2026 Underground Explorers Program Funding Call

Rationale

SPUN (Society for the Protection of Underground Networks) is a scientific research organization founded to map the biodiversity of mycorrhizal fungal communities and advocate for their protection. We are helping to catalyze a diverse community interested in exploring the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi and their conservation around the world. In 2022, we launched our Underground Explorers Program to help fund research that explores patterns of mycorrhizal fungal diversity and their responses to ecosystem change.

‍We are opening our fifth call for applicants to implement their research in 2026/2027.

Our Objective

Our objective is to fuel, motivate, and support high-quality research initiatives to sample mycorrhizal fungal diversity. This programme aims to contribute to an understanding of how to better protect these fungi around the world using standardized collection protocols, metabarcoding sequencing and/or specimen-based methods. SPUN provides grants to sample and sequence mycorrhizal fungi from the environment (soil and roots) and from specimens, with a particular emphasis on under-sampled ecological systems or geographic regions.

For this call, we are interested in supporting a wide range of research questions that involve the following:

1. Mycorrhizal community analyses of under-explored ecoregions through metabarcoding of soil or root samples. Studies in extreme ecosystems, including deserts, polar regions, mountain tree lines, etc., are also encouraged to apply.
2. Responses of mycorrhizal fungi to climate/global change/anthropogenic disturbance. In addition to climate/global change factors, this could include any type of field based research focusing on anthropogenic disturbance like fire, pollution, chemicals, invasive species, etc. This could be a new short-term or an existing long-term field project willing to include mycorrhizal fungi in their analysis. No greenhouse or growth room experiments.
3. Responses of mycorrhizal fungi to field based restoration practices. Includes any type of active or passive restoration as well as rewilding. This could be a new or an existing long-term field restoration project willing to include mycorrhizal fungi in their analysis. No greenhouse or growth room experiments.
4. Discovery of new mycorrhizal species. Taxonomic studies involving species description through morphological and molecular analyses are encouraged to apply. Support for collection, preservation, archiving of specimens as well as Red List assessment of the species can be included. Researchers working on both AMF and ECM species are encouraged to apply.
5. Ecological research focused on threatened mycorrhizal fungal species already assessed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Focal species must be officially listed in the IUCN Red List website in the CR, EN, or VU categories at the time of submission.
6. Functional role of mycorrhizal fungi in ecosystems. Field studies unveiling the role of mycorrhizal fungi on carbon or nutrient dynamics at the ecosystem level. This could be a new or an existing long-term field experiment willing to include mycorrhizal fungi in their analysis. No greenhouse or growth room experiments.
7. Role of mycorrhizal fungi in sustainable agriculture. Relevant field based research about the role of mycorrhizal fungi for sustainable or regenerative agriculture. Studies in traditional and indigenous agricultural systems are particularly encouraged to apply. No greenhouse, growth room or commercial experiments.

These results will help fill gaps in the global maps of mycorrhizal diversity and help to advance mycorrhizal conservation efforts around the world.

Who Can Apply

Researchers from around the world are welcome to apply, including PhD students, postdocs, independent researchers, and professors. Candidates who hold or are pursuing a PhD are preferred. Access to laboratory facilities, directly or through a collaboration, is required for the project.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, especially researchers from the Global South, people of color, members of the LGBTQI+ community, women, and other underrepresented communities around the world. Former grantees are welcome to apply once they have successfully fulfilled all the grant requirements from their previous project.

Prioritized Locations

We prioritize projects focusing on ecoregions that have been undersampled for mycorrhizal fungi (see updated list of ecoregions here). However, all applicants that fulfill one of the above project criteria will be eligible. Local applicants or researchers with sustained collaboration in the study area will be prioritized. If the Principal Investigator of the proposal is not local to the country of study, then including at least one local collaborator is required.

Ecoregions are unique regions of biodiversity that host specific assemblages of species that cannot be found in other environments. This framework guides SPUN’s mission to fill in gaps in our knowledge of mycorrhizal diversity. To date, 559 ecoregions around the world lack sufficient data on either ECM or AM fungal diversity. The map below highlights undersampled ecoregions in gray and ecoregions that have been previously sampled, and therefore already have geolocated mycorrhizal samples, are shown in different colors depending on sampling intensity. These represent sequences in current global databases, and are constantly being updated.

