This page contains important information for partners wishing to join the consortium in the second funding period starting October 2025. Please note that this applies to all interested parties, including partners of the first funding period!
Information will be updated as we progress in the proposal process.
Über/About
NFDI4Biodiversity ist eines der größten und vielfältigsten Konsortien in der Nationalen Forschungsdateninfrastruktur NFDI, mit einem breiten Spektrum an Datentypen, Partnereinrichtungen und Services. Unsere Arbeit wird seit 2020 aus Mitteln einer Bund-Länder-Vereinbarung zum Aufbau der NFDI gefördert, mit einer Laufzeit von fünf Jahren. Nach positiver Evaluation durch das NFDI-Expertengremium bei der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG kann nun ein Antrag für die zweite Förderphase gestellt werden. Das Verfahren inklusive der wissenschaftlichen Begutachtung läuft über die DFG. Antragsfrist ist der .
Die Universität Bremen wird erneut als Antragstellerin für das Konsortium fungieren. Sprecher bleibt Frank Oliver Glöckner von der Universität Bremen. Die Antragstellung wird koordiniert durch die gemeinsame Projektgeschäftsstelle in Bremen (Leitung: Barbara Ebert, GFBio - Gesellschaft für Biologische Daten e.V.). Nach der positiven Begutachtung sehen wir die zweite Förderphase im Kern als Fortsetzung der bisherigen Arbeit. Ziele und Arbeitsprogramm werden auf aktuelle Bedarfe der Community angepasst.
Wir bieten ein munteres und engagiertes Experten-Netzwerk, Unterstützung bei der Adaptierung guter Praxis und erprobter Software-Werkzeuge für die eigene Arbeit sowie die Möglichkeit, zusammen mit der NFDI als starkem Partner für die datenpolitischen Belange von Wissenschaft und Praxis einzutreten. Im Zuge der Absichtserklärung wurden 13 neue Partnereinrichtungen aufgenommen. So schaffen wir Datenvielfalt für Artenvielfalt!
Da das Antragsverfahren in englischer Sprache durchzuführen ist, werden wir die relevanten Informationen ebenfalls durchgehend auf Englisch bereitstellen.
Bei Fragen nehmen Sie gern Kontakt auf. Alle Anfragen werden über das NFDI4Biodiversity Helpdesk gehandhabt.
English translation
NFDI4Biodiversity is one of the largest and most multifaceted consortia in the National Research Data Infrastructure NFDI, with a wide range of data types, partner institutions and services. Since 2020, our work has been funded by a federal/state agreement for the development of the NFDI, with a five-year funding period. Following a positive evaluation by the NFDI expert committee at the German Research Foundation DFG, we now prepare a proposal for the second funding phase. The procedure, including the scientific evaluation, is carried out by the DFG. The application deadline is .
The University of Bremen will again act as the applicant for the consortium. Frank Oliver Glöckner from the University of Bremen will continue to be the spokesperson. The application will be coordinated by the joint project office in Bremen (Head: Barbara Ebert, GFBio - Gesellschaft für Biologische Daten e.V.). Following the positive evaluation, we regard the second funding period essentially as a continuation of the previous work. The objectives and work program will be adapted to the current needs of the community.
We offer a lively and committed network of experts, support in adapting good practice and tried-and-tested software tools for your own work, and the opportunity to work with the NFDI as a strong partner in advocating the data policy interests of science and practice. This is how we create data diversity for biodiversity! A total of 13 new partners were accepted as part of the letter of intent submitted to the DFG in June 2024 (see information below).
Please contact us for individual questions. All inquiries will be handled via the NFDI4Biodiversity helpdesk.
News and calls to action
Proposal submitted on August 5th, 2024
The writing teams finished their work, the editing team, too - and the proposal was submitted in time to the DFG. With 276 pages (including appendices) it´s a veritable book. An abridged version has been sent to the co-applicants and participants. We are now preparing for a hearing on November 19th and hope for a favorable review. A final decision will be made by the German Science Minister Conference in Summer 2025.
Letter of intent submitted on June 18th, 2024
The Project Office submitted the official letter of intent for submission of a renewal proposal (LoI) on June 24th, 2024 to the German Research Foundation DFG. The LoI contains the binding partner list for the second funding period and is therefore an important milestone in the process. In the second funding phase, the consortium will have 11 co-applicant organisations and 45 participant organisations. A total of 13 new organisations have formalised their desire to participate by submitting a letter of commitment and will be participating in the network from October 2025. The prerequisite is a strong full proposal, which we are working on with the spokesperson organisation and 11 co-applicants.
Join the mailing list
Mailing list for partners of the second funding phase: https://lists.nfdi4biodiversity.org/listinfo/funding-phase-ii
Closed: Partner information sheets
Parties joining the consortium need to provide basic information about their institution and planned contributions to the consortium by .
Templates were circulated by mail and can be found at the bottom of this page (documents and templates)
Closed: Call for Letters of Commitment
All parties wishing to join the consortium need to submit a Letter of commitment by , plus basic information about their institution and planned contributions to the consortium.
Templates were circulated by mail and can be found at the bottom of this page (documents and templates)
Closed: Partner survey
In April, a survey was conducted to inform us about current considerations to join the consortium in the second funding phase.
Objectives / Aims for the second funding phase
The following considerations were discussed in the Steering group meeting of March, 2024 and will eventually lead up to the general aims and specific objectives required for the renewal proposal.
