BC Parks Living Lab for Climate Change & Conservation Program

Funding Application – 2026

Successful projects commence in the spring of 2026 and end in March 2027. We welcome applications for multi-year projects, but funding for these projects will still be considered on a year-by-year basis (i.e., we cannot guarantee funding for multiple years, but projects with a proven track record are more likely to receive funding in subsequent years). However, the Living Lab program is not intended to be a source of permanent, long-term funding. 2026 Applications will close on December 1, 2025 at 11:59pm. Funding decisions will be made in February 2026, and funds will be formally released in April 2026.

The BC Parks Living Lab for Climate Change and Conservation Program promotes B.C.’s protected areas as places to learn about the effects of climate change, how to mitigate and manage for these effects, and how to share this information among and between academics and practitioners. B.C.’s protected areas are less developed than much of the rest of the province, so parks serve as a “living lab,” and can help us understand the impact of climate change on the natural world. Climate-informed conservation research in protected areas can also reveal areas that are critical to connectivity within and adjacent to the protected areas system which in turn can inform management decisions.

Applicants are encouraged to consider the Living Lab Program’s goals and priority projects and research themes in their application. Please be explicit about how your proposed project is relevant to climate change and its impacts, including the management implications for BC Parks.

Each application will be considered on the basis of:

Contribution to understanding climate change impacts and how BC’s provincial parks can be managed to mitigate risks and adapt to change;
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 (please attach any relevant correspondence in the file attachment section);
Acknowledge and include Indigenous stewardship in the project proposal, its results and/or application of results; and
Support improved management of the conservation, cultural and/or recreational values within B.C.’s provincial park system.

Eligibility:

Lead applicants must be professors who hold a current teaching or research position with a public post-secondary institution in BC. Adjunct professors are not eligible for Living Lab funding.
Organizations or individuals working in partnership with a professor as described above are also encouraged to apply.
Lead applicants must reach out to regional BC Parks staff prior to submitting their application. Please provide details of your correspondence in your application.
Researchers will be required to present virtually at the Living Lab eSummit.

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is a priority for the government of British Columbia. Preference will be given to projects that work collaboratively with First Nations. For guidance on best practices when engaging with local First Nations, visit Consulting with First Nations – Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca). To help identify the traditional territory that overlaps with your project footprint, use the PIP Consultation Areas (gov.bc.ca) map tool. Please ensure that you engage First Nations to discuss your project prior to submitting your application.

You can strengthen your application by providing letters of support from First Nations or other interested parties (such as community groups and NGOs). Please attach copies of any such letters to your application below. Protocols for engagement with local First Nations must be part of your discussions with BC Parks staff. For information on First Nation engagement and help identifying the appropriate staff, contact Stephen Ban or Jeanine Bond.

University name:*
Lead Investigator name:*
First Name Last Name
Phone*
Email*
Address*
Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Institution financial or contracts officer contact information*
First Name Last Name
Phone*
Email*
Address (if different from Lead Investigator)
Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
GST/Business number*
Title of research project:*
Project duration:*
- One year
- Multi-year
FY26/27 funding request:*
(minimum $10K; maximum $30K)
Please enter a number from 10000 to 30000.
Location of research:*
(name of protected area(s))
Ideal project start and end dates:
Start Date*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
End Date*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Description of Project:
Project summary in plain-language:*
This should not contain any references, unexplained abbreviations, or technical jargon. Think of it as an abstract for someone who is unfamiliar with your field. (250 words max)
Is there a field component to your project?
- Yes
- No
Methodology:*
Make note if the proposal involves destructive or non-destructive sampling (e.g., removal of material from parks), use of drones or installation of equipment that might disturb wildlife, whether any personal information will be collected (intentionally or unintentionally), and/or whether the proposal requires human or animal ethics approval.
Expected performance targets and milestones:*
Relevance of project to protected area management and decision making:*
Please describe your engagement with BC Parks staff, including names of staff and provide relevant correspondence to support your application*
(please attach any correspondence at the bottom)
Does the research involve Indigenous peoples or their interests/priorities? Have they been involved in the research design?*
(150 words max)
How is BC Parks’ understanding or management approach likely to be affected by this research?*
Short summary of qualifications and experience of lead investigator and any supporting team members:*
(250 words max)
Budget:
Please indicate if this application is a component of a larger project and include budgetary context here. Recipients of Living Lab funding are required to present their results and attend a virtual Research Colloquium in March 2027. We don’t anticipate there being any requirement to attend in-person events for this funding year. BC Parks pays 5% overhead for university funding transfers as per the Living Lab Overhead policy (Nov 2017). Download the budget template [XLSX], fill out the applicable fields, and attach it below.
File attachment
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: xls, xlsx, doc, docx, Max. file size: 16 MB.
Proposed study area:
Please upload a map showing the proposed study area. This can either be in the form of a shapefile or other geo-referenced file type, or a simple JPG or PDF of the map.
File attachment
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: shp, shx, dbf, prj, kml, kmz, jpg, png, pdf, zip, zip001, zip002, zip003, Max. file size: 32 MB.
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Funding Application – 2026

Ideal project start and end dates:

Description of Project: