Include Firetail in your grant
Planning a research proposal that involves animal tracking? Firetail is an eligible software cost in most research grants. We've prepared everything you need to include it in your next proposal.
A single Firetail license costs less than one GPS tag but unlocks the value of your entire tag investment.
699 EUR/year for unlimited data — compared to 3,000–5,000 EUR per GPS transmitter.
Ready-to-use text for your proposal
Copy and paste directly into your grant application. Available in two lengths depending on the space available in your proposal.
Short version (for budget justifications)
For movement data analysis, the project will use Firetail (www.firetail.de), a desktop application for interactive visualization and behavioral annotation of GPS, acceleration, and multi-sensor tracking data. A full license (699 EUR/year) enables processing of unlimited data volumes with professional support.
Extended version (for methodology sections)
For movement data analysis and behavioral annotation, the project will use Firetail (www.firetail.de), a specialized desktop application for interactive visualization and analysis of GPS, acceleration, and multi-sensor tracking data. Firetail integrates directly with Movebank — the world’s largest animal tracking database — and supports large-scale behavioral annotation via its machine learning module FireSOM, which enables the creation of domain-specific gold standards following user-defined ethograms.
A full license (699 EUR/year) enables processing of unlimited GPS fixes and sensor samples, incremental project updates from Movebank, video synchronization with accelerometer data, and professional expert support. Firetail runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports offline use for field applications.
Firetail is actively used in 15+ countries for cutting-edge research and conservation projects and has been validated in peer-reviewed publications (see selected publications at www.firetail.de/selected-publications/). The software is developed by Schäuffelhut Berger GmbH, the team behind the Movebank platform.
Where does Firetail fit in your budget?
Researchers often don't know which budget category to use for software licenses. Here's where Firetail fits for major funding bodies:
| Funding body | Budget category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DFG (Germany) | Sachmittel | Software licenses under "Sonstige Kosten" (other costs) |
| ERC | Direct costs – Equipment | Or "Other goods and services" |
| Horizon Europe | Purchase costs – Equipment / Other goods | Under direct eligible costs |
| NSF (USA) | Other Direct Costs | "Software licenses" subcategory |
| NERC (UK) | Directly Incurred – Other | Software and licenses |
| SNSF (Switzerland) | Research funds – Equipment | Software costs eligible under equipment |
Budget categories may vary by call. Always check the specific grant guidelines. Contact us if you need help identifying the right category.
How to justify Firetail to reviewers
“Why not use free alternatives like R or Python?”
Firetail handles datasets 100x larger than typical R/Python visualization scripts, with no programming required. Interactive analysis of 25M+ GPS fixes and 100M+ acceleration samples is not feasible in general-purpose tools. Firetail's FireSOM module provides ML-assisted behavioral annotation that would require months of custom development to replicate.
“Why not build it in-house?”
In-house development of equivalent functionality would require 12+ months of dedicated software engineering, diverting resources from the core research objectives. Firetail provides a validated, peer-reviewed toolset at a fraction of the cost of one month of developer salary.
“Is this an established tool?”
Firetail is used in 15+ countries across all continents. It is developed by the team behind Movebank, the world's largest animal tracking database, and has been featured in peer-reviewed publications. The software is actively maintained with regular releases and professional support.
“What about long-term availability?”
Firetail is developed by Schäuffelhut Berger GmbH, an established German software company. The software has been in continuous development since 2023, with regular updates and a committed user community. Data exports in standard formats ensure research outputs are never locked in.
Which license fits your grant?
Pilot / Feasibility
Free
3-month trial with full features. Perfect for preliminary data analysis during proposal preparation or pilot studies.
Standard grant
699 EUR/year
Full license for 1-year projects. Unlimited data, all features, professional support. Most common for DFG/ERC-funded projects.
Multi-year project
559 EUR/year
Discounted rate for 3+ year commitments. Ideal for long-term monitoring and PhD-length projects. Volume discounts for multiple licenses.
Publications featuring Firetail
Cite these in your proposal to demonstrate that Firetail is an established, peer-validated tool. For the full list, see our selected publications.
Publications list will be added here. In the meantime, see www.firetail.de/selected-publications
Need a formal quote for your proposal?
We provide official quotes and invoices within 3 business days. Include your grant reference and we'll format it to match your funder's requirements.
Request a quoteOr email us directly at info@schaeuffelhut-berger.de
Get Firetail
free downloadGet started with Firetail today! Interactively process high-density data for multi-animal, multi-year projects!
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