Deadline: 20-Oct-2025
Entries are now open for the GEO-TREES Research and Technical Awards Program to provide opportunities for students and early-career researchers to use existing GEO-TREES sites to conduct research and expand research infrastructure in collaboration with the sites.
Through this initiative, projects can be field-oriented, herbarium- or laboratory-based, or analytical. Research projects can be basic or applied in nature and based in the social or natural sciences. Projects are typically expected to be completed within 3–12 months, but projects may be extended to 24 months by application. Project extension/duration will not increase award amount.
Successful proposals must use the GEO-TREES site data and the site data must be integral to the completion of the project. Applicants do not need to be associated with a site prior to applying, but applicants need the approval of the site Principal Investigator prior to submitting a proposal.
Research projects with budgets up to $15,000 USD will be considered, and funding is restricted to expenses related to field research, laboratory research, and data analysis. Eligible expenses include travel, stipend and living expenses during the project period, supplies, research assistance, and publication fees.
Funding is not available for annual salary and fringe benefits of the applicant, indirect institutional costs, tuition or study-related expenses, non-project personnel, or travel to meetings or conferences.
The program is open to students at any stage of their education and early-career researchers working directly in any GEO-TREES site. Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, and for those with a PhD, the degree must have been completed within the last five years. Priority will be given to researchers with less access to other institutional funds.
Projects that include multiple sites, and that include a strong educational or capacity-building component are encouraged. Local community members are also encouraged to apply individually or in collaboration with local researchers.
Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of scientists associated with the GEO-TREES program, with the potential inclusion of external scholars. Awards will be made based on the proposal’s merit, the applicant’s capacity to execute the proposed work, feasibility within the proposed timeframe, the centrality of GEO-TREES site data to the research, and the project’s broader significance to the field.
Applicants are required to submit a single PDF proposal, following a strict structure that includes a 1000-word proposal detailing the research description, objectives, methods, anticipated outcomes, broader significance to GEO-TREES and the discipline, and how the project builds scientific capacity through education.
The application must also include references, a list of collaborators, proof of site Principal Investigator approval, a two-page CV, a detailed budget with justification, and a project timeline outlining the proposed research activities.
The deadline for applications is 20 October 2025.
For more information, visit Smithsonian.
