Call for Proposals

A short explanation of the call for proposals can be found underneath. Potential applicants are strongly invited to carefully read the entire Guidelines for applicants and other relevant documents.

Financial allocation and grant amount
The overall indicative amount made available for this call is €1,300,000. Grants amount to a maximum of €60,000. The proposed budget should appropriately reflect the expected results, envisaged activities and related estimated costs. Co-funding is not allowed.

Grant duration
The duration of a grant is maximum 19 months.

Eligibility criteria
For being eligible, lead applicant (and co-applicants) must be: a private or public legal entity; registered in one of the European OCTs*; directly responsible for the preparation and implementation of the grant; have a bank account in the name of the organisation.
UK OCTs are eligible.
Target beneficiaries are primarily: local NGOs and non-profit organisations; micro-enterprises; local sub-governmental bodies. Special conditions apply to uninhabited territories and OCTs with low population (see the Guidelines for applicants).
Eligible activities must: be located in one or more of the OCTs; comply with IUCN environmental and social safeguard aspects; contribute to tangible and measurable impacts in terms of the conservation, sustainable development and/or sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services; encourage partnership-based approach with local stakeholders; guarantee open access to data generated by the project; not be fundamental research.
Only eligible costs will be reimbursed. The conditions and reimbursement options are detailed in the Guidelines for applicants.

How to apply
This is a two-stage application process, with first the submission of a concept note (a short application form) and then a full proposal. The latter is a more comprehensive form for preselected applicants only.
Applications must be submitted through the BEST 2.0+ portal. To do so, applicants need to create an account, fill up the requested online information and upload the completed templates. Applicants must verify that their proposal is complete using the checklist annexed to their application template.
Proposals will be examined and evaluated by the Regional Advisory Committees according to the steps and criteria set up in the Guidelines.
For the ongoing call, preselected candidates have until 11 March 2021 12.00 (CET) to submit a full proposal. The selected beneficiaries will then be offered a contract based on a standard grant agreement.
Should you have any questions or encounter any difficulties, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions or contact your Regional Focal Point or the BEST 2.0+ Secretariat.

Good Luck!