N-Gen Field Grants

N-Gen is thrilled to announce a call for proposals to support field research in Northwestern Mexico in partnership with UNEC (Unión del Noroeste de Estaciones de Campo).

UNEC (Northwestern Network of Field Stations) is a collaborative alliance of organizations managing field stations across Northwestern Mexico, promoting ecosystem and biodiversity conservation through scientific research and community engagement.

The N-Gen Field Grants program will provide financial support to individuals undertaking research in the Sonoran Desert at UNEC Field Stations.

We are now accepting pre-proposals for:

(A) Student, Indigenous, and Early Career Research Grants ($1,500 each)

(B) Collaborative Research Grants (up to $5,000 each)

Details

All projects must be undertaken at or in collaboration with at least one UNEC Field Station (see map of UNEC Field Stations, and their information below).
A letter of support from collaborating field station(s) is required as part of the pre-proposal application.
All applicants must be N-Gen members (make a new profile here).
Projects should be designed for a one-year period, with a start date of September 1, 2025, and an end date of August 31, 2026.
There is no restriction on applicant affiliation.
There are no predefined areas of geographic or thematic focus as long as the proposal is anchored at a UNEC Field Station.
There will be a pre-proposal phase, with select applications invited to submit a full proposal.

See Pre-Proposal information and links below

A limited number of pre-proposals from each category will be invited for full proposals in June 2025, which will be due by 15 July 2025.
At this time, applicants will be asked to develop a more thorough work plan in collaboration with the field station(s) they will be working at. Applicants will also be asked to address any reviewer questions and provide additional project and budget information.
An individual can apply to either the Student, Indigenous, and Early Career Research Grants as an individual OR the Collaborative Research Grants as part of a team. However, a person can only submit one application.
Selected applicants would interact with the UNEC Field Stations as independent researchers.
Proposals will be reviewed by a N-Gen leadership committee.

UNEC Field Stations

Timeline

Call for pre-proposals opens: 1 May 2025
Call for pre-proposals closes: 2 June 2025
Invited full proposals due: 15 July 2025
Final decisions: 1 August 2025
Project start date: 1 September 2025
Project end date: 31 August 2026

Pre-proposal

Pre-proposals can be in English or Spanish and must be submitted by the Google Forms below.

(A) Student, Indigenous, and Early Career Research Grants

Students are broadly defined as individuals in an undergraduate or graduate program, or early career individuals with or without degrees independently pursuing research outside of academia.

Indigenous researchers include members of Native Communities from the Sonoran Desert and adjacent regions, whose efforts integrate traditional knowledge and/or Western scientific approaches to conservation.

*An individual can apply to either the Student, Indigenous, and Early Career Research Grants as an individual or the Collaborative Research Grants as part of a team. However, a person can only submit one application.

Application questions:

Project Title
Project Leader, First Name
Project Leader, Last Name
Project Leader, Affiliation
Confirm you have a current N-Gen profile.
Proposed Research
Briefly outline your proposed research and your project goals, and explain how the funding would help advance, complete, or enhance your project and career trajectory.
Please also briefly describe what N-Gen funding would support (e.g., travel, equipment, etc.). Specific numbers are not needed here but will be required at the full proposal stage.
[You will upload a file with your reply that is a maximum of 1 page]
Discipline(s) related to the proposed work [select all that apply]
Region(s) where proposed work will take place [select all that apply]
Name of Field Station(s) where proposed work will be undertaken [select all that apply]
Please upload the Letter of support from collaborating field station(s)
The field station letter will be a template with the following fields to be filled: date, name of the field station, name of director/field station lead, signature of that person.

For field station contacts, see the map and list above.

(B) Collaborative Research Grants

Collaborative Research Grants will be open to applicants at any career stage or affiliation, though require a collaborative team.

Funding prioritization will be given to projects that embody N-Gen’s collaborative vision to achieve transdisciplinary research.

Students, individuals of Native Communities, and early career researchers can apply for collaborative research grants, and be the lead applicant, however, there needs to be a larger collaborative team.

Application questions:

Project Title
Project Leader, First Name
Project Leader, Last Name
Project Leader, Affiliation
List all project collaborators (First and Last names and Affiliation for each, as a separate line)
Confirm you and all project collaborators have a current N-Gen profile.
Proposed Research
Briefly outline your proposed research, highlighting the research question, the area where the work will be undertaken, the project goals, the collaborative team, the collaboration and interaction with your paired field station(s), and expected deliverables/outcomes.
Please also briefly describe what N-Gen funding would support (e.g., travel, equipment, etc.). Specific numbers are not needed here but will be required at the full proposal stage.
[You will upload a file with your reply that is a maximum of 2 pages]
Discipline(s) related to the proposed work [select all that apply]
Regions(s) where proposed work will take place [select all that apply]
Name of Field Station(s) where proposed work will be undertaken [select all that apply]
Please upload the Letter of support from collaborating field station(s)
The field station letter will be a template with the following fields to be filled: date, name of the field station, name of director/field station lead, signature of that person.

For field station contacts, see the map and list above.

Full Proposals

A limited number of pre-proposals from each category will be invited for full proposals in June 2025, which will be due by 15 July 2025.

At this time, applicants will be asked to develop a more thorough work plan in collaboration with the field station(s) they will be working at. Applicants will also be asked to address any reviewer questions and provide additional project and budget information.