Tropical Forest Ecology Research Grants and Fellowships Scheme

The Tropical Forest Ecology Research Grants and Fellowships Scheme (TFER GFS) is an NParks scheme supporting forest-ecology research in Singapore. Its inaugural 2026 call had two components: small grants and short-term fellowships. The 2026 call is now closed; its published dates and conditions should not be treated as an open application window for a future call (NParks, TFER GFS).

Research scope and applicants

The 2026 call covered topics including forest-restoration strategies; forest disturbance ecology; climate-change impacts on forests and forest-associated biodiversity; invasive-species impacts and control; life-history, genetics, occupancy, demographic, and movement studies; forest-dynamics modelling; integrated botanical studies; and plant pathogens affecting forest regeneration and climate resilience (NParks, TFER GFS 2026 call information sheet). Proposals outside the listed topics could still be considered, according to the published call material, but proposals using or enhancing data from NParks' permanent forest research plots were favoured during evaluation.

The scheme is aimed at early-career researchers. NParks' 2026 guidance defined a Lead Applicant as a Singapore citizen, Singapore permanent resident, or citizen of an ASEAN member country who was either undertaking, or within five years of being conferred, a research-intensive postgraduate degree. This applicant definition belongs to the 2026 call and may change in a later round (NParks, TFER GFS).

Funding components and limits

The 2026 call offered funding support up to S$100,000. For the small-grants component, this ceiling included direct and indirect costs and supported a project period of up to two years. The short-term fellowship component had a recommended duration of three months and a fixed monthly stipend of S$5,250; overseas applicants could also receive a monthly accommodation allowance of S$1,000 or a pro-rata amount based on fellowship duration (NParks, TFER GFS 2026 call information sheet). The S$100,000 ceiling is call-specific and should not be confused with the fixed fellowship stipend or treated as an automatic award to every applicant.

2026 call dates and status

The inaugural call opened on 5 January 2026 and closed on 13 March 2026 at 2:00pm Singapore time (UTC+8). NParks currently marks the 2026 grant call as closed. Results were expected to be announced in the second half of 2026, while future researchers are directed to monitor NParks' TFER GFS page for later calls and updated terms (NParks, TFER GFS; NParks, 15th Festival of Biodiversity).

TFER GFS is distinct from the City in Nature Research Programme, which is a broader urban-ecology and greenery research vertical, and from the Biosurveillance Research Programme, which studies zoonotic-disease risks through a One Health framework. TFER GFS focuses specifically on early-career forest-ecology research and fellowships; it is not a general biodiversity grant, a resident-facing nature programme, or an open call as of the last verification date.