Grant Funding

Grants are up to $10,000 USD per project depending on location and logistics. In addition to the requested project funding, a stipend, not to exceed $500, will be provided for the purchase of a filming device. Alternatively, if a high-quality filming device is already available for the project, the stipend can be used towards the purchase of a computer.

The awarded funding may be used to cover travel expenses directly related to the implementation of the project (including transportation to and within site, food, and lodging), laboratory expenses (including kits and reagents, technical services, consumables, and required laboratory equipment up to a value of $1,000), permits, sequencing, hiring of a temporary field assistant. Indirect costs (i.e. overhead), travel expenses to participate in academic conferences, and publication fees are not covered by the grant award.

Maximum Project Duration

12 months from receipt of grant funds.

What We Provide

Along with funds for sampling understudied regions, SPUN offers support to grantees in several ways:

• Support and feedback on sampling protocols, soil fungal DNA extraction, primer selection and PCR, and sequencing. SPUN can also provide an OTU or ASV table and phyloseq object produced from the project DNA data using SPUN’s automated bioinformatics pipelines (only available for ITS and SSU datasets using the Illumina sequencing platform and long-read ITS datasets using the PacBio platform).
• At grantee’s request, SPUN can provide assistance creating connections to media outlets to highlight grantee’s research.
• The option to send global mapping samples for PCR amplification and sequencing at a facility in the United States or the United Kingdom, via SPUN. Samples sent to SPUN sequencing partners must have resulted from a SPUN grant awarded project. Additional samples from unrelated projects will need to be agreed upon with SPUN if sequencing through SPUN partners is desired.
• Online tutorials and monthly office hours.

Application Timeline

Application opens on January 26th and closes on March 22nd for the 2026 application round.

Results will be announced in June 2026.

Application Process*

• Only one application per person per funding call.
• Only one Principal Investigator (PI) per proposal. The rest of the team can be included as collaborators on the project.
• Applicants will be required to fill out an application form to answer specific questions regarding the proposed project via our application portal, Good Grants.
• Applicants will be required to provide a CV and qualifications of the PI.
• Applicants will be asked to submit a proposed budget of up to $10,500, inclusive of the additional stipend mentioned above, with a breakdown of the costs required.
• Applicants will be asked to register as a SPUN Science Associate for full consideration of the proposal.

*Applicants will be directed to register with their email before accessing the application form in the Good Grants application portal. Applicants will be able to download a template of the application on the Home page before beginning the application so that the required information is viewable. In the portal, the application can always be saved and finished at a later time, so applicants can always log back into the portal to continue and submit the application.

Project and Grantee Requirements

• For metabarcoding based projects, the grantee must collect and sequence a minimum of 30 soil or root samples per project.
• All metabarcoding sequencing data and sample metadata will be shared with SPUN. SPUN will not use this data in global maps until the end of the embargo period (see section about policies below).
• Fieldwork and sample collection should ideally be carried out during the second half of 2026 and sequencing results should be shared with SPUN during the first half of 2027.
• Document the expedition and provide high quality photos and videos to SPUN in English or the local language. This footage will be used to promote the research coming from the Underground Explorers grantees.
• Train at least three local collaborators in soil collection protocols.
• Submit a final report and an expense report with receipts no later than 60 days following the conclusion of the funded project.
• Adhere to SPUN DEI and ethical guidelines which can be read here.
• Though it is not required, SPUN highly encourages grantees to engage with local non-academic communities present in the impacted region as part of the project.

What to Expect in the Application

Applications are limited to a maximum of 1250 words, here you can find a preview of the application form.

Please note that due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback to individual applications. We will notify all applicants of the final status of their application in June, 2026.

Underground Explorers Policies and Expectations

In entering into this grant program, both the grantee and SPUN are expected to adhere to specific policies that ensure scientific rigor and proper documentation of the project. These include:

• Open data commitment
• Embargo policy
• Expense reporting requirements
• Media sharing policies
• Indirect costs are not covered by the grant

SPUN DEI Statement & Ethical Guidelines

All grantees are required to respect and adhere to SPUN DEI and ethical guidelines which can be read here.

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