eligible for support:
- Mentoring activities: Interactions among two or more participants where the core objective is the transfer of information, technology, experience and best practices in small groups.
- Support for regional events and training workshops: Courses and workshops with a regional (multi-national) component to enhance the capacity of individuals or networks to contribute to and benefit from GBIF.
- Documentation: Production of key learning and promotional resources or their adaptation to the national or regional context (e.g., by translation or including local/regional perspectives). The GBIF Secretariat advocates digital-first documentation to provide technical guidance and support training and skills development across GBIF’s communities of practice. The key features of this system include standardised documentation, routine updates, versioning, translations, community input, peer review, and searchable format.
- Other capacity development collaborations: Actions led by at least one GBIF participant aligned with the objectives stated in the 2024 Nodes implementation plan that will contribute to the development of capacity within the GBIF network.
The maximum funding request is €20,000 per project.
Application timeline
- Concept notes must be submitted by 18 June, 23:59 CEST (UTC +2) through the GBIF Grants Portal.
- Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent to selected applicants by August 2024.
- The outcomes of the final review and selection will be communicated to applicants by end October 2024.
- Funded projects are expected to start in December 2024 with a project implementation period of maximum 18 months (1 December, 2024 – 31 May, 2026). GBIF recommends taking the general calendar of GBIF-related activities into account when planning events.
Full information, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the GBIF website.