Call for nominations opens for 2025 GBIF Graduate Researchers Award

On behalf of its network of national Voting and Associate Participants, the GBIF Secretariat is pleased to invite nominations for the 2025 Graduate Researchers Award. This annual programme aims to highlight innovative research and discovery in biodiversity informatics by graduate students whose master's and doctoral studies rely on GBIF-mediated data.

The 2025 programme will provide two €5,000 prizes recognizing the work of two early-career researchers. Candidates receive formal nominations from the node managers and heads of delegation from GBIF Participant countries, who generally select one master’s and one PhD candidate whose nominations are then forwarded to the GBIF Secretariat.

An expert jury coordinated through GBIF Science Committee will then select two award recipients from the pool of nominees whose names are received by the GBIF Secretariat by Friday, 27 June 2025 (23:59 UTC+2). The GBIF Secretariat will announce winners prior to the 32nd meeting of the GBIF Governing Board (GB32), on 18-20 October 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia, and present their work at that meeting.

Eligibility

Candidates must provide a letter of support verifying their affiliation with a university graduate programme (as a currently enrolled master's or PhD student) to be eligible for the award. In addition, candidates must be either:

a) citizens of a country participating in GBIF
or
b) students at an institution located in a GBIF participant country.

Nominations can come from the GBIF delegation or node of either the candidate's country of citizenship or the country of the candidate’s host institution.

Submission process and deadlines

Students seeking nomination must apply to the node manager or head of delegation from a GBIF Voting or Associate Participant country (see the complete list). National participants are responsible for establishing their own deadlines and processes for receiving and processing student applications. As a result, graduate students who seek nomination should consult the websites of their national GBIF Participants or contact the node manager or head of delegation directly.

Student nominations are first reviewed and prioritized at the national level. GBIF national nodes are encouraged to work closely with the academic communities and higher education institutions in their countries and to engage relevant university programmes and research groups. Nominations

National node managers and/or heads of delegation may submit a maximum of two nominees per country to the GBIF Secretariat to gradresearchersaward@GBIF.org by the deadline for submissions: 27 June 2025. Submitting node managers and heads of delegations are responsible for ensuring that forwarded nominations are complete and include all the elements listed below. Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

Country deadlines (received to date)

Award nomination packet

Candidates should prepare their proposal and nomination packets to include:

1. Research summary (200 words)
2. Project description (maximum 5 pages, 12-point Arial) that describes
   a. How the research advances biodiversity informatics and/or the conservation of biological diversity.
   b. The role of data accessed through GBIF in addressing these questions. Research proposals must clearly demonstrate how the study incorporates data mobilized through GBIF. Students with questions about GBIF-enabled data should work with academic advisors, their GBIF national node, the GBIF Secretariat or members of the Science Committee to increase their understanding.
   c. The research scope, plan, methodologies, relevant literature citations and timetable.
   d. If relevant, a description or an excerpt from a data management plan that outlines how data related to the research is published or will be prepared for publication through the GBIF network to GBIF.org.
3. Curriculum vitae of the student applicant including full contact information at the home institution.
4. Supporting documents
   a. An official letter from the student’s faculty mentor/supervisor certifying that the applicant is a student in good standing in the graduate programme of the university.
   b. At least one, and no more than three, letters of support from established researchers active in a field that encompasses and incorporates biodiversity informatics (e.g., genetics, species composition and traits, biogeography, ecology, systematics, et al.)

Selection process and criteria

The GBIF Science Committee will review the nominations and select winners of the Graduate Researchers Award.

The criteria for the awards include:

• Originality and innovation
• Use of and strategic significance for data accessed through GBIF
• Measurable effectiveness and impact in advancing biodiversity informatics and/or the conservation of biological diversity

Proposals that are not selected may be updated and resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years. Research submitted for the award not have to be fully completed at the time of submission.

Awardees are expected to acknowledge GBIF support when disseminate research results via peer-reviewed publications, presentations at professional meetings, and other media.

Questions

Have a question about the programme? Check out our FAQs page or alternatively contact gradresearchersaward@GBIF.org.