Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC)Grant

Up to £1.5M Biodiversity Research Grant

Nov 30, 2026 12:00:00 UTC

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Nov 30, 2026 12:00:00 UTC

About this opportunity

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), a UK government research programme funded by Defra and run with DAI Global, is taking concept notes for its fourth Research Grant Competition. It funds research teams studying what drives biodiversity loss in the Amazon, the Congo Basin and the Coral Triangle, and how tackling those drivers can cut poverty and build climate resilience. Grants run two to four years and range from £200,000 to £1,500,000, with up to 12 projects funded.

What you get:

A research grant of £200,000 to £1,500,000 per project, in GBP
Funding for 24 to 48 months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2027
Principal Investigator salary and staff, travel, equipment and partner costs can be covered; overheads are capped at 15 percent
Written feedback at the concept note stage, and capacity building workshops for teams invited to the full proposal stage
A place in the RGC4 Community of Practice linking funded projects

What you'll do:

Submit a concept note on the GCBC e-platform setting out the research questions, methods, partners, GEDSI approach and an indicative budget
Research one of three priorities: socio-ecological dynamics and transformative pathways, commodity markets and financial flows, or governance and institutions
If shortlisted, write a full technical and commercial proposal with a logframe and detailed budget in spring 2027
Deliver research with partners in the focal countries and share results openly

Key dates:

Clarification questions close at midnight GMT on 30 October 2026
GCBC answers clarification questions by 9 November 2026
Concept notes close at 12:00 noon GMT on 30 November 2026
Concept note results and invitations to the full proposal stage: 8 to 12 February 2027
Full proposal window: early March to mid April 2027
Grant agreements signed: September 2027

More information:

Read the RGC4 Invitation to Apply Overview, Theme Paper, GCBC Research Strategy and FAQs, all linked from the grants page
Questions go to infogcbc@gcbc.org.uk
Applications are submitted only through the GCBC e-platform at gcbc.metricsled.com

Who can apply

The lead must be a not-for-profit research organisation. UK leads must be eligible for UKRI funding when the concept note window closes; leads outside the UK must pass GCBC's Research Organisation Questionnaire and show substantial research income over the last 3 years
Private companies cannot lead or profit from the grant, though they may be partners
Research must take place in, or be directly relevant to, ODA-eligible countries in the focal regions: Amazon (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela), Congo Basin (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo) or Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste)
At least one organisation, the lead or an implementing partner, must be legally registered in an ODA-eligible country in the focal geography
Lead organisations can be based anywhere; leads based in ODA-eligible countries are especially welcome and a UK partner is not required
The grant may not exceed 25 percent of the lead organisation's average income over the past 3 years
Projects must meet the OECD definition of research and development, address poverty and climate resilience, and build in gender equality, disability and social inclusion
PhD students and studentships cannot be funded; Russian organisations are ineligible; applications must be in English
There is no application fee and match funding is not required

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreFair

Cross-checked 13 of 13 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+UK government (Defra) ODA programme managed by DAI Global, fourth competition; 18 grants awarded in RGC2 and 12 in RGC3
+Every core fact is stated on the grants page and repeated in the Invitation to Apply
+No application fee and no match funding required

Worth checking yourself

!Only not-for-profit research organisations can lead; individuals, PhD students and private companies cannot apply
!Closes at 12:00 noon GMT, not end of day, on 30 November 2026
!Two-stage process: a successful concept note leads to a full proposal in spring 2027, with heavy due diligence before any award
!Research must be in the 20 named ODA-eligible countries; Guyana may lose ODA eligibility in 2027, which could reduce or end funding there, and French Guiana and Zambia are out of scope
!Grant cannot exceed 25 percent of the lead organisation's average annual income, so small organisations face a lower effective ceiling

Sources checked

GCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.org.ukApplyGCgcbc.metricsled.comOfficial

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