Applications Invited for Velux Stiftung Call for proposals 2023: Forestry

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About the Organization

Velux Stiftung is a Swiss foundation based in Zurich supporting forestry research in Switzerland and globally. The foundation aims to contribute to sustainable change and impact for the benefit of humanity. While there are many important and unsolved topics in the supported funding areas, Velux Stiftung focuses on those ideas or challenges which are relevant but have received too little attention from major funding sources, and/or take an interdisciplinary, outside-of-the-box approach and lack alternative funding opportunities. As knowledge entrepreneurs our grantees have a clear vision of the impact their research could generate and how they can foster the necessary change. Velux Stiftung aims to support researchers who have the path to impact in mind and want to actively transfer their science-based knowledge beyond the academic community into action and impact. This ultimate objective determines which audiences need to be targeted, and in which form the results should be transferred.

About the Grant

Does your work contribute towards the healthy, resilient and productive forests we need for our planet’s future? Then our call for proposals on innovative, sustainable and integrative forest management may be just what you're looking for!

Integrating climate change and biodiversity into the forest management of the future.

This call for proposals in forestry is focused on developing or integrating solutions for adapting to or mitigating climate change, promoting biodiversity, providing resilient ecosystems services while supplying sustainable forest products. We’re also seeking proposals that incentivize action and behavioral change, transforming the theoretical and abstract values of forest products and services.

Your proposal can be for an implementation-oriented research project that includes stakeholder engagement and has a high potential to foster change in practice. Alternatively, your proposal can be for a science practice network that co-develop or implement approaches that contribute towards the goals of the program. Support is available for projects within existing science-practice networks or establishing a new one.

Projects may last from 1 to 4 years, and funding of up to CHF 100,000 per year is available, with at least 10% to be used for knowledge transfer. Projects with several partners are possible.

Nearly one third of the planet’s land surface is covered with forests, and these need to fulfil many purposes: They provide society with goods such as timber, food and medicine. Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and can protect biodiversity, soil and water quality as well as serve as places where people can enjoy nature. Wood has a lower environmental impact than many alternative materials and the increasing use of forest products can reduce the carbon footprint.

With the funding program in forestry, the foundation wants to contribute to this challenge by supporting solution-oriented research based on an interaction between science and practitioners.

Goals:

• Fostering a change of perspective in the use and value of forests and sustainable forest management addressing the pressing issues of climate change and biodiversity loss as well as society’s need for timber. The change of perspective shall be solution-oriented and based on interaction between science and practitioners.
• Developing financial innovation and improved framework conditions shall offer leverage to implement sustainable forest management providing forests which can maintain biodiversity, act as a carbon sink and supply forest products.

Thematic focus of the call:

• Innovative, sustainable and integrative forest management to develop and provide solutions for adapting to or mitigating climate change, promoting biodiversity, providing resilient ecosystem services while supplying sustainable forest products.
• Incentives for action and behavioural chang by transforming theoretical and abstract values of forest products and services.

Project types:

• Research projects: Innovative, interdisciplinary, implementation-oriented research projects with a high potential to foster change in practice
• Science-practice networks: Existing or novel interdisciplinary science-practice networks to co-develop or implement the thematic focus of the call

How to Apply

The deadline for proposals is 23 September 2023, with a final decision expected in March 2024.

Apply here

For more information please check the Link

Tags Environment and Sustainability Innovations and Technology Others