Who funds bird research?

We count 88 funded bird projects, active between 2020 and 2033, from 7 funders. The most came from EU · MSCA (25 projects), EU · ERC (20 projects) and USDA (9 projects). The median award is $749K, across the 85 of 88 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

88

Funders

7

Median award

$749K

Open calls now

2

Top funders of bird research

Projects whose title or summary mentions bird. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open bird funding calls

2 open calls mention bird today.

• Fostering common farmland birds and mammals for resilient food production systems
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €6,000,000Deadline: September 22, 2027 ·
• Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
  Geological Survey$1 – $100,000Deadline: November 14, 2026 ·

Forecast: announced, not open yet

2 forecast calls on bird. Funders publish forecasts before a call opens; you can't apply to these yet, and dates can change.

• ForecastAOS Kessel Fellowships for Ornithological Research
  American Ornithological SocietyUp to $30,000Opening date not announced
• ForecastAOS Student Research Grants
  American Ornithological SocietyUp to $4,000Opening date not announced

Funded bird projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Robustness Of Body Axis Symmetry through Tissue Mechanics in Amniote Embryos
  Wellcome · £2,813,944 · ends 2033
• CAREER: Asymmetric avian morphing for enhanced lateral maneuverability
  NSF · BIO · $835,828 · ends 2031
• Characterizing the drivers and dynamics of convergent genetic and phenotypic evolution
  NSF · BIO · $908,895 · ends 2031
• Reassortment of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: Implications for Fitness and Host Range
  NIH · NIAID · $3,094,830 · ends 2030
• Predicting the future for avian Influenza using a One Health immuno- epidemiological framework
  Wellcome · £705,708 · ends 2030
• Infectious diseases are a major threat to the livestock industry
  USDA · $2,188,800 · ends 2030
• Management of avian influenza in a vaccination context
  UKRI · Horizon Europe Guarantee · £267,923 · ends 2030
• The u.s. Slaughtered nearly 9.5 billion poultry birds in 2023 generating more than 75,000 tonnes of fatty waste from processing facilities…
  USDA · $591,500 · ends 2029
• Global forests are increasingly at risk from multiple, synergistic stressors, threatening both timberproduction and ecosystem services…
  USDA · $749,038 · ends 2029
• Eco-evolutionary effects of heatwaves on bacterium-yeast competition in nectar and consequences for plant-pollinator mutualism
  NSF · BIO · $1,048,509 · ends 2029

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “bird or birds or avian”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.