Funding Application – 2025

Applications are now closed. Preliminary decisions on priority projects for Living Lab funding will be announced in January 2025.  Funding will be awarded in spring, subject to confirmation of its availability in the provincial budget.

Successful projects commence in the spring of 2025 and end in March 2026. All deliverables for 2025 projects are due March 19, 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 to manage for 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 (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.  All successful applicants must be available to share the preliminary results of their project at the annual Living Lab Research Colloquium in December 2025 (location to be confirmed and event may be virtual).

Additionally, please ensure that all relevant First Nations in your proposed research area are aware of your intentions and support the goals of your research project (at least in principle). 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.

Preference may be given to projects that can provide letters of support from BC Parks regional staff, 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 Jeanine Bond or Stephen Ban.