International Development Research Center Research Awards

Who can apply

Positions are available at IDRC’s head office in Ottawa, Canada and at our regional office for Sub-Saharan Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Eligibility criteria differ for each location.

For the positions located at IDRC’s head office in Ottawa, this call is open to:

• Canadians and permanent residents of Canada, pursuing a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university OR who have completed (within the last three years) a master’s or doctoral degree at a recognized university.
• Citizens of developing countries, pursuing a master’s or a doctoral degree at a Canadian university and who, prior to applying, have a student visa with a work permit valid in Canada until December 31, 2017, OR who have completed (within the last three years) a master’s or doctoral degree at a recognized university and who already have a work permit valid in Canada until December 31, 2017.

For the position located at IDRC’s Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya, this call is open to:

• Citizens of Kenya pursuing a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university OR who have completed (within the last three years) a master’s or doctoral degree at a recognized university.

Other eligibility requirements 

• Your proposed research must focus on one or more developing countries.
• Candidates cannot receive any other Canadian government scholarship, award, subsidy, bursary, or honorarium, or hold any federal government contract in support of a research/work project for the duration of the award; this includes any other IDRC award.
• In addition, each program has specific eligibility criteria which must be satisfied.
• These awards may be part of an academic requirement.

Research country exceptions 

In principle, IDRC supports research in all developing countries. At this time, however, IDRC does not offer awards for research in the following countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea (DPRK), Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Research programs in Southeastern Europe, Eastern Europe, or Central Asia are also ineligible.

Prior to issuing the award and contract, field research proposed in the following countries or territories must be approved by IDRC

Burkina Faso, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Maldives, Mauritania, Montserrat, Papua New Guinea, Small Island Developing States (including Comoros, Mauritius, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, and Timor-Leste), and Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna), Suriname, Tunisia, West Bank, and Zimbabwe.

Research award recipients will undertake a one-year paid program of research on the topic they have submitted, and will receive hands-on experience in research management, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective.

For payroll purposes, awardees are considered as full-time employees of IDRC. Benefits include Employer contributions to Employment Insurance, Employer Health Tax, Canada Pension Plan, and paid vacation leave. Some travel and research expenses are also supported, up to a maximum of CA$15,000.

11 awards will be offered during this call. There is one call per program listed below. You may only choose ONE of the following:

• Advisory Committee on Research Ethics
• Climate Change
• Donor Partnerships Division
• Employment and Growth
• Food, Environment, and Health
• Foundations for Innovation (in Kenya)
• Governance and Justice
• Maternal and Child Health
• Networked Economies
• Policy and Evaluation
• Think Tank Initiative

Evaluation criteria

The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications:

• fit with IDRC mission and thematic priorities
• relevance to IDRC mandate
• relevance of the research and training proposal to the chosen IDRC’s program’s specifications overall appropriateness, completeness, and clarity of the research and training proposal
• overall feasibility, duration, and timing of the research
• originality and creativity of the research
• gender sensitivity of the research
• ethical considerations of the research
• the applicant’s capacity to conduct the proposed research and training, including academic training, local language capacity, and related experience

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the International Development Research Center Research Awards 2017