Deadline: November 3, 2025

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.


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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

Two types of grants are available:

  • 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
  • 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

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. 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.

Evaluation Criteria

Two independent reviewers will review and score concept notes and full proposals based on:

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  • Relevance: Alignment with objectives of the BID call for proposals and regional needs identified in the report of the BID engagement meeting and regional consultation for Africa and/or relevant sources clearly identified by the applicant.
  • Impact: Contribution to regional or national biodiversity data priorities
  • Sustainability: Potential to deliver long-term benefits for biodiversity. Institutions that have previously received BID programme support should demonstrate how their proposed actions build upon past achievements to sustain and enhance their impact.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Number of beneficiaries/partners included in the proposal, efficient use of resources, including co-funding. Co-funding contributions below 25% of the total budget will be regarded as poor value for money.
  • Collaboration: Inclusion of diverse project partners and promotion of best practices.
  • Response to feedback (at full proposal stage only): Response to feedback shared by the selection panel following the concept note stage.

Application

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). 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).


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For more information, visit BID Call for Proposals.

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