Are you interested in international development and doing field research in a developing country? The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) offers IDRC Research Awards to qualified graduate students or recent graduates who want to help improve the lives of people in the developing world.

Our research award recipients undertake a one-year paid program of research focused on a developing country and receive hands-on experience in research and program management and support from an international perspective.

Typically, we offer 12 IDRC Research Awards per year. Most award recipients work at IDRC headquarters in Ottawa when they are not conducting their field work, although one or more recipients may be based in a regional office. Calls for applications are generally issued in June, closing in September; recipients begin their placements in January.

IDRC Research Awards are open to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada and citizens of developing countries either pursuing or having recently completed masters or doctoral degrees at a recognized university. Applicants are able to choose from a variety of programming areas at IDRC, ranging from climate change, agriculture and food security to maternal and child health, technology and innovation and governance and justice, among others.

If an IDRC Research Award could help fulfil a lifelong dream of working in international development, watch this space!

We’ll announce the call for applications in June on these pages and in the Funding section of the IDRC website. You can also sign up now for funding alerts to learn about new funding opportunities as they are launched.

In the lead up to the June call, we’ll introduce you to some of our past research awardees who describe their work and experiences in their own words. Today, meet Gloria Song, a 2016 IDRC Research Awardee who conducted her research on how Guyana is implementing its Domestic Violence Act.