Dear @jared ,

Thank you so much for your answer. We have been focusing very deeply into the technology part of the challenge and not yet on the legal issues or product lifecycle. Definitely a lot of food for thoughts there.... thanks!

Dear @jared ,

Thank you so much for your answer. We have been focusing very deeply into the technology part of the challenge and not yet on the legal issues or product lifecycle. Definitely a lot of food for thoughts there.... thanks!

Thank you for confirming, Vance! I will check out environmentjob.co.uk!

The weird bit about LinkedIn is that I ran into two opportunities posted by someone that I could respond to with an offer. Which is of course nice, but also very much dependent on coincidence, having a broad enough network, and of course endless  browsing.

I noticed that LinkedIn currently has a selection of 'requests for work'. Haven't checked it out though because it requires a premium account. Guess, I will take the free temporary upgrade.

Hej Szilvia!

What an interesting story, especially in light recent questions popping up on business models for nature conservation enterprises!

So, how or where do you find commissions for your drone and geospatial consultancies in nature conservation? 

Thanks! Do you happen to know how to get in touch with the folks leading this initiative?

Hej @kimhendrikse,

Not really the kind of answer I was looking for ( because we now still don't know how you finance your setup ), but it is an interesting answer to the question which is also practiced here and there. But the financing problem will not disappear. It will just be distributed as well. The nodes still need funding. Less so per node, which might make it a lot easier, but there is still funding involved. Perhaps there is even a way to distribute the 'central' catalogue. I wouldn't insert a central repositoring chaching data because then we're back at something big and expensive again. 

Also, there will be costs involved in developing and maintaining standards, which also need to be paid - through membership fees perhaps. Lastly one would need a way to deal with those nodes that cannot fund themselves anymore. It would lead to fewer and bigger nodes and should not happen too much because then we're back at square one.

That's a really honest answer Kim! Thank you for clarifying

You're likely not the only one. In fact it would be interesting to find out how much conservation tech use and development is funded through personal means. I made a note. Perhaps we'll do a poll sometime

For what it's worth coming from a non-expert, it sounds interesting and impressive to me. Does it mean that to adapt one native crop, complete domestication and get it to market, would take 100/12 ≈ 8 million dollars?

Would you consider applying for a grant like this?

I don't know.  From the same quote I would highlight the word 'promises'. One can promise a rocket to the moon. It's not likely to happen but if it does it would be 'real and measurable'. So perhaps you should dig deeper.

Hi Arthur,

Thanks for adding your point. As you may have noticed we recently published a post on basic funding opportunities, but I think much of it does not apply to you, because in a way, you seem to be a service provider to conservation projects. Right?

Assuming for now that I got this right, then it's good to know that we are working on a article about funding opportunities for tech development. To me your question is a question as well. I have a few tentative answers, but I am also curious which ways of funding open source development work and scaling up have been tried and tested. There must be many WILDLABS members that are in a similar position as you and I am guessing that there are some that have solved the problem. It would be a great question to ask and see what people come up with.

How would open source development work be financed in other sectors? You mention that you have a decade of industry experience. How does it work over there?

Hej Peter,

Thanks for your reply. Obviously, I see where your question is coming from, but I don't think we are going to provide a funding database. After all there already are quite a few out there. Have you tried any to find funding sources that are looking for innovation and willing to take short-term risks? In any case, I will keep an eye out and highlight it in a funding post if I run into one.

About the longer funding cycles, that will be a tough one to find for sure. There is a lot of discussion about long-term funding / basic support, but little action. There is One World Together, which started about a year ago. Don't get your hopes up high, because it is not like they have a call for applications. They have picked their partners already and provide a defensive answer to the FAQ question 'How do you pick your partners' 

Given that I am a Peace Corps volunteer and research is the secondary, though still guiding objective of my work, I was able to apply for grants from private companies such as the Mitsubishi corporation - the only grant I used to directly, though others may be applicable.  

I was lucky enough to leverage my relationships with nonprofits that I work with to obtain camera traps. I have 7 total traps - 4 of which were donated by the national park agency of the country I'm working with, and 3 that i bought with my own money. I was in the process of obtaining another 6 from an environmental nonprofit but due to politics within the national park agency that was not a viable option. For the study area i had planned (20,000 hectares) I can cover the area I want but over a longer period. The more camera traps I would have, the faster the study would be completed, but there was a rush on my end. 

I have posted grants that I found in my process of searching below: 

GRANTS

https://ptes.org/grants/apply-grant/worldwide-grant-criteria/ - 2024: PTES will be accepting new applications for Conservation Insight Grants in 2024. The deadline for applications is Sunday 25th August at 23.59 (UK time). Please ensure that all reference letters are sent by the referees by the same deadline. The applications will be assessed at a meeting in mid-October and applicants will be notified whether they have been successful or not by the end of October. Projects should start no earlier than January 2025.
 

https://ideawild.org/application/ - IDEA WILD awards small equipment grants.

We receive equipment requests daily, 50 -70 requests/month, and prioritize them based on conservation impact, recipient need, and project location. Additional consideration is given to projects in areas identified as critical biodiversity hotspots. Our grants serve areas where support is needed most and advance biological research, conservation education, community outreach, conservation management, field training and professional development.

https://www.neotropicalbirdclub.org/conservation/conservation-fund/ - Grants of $1,500 and $3,000 (US Dollars) are available subject to certain conditions. Grants are occasionally awarded for higher amounts (up to $5000). Please contact the Club (see below) to confirm the availability and criteria for higher amount awards.
 

https://swbg-conservationfund.org/en/grant-seekers/ 

https://www.speciesconservation.org/grants/ - DEADLINE FEB 29TH  - The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund provides financial support in the form of small grants of less than $25,000 to conservation projects globally. These small grants are as much for the species as they are for the conservationists and organizations working so passionately to protect them.

https://whitleyaward.org/ - You might be able to apply for this and connect it to our project  - The Whitley Awards provide funding, training and profile to mid-career conservationists who lead grassroots projects in the Global South, benefitting wildlife, habitats and people. Whitley Award winners receive £40,000 and join an active network of 200 alumni across 80 countries and successful projects can go on to receive long-term Continuation Funding, as well as WFN’s top prize – the Whitley Gold Award – worth £100,000.

 https://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/grant-program - Wildlife Acoustics may award up to $12,000 worth of eligible products to selected grant recipients worldwide every quarter. Individual applicants may request products and software licenses totaling up to $4,000 quarterly. We will highlight grant recipients and their projects on our website and social media platforms.

https://zaa.org/conservation_grants - The Zoological Association of America (ZAA) offers grants up to $5,000 to support the conservation of endangered species and their habitats globally. Proposals may include field programs, studies, and multidisciplinary approaches to species conservation, habitat preservation, and biodiversity enhancement. The grants are available to principal investigators associated with recognized institutions like accredited zoos, academic institutions, conservation, or non-profit organizations. Proposals can be submitted electronically from January 1, 2024, to April 15, 2024, with decisions made by June 14, 2024