Technical context and needs of CHMs in the south

The digital world has evolved considerably since the beginnings of the Belgian CHM partnership. Online tools are different, as is the social use of the internet. Across the world, focal points need to adapt to these changes in order to make the most of the benefits of emerging technologies for their CHM work.

Since 1999, the Belgian CHM has supported its partners in developing their CHM. From 2006 to 2018, CHM courses focused on the European Commission's 'CHM Portal Toolkit' (PTK).

Starting in 2019, CHM courses will focus on the new content management tool called 'Bioland'. This tool is developed by the CBD Secretariat. It is easy to use and freely available. It allows the integration of data from the CBD and its protocols as well as from other data providers relevant to national CHMs, e.g. GBIF. Several users can simultaneously contribute to the content of the site via a web interface.

Eligible activities

This call for proposals is not intended to address all the constraints identified by the CHM focal points. Its main objective is the transfer of data from a CHM site developed under the PTK to a CHM Bioland site.

The following activities are possible:

• Transferring data from the PTK site to Bioland:
  • Organization of a meeting to select priority data to be transferred
  • Hire students for a maximum of three months to make the transfer
  • Internet connection billing
• Assistance in digitizing important documents or data;

What won't be funded:

• training by Belgian tutors (such as continuing education at national level or the training of new employees);
• workshops, if their objectives are not directly related to the improvement of the CHM website;
• publication and printing of written materials other than pamphlets and brochures promoting the CHM.

Deliverables

The deliverables expected at the end of the projects are:

• A project carried out according to the terms of the contract
• A complete narrative report (free format)
• A financial report using the template provided by CEBIOS (Excel)
• An updated CHM website, more functional and officially recognized by the country's authorities (if this was not the case before the project).

Eligible countries and partners

Eligible are:

the National Focal Points of the Information Exchange Centers (CHM) of Belgium's French-speaking partner countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Niger, Morocco, Niger, Morocco, Niger, Togo, Morocco, Niger, Morocco, Niger, Niger, French-speaking partner countries of Belgium in French-speaking partner countries of Belgium: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Morocco, Niger, Morocco, Niger

Important: partners who did not submit reports and/or supporting documents on time for their projects from the 2019 CHM reinforcement call or earlier are not eligible for this 2020 digitalization call (since the previous project budget is withdrawn from the 2020 CeBIOS budget).

Type of support

For this call, it is possible to submit projects of a maximum of 3 months (end of projects on 31 March 2021).

The IRSNB will finance the selected projects at 80% of their estimated costs. The remaining 20% must be provided by the partner.

The maximum amount allocated by the Belgian NFP is 2,000 euros for a 3-month project.

Projects

80% of the requested budget will be paid at the start of the project and the remaining 20% at the end of the project. The 2nd installment will only be paid after receiving the scanned reports and supporting documents. Narrative and financial reports must be sent no later than May 1, 2021. Any overrun of the initial budget will not be accepted, so no reimbursement in excess of the budget granted initially will be possible.

 

Estimated number of supported projects

5 to 8 projects can be financed. This number will depend on the size and quality of all the projects submitted.

Project promoter and partners

The official promoter of the project is the National Focal Point of the Information Exchange Center, in agreement and consultation with the supervisory authority. An approval letter from the supervisory authority must be attached to the file.

South-South cooperation is eligible under this call, as long as it is clear which activities will be implemented in which country.

Collaboration or subcontracting with another local partner is possible. In this case, this collaboration or subcontracting must be clearly indicated in the tender file.

Preparing an application and submitting instructions

<at>Projects must be sent to the IRSNB no later than December 15, 2020, at the email address cbd-chm naturalsciences.be.

Alternatively, and only if the email does not work properly, a letter can be sent to the postal address indicated at the end of the document.

Projects must be submitted using the available template.

To prepare the budget, it is mandatory to use the budget template and to read the vademecum carefully. You need to submit the budget in the proposal (text format) and also send it in a separate Excel file.

Reporting

An activity report (= narrative) and a financial report must be sent to IRSNB at the end of the 3-month projects.

At the end of the project, good quality scans of all supporting documents for expenses must be sent to IRSNB by email, in accordance with the official instructions of the Belgian Development Cooperation and in accordance with the criteria set out in the CeBios Vademecum. Any expenses not justified by an eligible part will be at the partner's expense. The original supporting documents must be kept by the partner for a period of 10 years in the event of an audit by CEBios or the DGD.

The costs of sending reports (narrative and financial), material produced as part of the project and possibly original supporting documents in the event of an audit by carrier must be included in the project budget in advance.

The project reporting deadline is May 1, 2021.

Financial reports should be submitted using the standard Excel file provided by CEBIOS.

Indicative dates for the consideration of proposals and the implementation of projects

Projects

November 27 2020	Distribution of the call for proposals via the website of the Belgian Information Exchange Center
December 15 2020	Deadline for submitting projects
December 18 2020	The beneficiaries of the selected projects are contacted
December 12, 2020 - March 31, 2021	Completion of 3-month projects
May 1 2021	Activity reports and financial reports are submitted

 

Contacts

The following persons will be responsible for the evaluation and monitoring of projects, with the support of experts (DGD and others):

• Han DE KOEIJER, CHM Focal Point for Belgium
• Jolien VENNEMAN, assistant to the CHM focal point for Belgium

<at>In order for each of these persons to be informed at all times of the progress of a case, it is requested to use only the generic email address cbd-chm naturalsciences.be. If you did not receive an email confirming receipt of your project within three days after sending, you can contact Han de Koeijer directly.

<at>Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Rue Vautier 29
1000 Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: cbd-chm naturalsciences.be