Courtesy of Natacha Merritt (2021)
Grants
Successful projects will help the streamline of collection, analysis, and dissemination of scientific data, and will be augmented by innovative media capture, all of which will be made freely available to the scientific community.
Specific Calls
Monitoring Soil Biodiversity
Develop a semi-automated high-throughput AV capture system targeting arthropods and other small, cryptic life forms living in soil, leaf litter, or similar habitats. Such a system could incorporate a validated image library and machine learning.
Monitoring Platforms
Develop a semi-automated high-throughput AV capture system targeting arthropods in the field, blending traditional sampling methods such as sheets, lights, and platforms with new technologies to improve the quantity and quality of information captured of living specimens, prior to collection. Systems working towards a validated image library and machine learning are preferred.
Project enhancement
Enhancing new or ongoing projects on cryptic biodiversity by providing a budget for high tech imaging, recording, or the services of photographers. Successful applications will demonstrate a need and benefit from such augmentation.
Collections-based imaging
Initiatives to jumpstart photo documentation of collections in small natural history museums or similar institutions.
Innovative Imaging Technology
Develop innovative technologies for monitoring biodiversity, such as novel or repurposed technologies, miniaturized camera arrays or networks, or UV imaging.
Long Term Monitoring
Deploy a semi-automated high-throughput AV capture system to monitor biodiversity and track changes.
Backyard and Urban Biodiversity Monitoring
Develop or deploy a semi-automated high-throughput image capture system to target biodiversity living in close proximity to human communities.
3D Modeling of Cryptic Species
Develop digital models of small cryptic organisms for applications such as 3D printing or computer animation.
Cryptic Biodiversity Innovation
Develop innovative biodiversity monitoring for a cryptic component of biodiversity not covered by other calls. Such proposals could target lichen, mycorrhizal networks, parasites, caves, marine environments and extremophiles.
Innovation
If you have an idea that fits within the mission of the Compound Eyes Foundation but not within one of the calls listed above, send us a one page pre-proposal describing the project and a justification for why it fits within our mission.