BC Parks is pleased to announce that we are accepting project proposals for our Living Lab for Climate Change and Conservation Program. The mission of the Living Lab Program is to encourage climate change research in protected areas that documents changes in BC’s natural world, and that guides protected area management for an uncertain future. Funding is being offered to support public academic researchers to conduct climate change research in B.C.’s protected areas.
The Living Lab Program is a multi-year effort that offers funding for scientific and social science research projects ranging from $10-40K for research projects with public academic institutions in British Columbia.
Lead applicants must be professors who hold a current teaching or research position with a public post-secondary institution in BC. Organizations or individuals working in partnership with a professor as described are also encouraged to apply. All successful applicants must be available to present the preliminary results of their project at the annual Living Lab Research Colloquium in December 2020 (location in BC to be determined).
The application form is available on our website.
Each application will be considered on the basis of:
- Contribution to understanding climate change impacts and how to mitigate or adapt to these impacts in BC’s provincial parks;
- Objectives, methodology and approach;
- Qualifications and experience;
- Budget including other sources of funding (e.g., how Living Lab funding assistance contributes to other research or if there is an opportunity to leverage additional funds).
Successful applications will be chosen to ensure that the Living Lab research projects:
- Are endorsed by regional BC Parks staff as priority research projects;
- Involve Indigenous peoples’ priorities; and
- Are distributed throughout the province.
Applications for 2020 are due October 28, 2019. Preliminary decisions on priority projects for Living Lab funding will be announced in January 2020. Funding will be awarded in spring, subject to confirmation of its availability in the provincial budget.
All deliverables for 2020 projects are due March 22, 2021.
Please direct any questions to Jen Grant or Stephen Ban.