The “Cooperation for the Convention on Biological Diversity” (CO-OP4CBD) project seeks to enhance coordination and leverage existing expertise and initiatives within the European Union (EU) to support the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The project receives funding from Horizon Europe, the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation.
We are looking for thematic experts to engage in their individual capacity in CO-OP4CBD activities. This is an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to join a diverse network of biodiversity experts in Europe and beyond,* as well as take part in formative science-policy processes that will, as appropriate, contribute to the implementation of the CBD at the national and regional levels.
The present call is open to experts from various career stages, from early-career to senior roles, who are eager to volunteer their time and expertise to be trained and train others on CBD processes and take part in thematic groups focused on providing technical input, upon request, on the state of knowledge of subject matters featured in the agenda of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). More specifically, CO-OP4CBD is looking for expertise in the following areas (in alphabetical order):
- Biodiversity and health.
Use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources
Conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity (see decision 15/24 of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD).
Detection and identification of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs).
Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) (see decision 15/26 of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD).
Monitoring framework for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (see decision 15/5 of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD).
Risk assessment and risk management for LMOs.
Synthetic biology.
By expressing your interest, you will be added to the CO-OP4CBD mailing list and invited to our online capacity-building workshops taking place in the first quarter of 2024. In these online workshops, you will be able to learn more about the CBD processes and how to engage in them based on your area of expertise, meet researchers and practitioners in your field, and receive the latest CBD updates. More importantly, you will become part of a network of experts working towards improving the science-policy interface and in similar research fields.
Furthermore, selected experts may be invited to take part in one of our in-person workshops (with the transport and accommodation costs covered by the project). Selected experts will have an opportunity to contribute to the development of technical briefs to inform international policy on the topics highlighted in this call.
Do you have the required knowledge and interest to contribute toward impactful policy processes for biodiversity, nationally and regionally? Kindly express your interest in contributing to the CO-OP4CBD project by filling out the form below. If you already responded to our 2023 call, we kindly invite you to submit your information again as we are updating our database. Feel free to broadly share this message with your contacts and networks.
(*) The target group of the CO-OP4CBD project includes the member countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), cooperating countries, as well as Armenia, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Tunisia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. For more information, see https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/countries.