Setting the scene
The biodiversity community is diverse in terms of stakeholders, data, services, and existing initiatives. To analyse the state of biodiversity and its drivers properly, comprehensive data is needed through time and space. Historical data is important, as well as data gathered with modern research methodologies in the field and the lab. The community depends on large reference corpora for occurrence data (GBIF) as well as sequence data (INSDC, BOLD). The NFDI4Biodiversity consortium gathers a representative set of stakeholders from Germany to advance the mobilisation of data according to the FAIR principles. Important sub-communities/groups in the fields of biodiversity informatics, bioinformatics, taxonomy, biodiversity monitoring and plant research are represented, to name just a few.
However, there are dozens/hundreds of initiatives and institutions with relevant data in Germany, which would need to adopt the FAIR principles. For a tangible improvement, a self-organisation process needs to be triggered, to gain momentum and bring data mobilisation to scale. A strategy has to be developed for scaling services and support capacities. This frames the objectives for the second funding phase.
In the period 2025-2030 we want to
- foster self-organisation in the community to adopt best practices in RDM and FAIR data mobilisation
- introduce formats for participation, strengthen training and dissemination
- consolidate the service catalog, including common infrastructure
- build comprehensive data products for research and analysis - KI/research readiness
Task Areas and contact persons
| TA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Title | Community enabling and support | International networking and standards | A sustainable data and service network | Research Data Commons | Coordination, collaborative governance and sustainability |
| Aim | Sub-communities develop tailored solutions for their research needs | Embedment in the international data and service provider community | A consolidated, community-owned portfolio | A coherent data ecosystem in the cloud | Efficient and effective management and long-term strategy for sustainable services |
| Main contact | Frank Oliver Glöckner Barbara Ebert |
Q & A Renewal proposal
When and how can I become a participant for the second funding period?
As of June 18th, 2024, the accession of new partners to the consortium is closed. After this deadline, acceptance as a participant can only be initiated after the start of the second funding period, i.e. from September 2025 (as of April 2024).
If you are interested in being a participant, please consider the following: We are looking for committed and capable partners who will carry the consortium forward and help solve the various challenges associated with building a functional data ecosystem. It takes people who are willing to tackle problems and take responsibility - be it by forming interest groups, organizing events or participating in governance. Formally, "participants" are natural persons and/or non-profit legal entities who contribute significantly to the work programme on a sustained basis. Participants must be named and their contributions must be described in the proposal. The consortium can request funds for their involvement. (Source: DFG guidelines for consortia, second funding phase). (as of April 2024)
Which funding is available for the consortium in the second funding period?
According to the information we have received, the same amount of funding is available for the second round of applications as for the first round. This statement applies to the group of nine consortia entering the second funding phase at the same time and should therefore be seen as a guideline. As a consortium, NFDI4Biodiversity has spent around 2.8 million euros in 2022 and 2023, with planned figures of around 3 million euros in both years. According to information from the DFG, consortia can generally be funded with 2-5 million euros per year, with the average currently being 2.6 million euros per year (calculated across all 27 consortia). (as of April 2024)
How will funding be allocated within the consortium?
Co-spokespersons will continue to be provided with a full-time position for the duration of the project, and an additional half-time position is planned for TA Leads to support coordination. Further budget allocations will be provided for data centers and selected service providers, based on their contributions to the work programme. A certain annual amount will be reserved for the allocation of Flexfunds funds to partner institutions so that additional staff positions or subcontracts can be financed as needed. (as of April 2024).
- Note on personnel costs: The DFG's personnel resource rates are to be used as orientation for the calculation.
How can I retain current project staff, given the current timeline?
This is a question for current partners with staff capacities funded under NFDI4Biodiversity. Unfortunately, the binding funding commitment in 2025 is expected relatively shortly (3 months) before the end of funding phase I. However, the GWK has already stated that phase-out funding will be made available in case a renewal proposal is rejected. Up to 70% of the current budget will be granted for the first 12 months after the end of the current funding phase and up to 40% in the 12 months after that. The steering group will deal with the distribution of such phase-out funding in the 4th quarter of 2024 and inform the partner institutions. This will provide a basis for early contract extensions. The decision as to whether personnel measures can be taken on this basis is then up to the respective partner institution. (as of April 2024)
draw.io
/display/NFDI/Proposal+2nd+funding+phase
| Partner survey participation |
24.-26. April 2024 | All Hands Conference in Munich |
April-Mai 2024 | Writing teams start Partners prepare LoC |
| Deadline for partner LoC |
| Work programme drafts presented in NFDI4Biodiversity Project Forum |
| Bremen University submits Letter of Intent |
Juni-Juli 2024 | Finetuning of proposal and budget |
| Final version proof-read and ready |
| Speaker submits proposal |
Documents and Templates
- Template and instructions Letter of Commitment (LoC): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m7e55olsjekARkbMiE1c4W4E06T4GBKG_zC5E9EIr0k/edit?usp=sharing
- Deadline:
- Template for partner information sheets with contributions and in-kind-contributions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gpyPgp0q7gIkNaMj4RRP09jHf9ZIy0WfLD2dG_amLk8/edit
- Deadline:
- Letter of intent to the DFG with current partner list: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ckZ4WUigTGbr7Vg7SU0mcfVrO-OwQu9_/view?usp=drive_link
