20.12.2024

DFG: Priority Programme “Biodiversity Exploratories”

Deadlines: 16 January 2025 (short summary); 2 April 2025 (proposal)

Research in the Biodiversity Exploratories encompasses comparative, experimental and theoretical approaches, as well as scientific syntheses, addressing the following themes:

• relationships of land use and land-use intensity with all facets of biodiversity, from the genetic to the community level;
• consequences of changes in land use, land-use intensity and biodiversity for the functioning of ecosystems, communities, populations and for ecosystem services;
• the social-ecological causes and consequences of the relations between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Since 2006, the Biodiversity Exploratories have contributed substantially to an in-depth understanding of land use – biodiversity – ecosystem functioning relationships. This revealed strong effects of the intensity of land use on many facets of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning/services in grasslands and forests, as well as many similarities, but also pronounced differences, between grasslands and forests and between study regions.

An important and topical research perspective of the Biodiversity Exploratories are the temporal dynamics, stability and resistance/resilience of ecosystems under environmental change, including both land-use change and climate change. The Biodiversity Exploratories are uniquely placed to investigate interacting effects of climate change, land use on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Research on temporal patterns of stability, on responses to perturbations by land use, weather/climate or experimental treatments, and on mechanisms underlying stability is therefore encouraged by this call.

Moreover, social-ecological research, focusing on the causes and consequences of the relationship between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services, is an important emerging field to be addressed in the new phase. Such social-ecological research (e.g. on, but not limited to, social, economic or governance aspects) is encouraged by this call and should specifically address the context of the study regions of the Biodiversity Exploratories and of the land use in these regions.

This call addresses research groups with expertise in the research areas described above. The DFG will fund empirical projects on these topics using comparative, experimental or social-ecological approaches. Projects using theoretical approaches and projects aiming to create added value by scientific synthesis of existing data and information are encouraged, too.

The starting date proposed for all new projects is 1 March 2026. The duration of the projects should be 36 months and cannot exceed this period. To foster collaboration and synergy, successful applicants and their team members are expected to collaborate according to the rules of procedure of the Biodiversity Exploratories, to attend the annual assembly and to actively participate in relevant workshops and thematic group discussions of the Biodiversity Exploratories.

Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the DFG by 2 April 2025.

Interested applicants are asked to send a very short summary of the intended research no later than 16 January 2025 by email to the scientific coordinator of the Biodiversity Exploratories. These summaries should contain:

• the name(s) of applicant(s) and their institution(s)
• a preliminary title
• a maximum of 5 lines of text as well as one or several of the following keywords for the scale at which the work will be conducted:
  EPs; MIPs; VIPs; FOX; REX; LUX; BeClimWood; forest; grassland; “forest, grassland and arable fields”
• theory and modelling
• synthesis
• social-ecological research
• To facilitate mutual information and coordination among applicants

these short summaries will be compiled and made available to all applicants (in one password-protected file) named in these summaries.

The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness. With regard to the subject-specific focus of this call, the DFG encourages female researchers in particular to submit proposals.

Further Information:
https://www.dfg.de/de/aktuelles/neuigkeiten-themen/info-wissenschaft/2024/ifw-24-115 

Questions with regard to scientific contents should be directed to the current and future speaker and scientific coordinator of the Biodiversity Exploratories:
Professor Dr. Markus Fischer
Universität Bern
markus.fischerspam prevention@ips.unibe.ch 

Professor Dr. Nico Blüthgen
Technische Universität Darmstadt
bluethgenspam prevention@bio.tu-darmstadt.de 

and

Dr. Victoria Grießmeier
Senckenberg Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum Frankfurt
victoria.griessmeierspam prevention@senckenberg.de 

Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:

Programme contact:
Dr. Meike Teschke
phone +49 228 885-2336
meike.teschkespam prevention@dfg.de

Administrative contact:
Tanja Zdebel
phone +49 228 885-3105
tanja.zdebelspam prevention@dfg.de