International Development Research Centre
Encyclopedia
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (French: Centre de recherches pour le développement international—CRDI ) is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada
that supports research in developing countries
to promote growth and development. The aim of IDRC is to create innovative, lasting local solutions that build "healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies."
Now in its fifth decade, IDRC also builds the capacity
of people and institutions in developing countries to undertake the research that they identify as most urgent. IDRC works with researcher
s as they confront the challenges of the 21st century within their own countries and contribute to global advances in their fields.
In doing so, IDRC supports networking
and knowledge sharing
between scientific, academic, and development communities in Canada
and developing countries.
Agriculture and the environment: Work focuses on a healthy environment and improved human health; sustainable agriculture
and food security
; adaptation to climate change
; and environmental economics
.
Health and health systems: Research areas include equal access to health; improved healthcare delivery and policies; and better understanding of emerging and chronic diseases.
Social and economic policy: Research seeks to foster informed debate on key public policy
issues related to poverty reduction
, social equity
, and the rule of law
.
Science, technology, and innovation: Supports research on means of achieving inclusive growth and development spurred by science
, technology
, and innovation
, and on the role of stronger universities and creative industries.
IDRC builds on decades of work on gender issues, international relations
and global governance
, and the role of information and communication technologies in development. It integrates these dimensions into all research themes.
, former Secretary of State for External Affairs; vice-chair is Denis Desautels, a former Auditor General of Canada.
IDRC President, scholar and diplomat David M. Malone
, manages the Centre’s operations with the support of the Senior Management Committee. He was nominated in 2008. Previous IDRC presidents were Maureen O'Neil (1997–2008), Keith Bezanson
(1991–1997), Ivan Head, (1978–1991), and David Hopper (1970–1978).
(CIDA), the UK Department for International Development
, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
.
IDRC teams up with other Canadian agencies to create opportunities for researchers from Canada and the developing world to collaborate on research of common interest and global importance. These efforts encourage fresh approaches and innovative solutions in a variety of areas: they include the International Research Chairs Initiative, the Global Health Research Initiative, the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, and the International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change.
A number of private foundation
s have also chosen to partner with IDRC, notably the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
, the Ford Foundation
, and the Rockefeller Foundation
, among others.
To coordinate its activities, IDRC has its head office
in Ottawa
and regional offices in Cairo
, Dakar
, Delhi
, Montevideo
, Nairobi
, and Singapore
.
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
that supports research in developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
to promote growth and development. The aim of IDRC is to create innovative, lasting local solutions that build "healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies."
Now in its fifth decade, IDRC also builds the capacity
Capacity building
Capacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
of people and institutions in developing countries to undertake the research that they identify as most urgent. IDRC works with researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
s as they confront the challenges of the 21st century within their own countries and contribute to global advances in their fields.
In doing so, IDRC supports networking
Business networking
Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
and knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing is an activity through which knowledge is exchanged among people, friends, or members of a family, a community or an organization....
between scientific, academic, and development communities in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and developing countries.
Programming
IDRC funds research under four broad themes:Agriculture and the environment: Work focuses on a healthy environment and improved human health; sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
and food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
; adaptation to climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
; and environmental economics
Environmental economics
Environmental economics is a subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues. Quoting from the National Bureau of Economic Research Environmental Economics program:...
.
Health and health systems: Research areas include equal access to health; improved healthcare delivery and policies; and better understanding of emerging and chronic diseases.
Social and economic policy: Research seeks to foster informed debate on key public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
issues related to poverty reduction
Poverty reduction
Poverty is the state of human beings who are poor. That is, they have little or no material means of surviving—little or no food, shelter, clothes, healthcare, education, and other physical means of living and improving one's life....
, social equity
Social equity
There are multiple definitions of social equity as it is a new term; each industry has seemed to take on a different connotation. The following provides for examples of each connotation.-Sustainable Development:...
, and the rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
.
Science, technology, and innovation: Supports research on means of achieving inclusive growth and development spurred by science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, and innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
, and on the role of stronger universities and creative industries.
IDRC builds on decades of work on gender issues, international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
and global governance
Global governance
Global governance or world governance is the political interaction of transnational actors aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. The modern question of world governance exists in the context of globalization...
, and the role of information and communication technologies in development. It integrates these dimensions into all research themes.
Governance
IDRC’s work is guided by an international Board of Governors: the Chairman of the Board reports to Parliament through the minister for foreign affairs. The IDRC Act (1970) stipulates that a majority of board members, including the chair and vice-chair, must be Canadian. Current chairman is the Honourable Barbara McDougallBarbara McDougall
Barbara Jean McDougall, PC, OC, is a former Canadian politician. McDougall received a B.A. from the University of Toronto in political science and economics, in 1963.In 2000, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada....
, former Secretary of State for External Affairs; vice-chair is Denis Desautels, a former Auditor General of Canada.
IDRC President, scholar and diplomat David M. Malone
David M. Malone
David M. Malone, born in 1954, is a Canadian author on international security and development, as well as a career diplomat. He is a former president of the International Peace Institute, and a frequently quoted expert on international affairs, especially relations between the United States and the...
, manages the Centre’s operations with the support of the Senior Management Committee. He was nominated in 2008. Previous IDRC presidents were Maureen O'Neil (1997–2008), Keith Bezanson
Keith Bezanson
Keith Bezanson is a Canadian diplomat and international public servant.Formerly Director of the Institute of Development Studies and Canada's International Development Research Centre , Dr Bezanson's career has included a number of development and diplomatic roles...
(1991–1997), Ivan Head, (1978–1991), and David Hopper (1970–1978).
Donor and research partnerships
IDRC joins forces with Canadian and international funders to increase the resources going toward research that addresses the needs of developing countries. These include the Canadian International Development AgencyCanadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
(CIDA), the UK Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs...
.
IDRC teams up with other Canadian agencies to create opportunities for researchers from Canada and the developing world to collaborate on research of common interest and global importance. These efforts encourage fresh approaches and innovative solutions in a variety of areas: they include the International Research Chairs Initiative, the Global Health Research Initiative, the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, and the International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change.
A number of private foundation
Private foundation
A private foundation is a legal entity set up by an individual, a family or a group of individuals, for a purpose such as philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the U.S. with over $38 billion in assets...
s have also chosen to partner with IDRC, notably the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Reddington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1967. The Hewlett Foundation awards grants to support educational and cultural institutions and to advance certain social and...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, and the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, among others.
To coordinate its activities, IDRC has its head office
Head Office
Head Office is a 1985 American comedy film, produced by HBO Pictures in association with Silver Screen Partners. It stars Judge Reinhold, Eddie Albert, Lori-Nan Engler, Jane Seymour, Richard Masur, Michael O'Donoghue, Ron Frazier, Merritt Butrick and was directed and written by Ken...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and regional offices in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.