FBIS Africa Freshwater Biodiversity Data Mobilisation Small Grants 2026 – Up to US$10,000 in Funding

Overview

The Freshwater Biodiversity Data Mobilisation Small Grants programme provides funding to support the mobilisation and publication of existing freshwater biodiversity data from Africa. The initiative aims to improve access to African freshwater information for research, conservation and decision-making by helping researchers and institutions prepare unpublished occurrence records for publication through the Freshwater Biodiversity Information System and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. The programme is led by the Freshwater Research Centre and supported by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and the GBIF Biodiversity Information for Development programme.

Who can apply

Applications are open to African freshwater biodiversity data holders, researchers, and eligible institutions including universities and research institutions, museums and natural history collections, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, freshwater biodiversity programmes, and individual data custodians working through eligible host institutions. Proposed datasets must represent African freshwater biodiversity, must not already be published on GBIF, and must contain minimum occurrence information consisting of at least the taxon name, sampling date, and spatial coordinates of latitude and longitude. Eligible taxonomic groups comprise freshwater fishes, amphibians, molluscs, crustaceans, odonata, ephemeroptera, plecoptera, trichoptera, and megaloptera. Applicants must demonstrate data ownership or custodianship and have permission to publish the records.

What you get

Successful applicants receive funding between US$5,000 and US$10,000 to cover activities such as data collation, digitisation, data cleaning, quality control, georeferencing, metadata preparation, formatting, standardisation, and other reasonable costs directly related to preparing datasets for publication. The grant period lasts for six months, running from January to June 2027.

Requirements

Grant recipients must sign the data sharing agreement, format datasets using the official data upload template, submit completed datasets and associated metadata, agree to publication on the system and transfer to GBIF, and complete required technical and financial reports. Proposed work must be achievable within the six-month grant duration. Applications are evaluated based on data quality, data quantity, geographic coverage and priority, and capacity to deliver, with additional consideration given to historical or irreplaceable datasets, threatened or endemic species, conservation-priority areas, capacity development, regional collaboration, and value for money.

How to apply

Applicants must complete the official application form and submit it alongside the project leader's CV via email to nazley@frcsa.org.za. Submissions must use the required email subject line stating that it is an FBIS-Africa small grant application submission.

Key dates

The application deadline is 9 November 2026. The grant period spans from January to June 2027.