Darwin Plus People & Skills Funding Programme (Round 13)

Deadline: 23-Sep-2024

Applications are now open for the Darwin Plus People & Skills Funding Programme that aims to build capacity through training, education, and professional development opportunities.

Darwin Plus People & Skills is intended to fund UKOT nationals and/or long term residents and/or those with a long term relationship with an OT where it does not have a permanent resident population, to increase their knowledge and ability to meet long-term strategic outcomes for the natural environment in UKOTs.

A wide range of projects may be eligible for funding through this scheme. People & Skills is intended to support people to build technical and scientific expertise in the fields of biodiversity and the environment to broaden their knowledge and experience of conservation.

Objectives of Darwin Plus 

• Darwin Plus supports environmental projects in the UKOTs, split across four broad themes. Successful applicants must demonstrate substantial measurable outcomes in at least one of the themes of Darwin Plus either by the end of the project’s implementation or via evidenced mechanisms for postproject delivery.
• The broad themes of Darwin Plus are:
  • Biodiversity: improving and conserving biodiversity, and slowing or reversing biodiversity loss and degradation;
  • Climate change: responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities;
  • Environmental quality: improving the condition and protection of the natural environment;
  • Capability and capacity building: enhancing the capacity within UKOTs to support the environment in the short- and long-term.

Where needs are clearly identifiable and demonstrable, Defra is willing to consider support for people: 

• undertaking formal qualifications (where these are linked to any of the four broad themes and can be completed within 24 months).
• broadening their own experience of working in any of the four broad themes through appropriate related work experience, such as, but not limited to, internships with relevant organisations or training for skills required in relevant sectors.
• developing policy skills (for example, attendance at relevant national or international workshops or meetings).
• seeking to upskill their teams by bringing in experts, trainers and/or mentors, either domestically or from another country, to build capacity amongst people based in-territory.

Funding Information

• Darwin Plus People & Skills offers grants of up to £100,000 to projects lasting up to 24 months.

Potential activities that may be eligible include, but are not limited to: 

• Relevant academic qualifications, including:
  • Undergraduate and foundation degrees;
  • Masters’ degrees;
  • Associate degrees;
  • Online and remote degrees;
• Professional development opportunities, including:
  • Training placements and internships;
  • Travel to and attendance at conferences and workshops;
  • Funding for trainers to come to UKOT(s) to deliver agreed training programmes;
  • Remote or online learning;
  • Territory to Territory skill share and exchanges;
  • Targeted training courses;
  • On-the-ground fieldwork training opportunities, and field work courses;
  • Other opportunities, where there is clear justification.

Ineligible Activities

• There are some activities which are not eligible for funding through Darwin Plus:
  • activities that would normally be part of a UKOT government’s core functions (such as fulltime staff salaries or routine management activities);
    • Note that funding can be used for discrete pieces of work that provide data to feed into core activities, for example, mapping OT habitats and soils to inform future environmental management.
  • long-term research;
  • ongoing maintenance of habitats or protection of species;
  • work where the main focus is built heritage.

Eligibility Criteria

• Support is available for an individual or group of people. People & Skills project beneficiary/ies can be nationals and long-term residents. A long-term resident should have lived in the Territory from which they are applying for at least 5 years. For Territories without a permanent resident population, individuals who can demonstrate an existing relationship with that Territory may be considered.
• Applications must be made by the Lead Organisation, not an individual, agreeing to the Terms and Conditions including managing the grant, its finances, reporting and governance.
• The Project Leader should be the lead individual who will work closely with or supervise the beneficiary/ies.
• The Project Leader and Lead Organisation can be based in any country, though they strongly encourage projects to be led by an in-territory organisation.
• Where the Project Leader is not employed by the Lead Organisation, the reasoning behind this should be made clear in the application, including their capability to control and be held accountable for the proposed project.
• There is no limit on the number of applications a Lead Organisation may submit, but they would encourage internal co-ordination to ensure all submissions are competitive. Defra may consider the number of applications from a single organisation as part of their decision-making process.
• Given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Biodiversity Challenge Funds has taken the decision to suspend all bilateral engagement with Russia, including sending any funds to any Russian organisation. Russian organisations are ineligible to be a Lead Organisation or Partner or involved on any Biodiversity Challenge Funds grant.

For more information, visit Darwin Plus.