Call for pre-proposals: GBIF/UNESCO Chairs in Biodiversity Informatics
(deadline for submission 15 March 2004)

November 28, 2003

Dear GBIF Governing Board Members,

At its seventh meeting (Tsukuba, Japan, 6-8 October 2003), the Governing Board agreed to initiate a new capacity building initiative via the establishment of the GBIF/UNESCO Chairs in Biodiversity Informatics. Furthermore, the Board also decided to establish four (4) chairs in developing countries and two (2) chairs in developed countries.

Biodiversity Informatics is the application of informatics technologies and methods to the biodiversity information domain, which is complex yet significant for sustainability.  Biodiversity Informatics is an emerging discipline that will bring species-level data onto the Internet and make it interoperable with other sorts of data, both biological (genetic to ecosystem levels) and abiotic. Developing curricula to train biodiversity informaticists will require interactions among biologists, information scientists and computer scientists.  The GBIF / UNESCO Chairs will be a nucleus around which such interdisciplinary activity will be centered.

The Chairs will give GBIF a presence in the academic community worldwide. In addition, it is foreseen as a valuable mechanism for training individuals in developing countries in the field of biodiversity informatics. This initiative can also effectively link the academic community with the GBIF Participant NODES and provide practical technical solutions to the participant NODES.

GBIF is launching this international capacity building initiative - benefiting from UNESCO's experience in this field- with the view of fostering a new generation of academic experts in biodiversity informatics and thus increase the availability of outstanding experts in this important discipline. The establishment of the GBIF/UNESCO Chairs will promote the development of curricula at the university level and the issuing of degrees (Master's and Ph.D. levels) in biodiversity informatics. This program will also allow for biodiversity informatics research activities within an academic realm.

Typically the cost of establishing a chair is USD 50,000-150,000/year (including both in-cash and in-kind contributions), and includes training, research and related information activities in the field of biodiversity informatics.

UNESCO is committed to providing seed funds and raise additional funding for this pursuit. Funds provided to Chairs in developing countries cover salaries, office space and some equipment. Funds for Chairs in developed countries are all devoted to bringing people from developing countries to work with a given developed-country chair. Typically a Chair program is established for a minimum of 2 years.

The GBIF Secretariat would like to invite you to submit pre-proposals to establish Biodiversity Informatics Chairs in your country. For this first round, GBIF is emphasizing that the pre-proposals need to be sent (and be endorsed) by a GBIF Participant.

The proposed time line is as follows:

Activity	Deadline
1. Issue call for pre-proposals	Early December 2003
2. Pre-proposals are submitted by GBIF participants	15 March 2004
3. Selection of pre-proposals, which will be developed into full proposals (GBIF in collaboration with UNESCO)	31 March 2004
4. Craft and modify selected proposals in collaboration with UNESCO and GBIF	17 May 2004
5. Approved proposals get final endorsement from UNESCO National Commissions	30 June 2004
6. Final decision on a set of chairs	17 September 2004
7. Fundraising for the chairs (UNESCO with GBIF support)	End of 2004

Enclosed please find 2 additional documents, the guidelines for the submission of pre-proposals (also in PDF format), and the pre-proposal application form (also in PDF format). Please send your submissions, through the head of the relevant GBIF Participant, to Beatriz Torres (btorres@gbif.org) or via fax at + 45 35 32 1480 at your earliest convenience but no later than 15 March 2004.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Beatriz Torres (btorres@gbif.org) or Salvatore Arico (s.arico@unesco.org) at any stage of the pre-proposal development.

With best regards,

Jim Edwards

Executive Secretary