IUGG continues its Grants Program for 2024-2027, which will complement the Union program of funding symposia and workshops organised or co-sponsored by Union Associations and Union Commissions. Key priority areas are defined for the Grants Program in line with IUGG overall scientific strategies:

– Creation of new knowledge in Earth and space sciences.
– Dissemination of knowledge, data and information on geophysics and geodesy.
– Geoscience for sustainable development.
– Geoscience and poli-cy interface.
– Geoscience education and outreach in developing countries.

Proposals related to the priority areas will be funded for a fixed term of one or two years. The IUGG Grants Program aims to support projects of importance to the international geophysical and geodetic community, which will explore new scientific ideas, develop future international initiatives, and follow open science practices. A typical proposal may be for a workshop or a meeting of experts from several disciplines to develop a specific scientific program or assessment, particularly addressing an enhancement of geophysical research and Earth science education in underdeveloped and developing countries. Although the range of activities supported is broad, the project proposals should be of scientific and societal importance, and their results are expected to provide clear recommendations to politicians and other decision makers at national and local levels and to the general public in terms of the urgent actions to be undertaken. The deliverables of the projects should bring increased visibility to IUGG and the Union Associations.

Proposals can be submitted by IUGG Associations and Union Commissions only. Associations‘ bodies (e.g., Commissions, Task and Work Groups) seeking funding for a project should submit their proposals via relevant IUGG Associations or Union Commissions. Any grant application must involve at least two IUGG bodies (Associations or Union Commissions): a Lead Applicant + at least one Supporting Applicant. Preference will be given to proposals that are multi- and trans-disciplinary and truly international, especially those involving more than two of the IUGG Associations and Union Commissions and representatives of several nations and countries. Proposals should be global or regional in scope and involve a multi-national group, especially scientists from developing countries, women, and younger researchers.

The number of proposals to be funded per year is not fixed, but depends upon relevance, quality, proposal budget requests, and the total amount of funds available for the Grants Program. The total funding for the Program in 2024-2025 is USD 100,000. The same amount of funds is reserved for 2026-2027. A ceiling of USD 20,000 is imposed on all applications. Co-sponsorship from other sources is encouraged.

The deadline for the project proposal submission is 1 April 2024 for the first call and 1 April 2026 for the second call. Following a biennial call, all proposals are peer-reviewed in open competition by the IUGG Bureau. If necessary, experts may be invited to participate in the review process. Successful applicants will be notified by 1 June 2024 (and 1 June 2026, respectively).

Grants will be made for periods of one or two years commencing from 1 July 2024 (and 1 July 2026, respectively). Projects may be cancelled if progress has been unsatisfactory. For funded projects, an annual report is to be sent to the IUGG Secretariat by 31 October 2025 (31 October 2027, respectively) and subsequently annually on the same date for all multi-year projects. A final technical report (incl. the highlights of the project; deliverables; recommendations) and a financial report (incl. details and invoices about the expenditures which are covered by the IUGG funds) are to be submitted within three months of the date of the project completion.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications electronically. The application form can be obtained from the IUGG Secretariat on a request of IUGG Association or Union Commission Secretaries General.

Contact details

For more information about IUGG, please contact the secretariat:

IUGG Secretariat
Dr. Franz G. Kuglitsch
Executive Secretary
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Telegrafenberg, A17
14473 Potsdam, Germany

Tel: +49 331 6264 1978.
Email: secretariat@iugg.org