The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) invites concept note submissions from eligible institutions across sub-Saharan Africa under its Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme. This initiative, backed by funding from the European Union via DG INTPA, aims to bolster institutional capacity to mobilize and share biodiversity data openly, in support of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Purpose and Priorities
Projects should help fill critical biodiversity knowledge gaps across Africa by:
- Unlocking and publishing existing biodiversity datasets through GBIF
- Strengthening capacities at institutional, national, and regional levels to handle biodiversity information
- Enabling use of biodiversity data in research, policy development, and decision-making
- Fostering enduring partnerships and communities dedicated to open data sharing
Grant Types and Funding Levels
Two categories of support are offered:
- Institutional Biodiversity Data Mobilization Grants
- Budget: Up to €30,000
- Duration: 24 months
- Goal: Build organizational capability and advance data mobilization
- Multi-Institutional Biodiversity Data Mobilization Grants
- Budget: Up to €60,000
- Duration: 24 months
- Goal: Encourage collaboration among multiple institutions to mobilize biodiversity data addressing priority regional or national issues
Final funding amounts will depend on proposed budgets and the evaluation process.
Who Can Apply
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Be a legally registered entity (e.g. university, museum, NGO, research center, government body) in eligible sub-Saharan African countries
- If headquartered outside eligible countries, the entity must operate through a local branch or partner registered in an eligible country
- Propose activities aligned with the BID objectives
- Operate on a non-profit basis
- Publish any mobilized datasets under CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 licenses
Additional criteria specific to each grant category will apply.
Application Procedure and Timeline
Phase 1: Concept Note Submission
- Submit concept notes (in English) via the GBIF Grants Portal by 3 November 2025, 15:59 CET
- New account setup may require up to three working days—applicants are strongly encouraged to register in advance
- The GBIF Secretariat will perform an initial screening for eligibility and alignment
- Selected submissions will be forwarded for scoring by two independent reviewers and an expert panel
Phase 2: Full Proposal Invitation
- Shortlisted applicants will be invited in Q1 2026 to deliver fully fledged proposals, with detailed plans, itemized budgets, and letters of support
- For applicants already affiliated with GBIF or with partners in GBIF, an endorsement from the GBIF Head of Delegation or node manager is mandatory
- The expert panel will review full proposals and appoint final grantees
- A reserve list of strong proposals not initially funded may be maintained until 31 December 2026
Phase 3: Implementation
- Funded projects are expected to begin on 3 July 2026, with a maximum duration of 24 months
- Awardees must send one representative to a data mobilization workshop (external to project budgets) slated for Q3–Q4 2026
Evaluation Standards
Applications (both concept notes and full proposals) will be assessed on:
- Relevance: Alignment with BID goals and regional priorities
- Impact: Expected contribution to national or regional biodiversity data needs
- Sustainability: Longevity of project benefits and continuity post-funding
- Cost-effectiveness: Efficiency of resource usage and quality of co-funding (minimum 25% preferred)
- Collaboration: Diversity of institutional partnerships and adoption of best practices
- Responsiveness: At the full proposal stage, responsiveness to reviewer feedback
Each criterion carries equal weight in the scoring process. A balanced, geographically and thematically diverse portfolio of proposals will be selected.
Eligible Countries
Applicants must be based in one of the following sub-Saharan African nations:
Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Comoros; Congo; Côte d’Ivoire; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Eswatini; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Lesotho; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Saint Helena; São Tomé and Príncipe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Reference Materials & Support
- Regional consultation report and engagement meeting outcomes
- Current GBIF data coverage for eligible countries
- Past BID-funded project documents
- Detailed dataset standards and submission requirements
Help and Queries
- Use the public forum for questions of broad interest
- For private queries, contact bid@gbif.org
