GTI calls*

Belgium hosts important natural history collections, libraries, well-equipped research facilities and well-trained scientific and curatorial staff (more information). To ensure that this rich taxonomic patrimony can also serve taxonomists from the developing world, the Belgian GTI NFP annually issues two types of grants.

Countries that are eligible for this type of support are: Benin* - Burkina Faso* - Burundi* – Cambodia - Cote d'Ivoire - DR Congo* - Gambia - Ghana - Guinea* - Guinea Bissau - Kenya – Liberia - Mali* - Morocco* - Mozambique* - Niger* - Palestinian Territory* - Rwanda* - Senegal* -- Tanzania* - Togo - Uganda* - Vietnam.

Priority will be given to projects taking place in countries belonging to the 14 priority partner countries of governmental cooperation (with an asterisk in the above list).

Priority will also be given to CEBioS partner institutions in the South.

These institutions are:

• Université d’Abomey-Calavi (Bénin)
• Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques au Bénin
• Office Burundais pour la Protection de la Nature (Burundi)
• Centre de Surveillance de de la Biodiversité (RD Congo)
• Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (RD Congo) with implementation of activities by Congolese Scientific Institutions.

GRANT TYPE 1 - Training in taxonomy and collection management & access to collections in Belgium

This type of grant funds taxonomists and parataxonomists from eligible developing countries for short-term study visits to Belgium.

These study visits can involve theoretical training, coupled to a hands-on training on traditional and/or molecular approaches to taxon identification and classification in a Belgian centre of taxonomic expertise.

For selection criteria and application form, go to our 'Grant seekers’ section.

For more information on funded projects, browse our ‘Grants awarded’ section.

Please note that no new call for internship proposals will be launched in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused a delay in the execution of the selected 2020 projects.

GRANT TYPE 2 - Support for taxonomy-based research and training projects (open for taxonomists from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and Meise Botanic Garden)

The GTI Research Grants (Type 2 Grants) support taxonomic research projects of Belgian scientists (see note *) in eligible developing countries. Projects should focus on well-defined taxonomic groups that play an important role in ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services, in order to support sustainable ecosystem management (link with targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity) and sustainable livelihoods of local communities (link with the Sustainable Development Goals).

Research activities must at all times be accompanied by capacity-building activities, i.e., training of local staff and/or students in taxonomy and/or collection management, and both the research and training components should address clearly identified taxonomic and/or curatorial needs of the partner country.

To apply (only when calls are open), go to our section ‘Grant seekers’.

For more information on funded projects, browse our ‘Grants awarded’ section.

The 2021 call is open from April 1 until May 17, 2021.

*Note: All scientific staff of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) are welcome to respond to this call; priority will be given to taxonomists who have trained interns from partner countries in recent years under the GTI Internship Program (Grant Type 1). Scientists from Meise Botanic Garden can also apply, provided that they have actively contributed to GTI activities in the past (e.g., training of GTI interns in Belgium). Taxonomists from other Belgian research institutes can take part as invited experts, not as promotors.

THEMATIC TRAINING GRANT

This new grant type funds the participation of (para)taxonomists from eligible developing countries in short-term general trainings/workshops (co-)organized by the Belgian GTI NFP in Belgium or abroad (up to 2 weeks).

In contrast to the trainings at Belgian institutions provided in the context of the GTI Grant Type 1, which usually focus on specific taxonomic groups, these general workshops aim to enhance the participant’s knowledge and/or skills in domains that are relevant across taxa.

To learn more about the topics covered by these trainings and to apply (only when calls are open), go to our section ‘Grant seekers’.

The 2021 call will be open for submissions from March 22 until April 26, 2021.