Open Call: Research Grant Competition 3 (RGC3)

Deadline Date: March 16, 2025

 Donor Name: Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate

 Grant Size: $100,000 to $500,000

https://www.gcbc.org.uk/grants

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) is seeking concept note for projects that address either one (or both) of the third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) themes.

Following the assessment of Concept Notes, the successful applicants from this first round will be invited to submit full Proposals for their proposed projects which address the RGC3 themes. Proposals will need to address poverty alleviation, Gender and Social Inclusion, and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity.

RGC3 Themes

• The two RGC3 themes set out below were announced in December 2024:
  • Theme 1: Using biodiversity to improve the climate resilience of agricultural, food and bioeconomy value chains
    • Transforming agrifood systems at scale to incorporate nature-based solutions that build biodiversity back into production landscapes to boost climate resilience and reduce poverty (open to all GCBC focus regions).
  • Theme 2: Biodiversity hotspots in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
    • Building sustainable businesses from nature to adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity and tackle poverty (focused on SIDS).
• Within the two themes, the GCBC aims to fund a balanced portfolio of projects which collectively:
  • Develop innovative nature-based solutions: Working with communities, businesses (including micro-SMEs) and Indigenous peoples to develop and experimentally test new approaches to managing terrestrial, freshwater or coastal ecosystems. For example, research to underpin nature-positive business models, novel forest management approaches or innovative farming systems that improve outcomes for local communities while boosting biodiversity and improving climate resilience for people and nature.
  • Apply systems approaches to inform large-scale transformative change: Research looking at the wider socio-ecological context for change, including novel policy interventions at local, sub-national or national scale. They encourage approaches that explore the factors, processes and worldviews that hold socio-ecological systems in unhelpful or unsustainable states to find new ways of intervening at scale. Innovation is needed in developing systemic interventions: identifying specific leverage points to reconfigure socioecological systems, making nature-based solutions the preferred option. For example, exploring novel markets or incentives, or improving access to data and knowledge, or applying systems frameworks to quantify multiple interacting outcomes taking into account interdependencies and feedback loops.

Funding Information

• Grants must not exceed a total value of £1m and be of a minimum value of £100k.
• Note: the value of any individual grant may not exceed 25% of the applicant’s or Lead Consortia’s Partner’s average income/turnover for the past 3 years.
• Research Period:
  • The research period will run for up to a maximum of 36 months from Financial Year 2025/26.
  • Note: the start date is dependent on the signing of the GFA by the successful applicants.
  • GCBC will consider project concept notes that range between 12- 36 months.

Eligible Projects

• They aim to fund a mixed portfolio of up to twenty grants covering a range of topics and geographies across both themes. Grants sums of between £100,000 and £1 million are offered for projects of 12-36 months duration. To be accepted for funding under the GCBC programme projects must demonstrate:
  • Fit to GCBC: All proposals need to address poverty alleviation and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity.
  • Fit to theme: Proposals must address research questions within one of the themes set out above.
  • GESI: All proposals must incorporate clear plans to factor in gender, equality and social inclusion from the outset.
  • R&D: Proposed work must meet the definition of research and development: creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge (OECD, 2015).

Eligibility Criteria

• Geographic focus:
  • Any proposed offer must be from, or include as a Partner in a consortium, an Organisation from an ODA-eligible country in the target geographic areas. A UK-based Partner or a presence in the UK is not essential. 
  • GCBC will accept applications for projects with activities in ODAeligible countries in Latin America (including Central America), the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South-east Asia and the Pacific and Small Island Developing States.
• Delivery Partner/Organisation eligibility:
  • Applications are encouraged from many different types of potential Delivery Partners, both local and international, including, but not limited to:
    • non-government organisations,
    • civil society organisations,
    • multilateral organisations,
    • social development organisations,
    • academic institutions, 
    • private sector partners. 
  • Funding can also be awarded to parastatal organisations if the proposed activities are not receiving funding from other governments. UN bodies are eligible under the same terms and conditions as other applicants. 
  • Applicants must not be under any debarment or exclusion due to professional or fiduciary malpractice. 
  • Any proposed activities must be eligible for ODA funding (the primary purpose being to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries). 
  • Any proposed offer from a consortium should be headed by a single Lead Delivery Partner. Prospective Lead Delivery Partners will lead and submit applications on behalf of all members of their consortium.
  • Applications for project concept(s) must be:
    • led by an Organisation with offices in an ODA eligible country, or 
    • led by an Organisation which forms part of a consortium with Organisations that have an office in an ODA eligible country or countries.
  • The GCBC encourages applications from the Lead Delivery Partners/Organisations based in the target ODA-eligible country. New and equitable partnerships involving local project Partners are also encouraged. 
  • Private sector Partners may be consortia members, but are ineligible to receive grant funds for profit, or act as consortia Lead Delivery Partners. 
  • PhD Students are not eligible for funding under this grant competition.

For more information, visit GCBC.