Open questions and answers session for 2025 BID Africa – Concept Note phase
· 2025 BID call for proposals: Africa
Clarifications on proposal submission limits, project activities, and related queries
Q: How many proposals an organization can submit for both types of grants. Is there a limit?
A: There is no limitation on the number of proposals that can be submitted by one organization. However, please take note that, as indicated in the call for proposals, the selection panel will also consider the balance of geographic, thematic and grant types representation. Applications submitted by a same organization may be in direct competition with each other.
Q: How many proposals do you fund per cycle?
A: We cannot indicate precise number, but based on the interest already generated by the call for proposals, this call will be extremely competitive.
Q: What is the requirement for licences for images? Is it CC-BY-SA?
A: While GBIF requires dataset-level licences (CC0 or CC BY) for the occurrence data themselves, images and multimedia files attached to those records can use different licences, as long as they are open and clearly specified. We have some pages explaining the types of data that can be published through GBIF, and also some of the data quality requirements that are specific the BID programme in terms of the licenses. Have a look here.
Q: Is the submission of proposal in consortium an advantage?
A: Not necessarily. Institutional-level biodiversity data mobilization grants : there is no strict requirement to include additional partners.
Multi-institutional biodiversity data mobilization grants : projects must involve at least two partner institutions from eligible countries within sub-Saharan Africa region.
However, please note that evaluation criteria does include:
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.
Q: Can the focus of a project be one item, such as plant or an animal?
A: The focus should be on mobilizing existing sources of biodiversity data, such as species occurrence data. These data can come from various sources, such as natural history collections, monitoring programs, literature, or long-term conservation studies. The project should aim to fill gaps in existing data in GBIF and have an impact across a broad area and many species. Analysis of the data currently available through GBIF can be found here.
Q: Are field activities eligible under this call?
A: The answer is no. The BID funding cannot be used to fund new field work. The main focus for the BID programme needs to be on mobilizing existing sources of data.
Clarifications on roles, eligibility, and requirements for partners
Q: At the concept note stage, is it necessary to have confirmation of participation from the partner (s)?
A: No, it is not required to have all your partners confirmed at the concept note stage. However, this type of documentation will be mandatory at the full proposal stage.
Q: Is it possible to have three partner institutions from one country?
A: Yes, it is possible to have partners from the same country.
Q: Could you please confirm whether, for multi-institutional grants, all participating institutions can be from the same eligible country?
A: The partner institutions may be in the same country as the lead organization or in another eligible country within the region.
Q: Is it necessary to have an endorsement letter?
A: At the concept note stage this is an optional documentation, however the letter of endorsement from the node will be a mandatory document at the full proposal stage. If, for some reason, you can’t get the letter in time, when you submit your proposal, you can also include the communication you send them to inform them about the project, so that you’re not fully dependent on receiving an answer as well. We can accept a PDF of an email correspondence and receiving the endorsement letter by email on a later stage.
Q: As scientists, we’re considering involving a PhD student in the project, with their PhD program lasting around three years. Would it be a problem if we request funding for only 24 months, even though the PhD student’s work would continue for the full three years?
A: The full duration of the project cannot exceed 24 months. It means that all the funds you will be granted under the BID programme need to be used under the 24 months period. You can’t keep a part of that money and spend it, after the end of the project. All spending must be backed up by supporting documentation such as receipts, invoices, salary slips etc. You can hire PhD students and pay them for 24 months, but the remaining year, you will have to fund it with your own funds.
Q: If an organization is not in a GBIF participant country, is it still possible to participate to the call for proposal?
A: The answer is yes. As long as your organization is in an eligible country in Africa, then you are very welcome to participate to this call independently, whether or not your country is a GBIF participant country and there is a GBIF node. In this case we will not ask you to provide the statement of endorsement from the GBIF nodes, because there will be none.
Q: Can a partner institution be the same as the GBIF node?
A: Yes, the institution that hosts the node can be a partner in a project or can lead a project, as long as they’re in the eligible countries.
Q: Are partners from ineligible countries allowed?
A: Yes, they can be involved, but they do not count as one of the required number of partners for the multi-institutional grant for example. For the multi-institutional grants, in addition to the lead organization, projects must involve at least two partner institutions from eligible countries within sub-Saharan Africa region.
Q: Can an NGO largely working on training and E-Learning workshops apply for this call, be leading a project?
A: The answer is yes. Training is an important activity supported by the BID programme, but projects must also include biodiversity data mobilization. For example, partners holding biodiversity data could organize trainings on how to standardize and publish data. Projects should ensure all partners understand this goal and include activities across three key areas: training, data mobilization, and integrating data into research and policy.
Q: Can international non-profit organizations that are registered in a BID eligible country, lead a project?
A: If a local branch of an international non-profit is a legal entity in an eligible country—meaning it can sign contracts on behalf of the organization—then it is eligible to apply. However, we cannot sign a grant contract with the organization’s headquarters if it is based in a non-eligible country. Eligibility therefore depends on the legal status of the local branch.
Q: Can government institutions or departments apply?
A: Yes, they can.
Clarifications on budget structure, costs, and funding rules
Q: Do the co-financing contributions (monetary or in-kind) need to be distributed across the entire proposal period, or can they cover specific activities? Can expenses related to inter-institutional arrangements be considered as co-financing?
A: We do not have specific requirements on the co-funding. It is up to the applicant how the co-funding will be distributed. Yes, the contributions in-kind can fall under the co-funding category.
Q: Can overhead be included?
A: The answer is no. Overhead costs – costs that cannot be directly attributed to the activities of the project are considered to be ineligible.
Q: Can the budget for the project come entirely from the BID programme? Would the institutions involved be expected to co-fund the activities?
A: Projects are expected to include co-funding from the participating institutions. While BID funding can cover a substantial portion of the budget, proposals relying entirely on BID support will be considered less competitive. Co-funding contributions below 25% of the total project budget may be viewed as offering poor value for money.