Research Award Recipient (RAR) opportunities

The next IDRC's research awardees group is expected from January to December 2025.  Applications will be open during the summer 2024. 

You can read the information below to learn about IDRC, the awards, and get an idea of eligibility for the awards. 

If you don't want to miss our future RAR opportunities, please sign up to receive alerts on our Funding page.

At  IDRC , we strive to nurture emerging researchers in Canada and in developing countries who will apply their research in innovative ways to solve development challenges. Our research awards program helps to build the capacity and careers of individuals by funding academic study and mobility, research, the development of complementary skills, and hands-on experience.

The International Development Research Centre is committed to creating and fostering a respectful, diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace culture that reflects the people’s lives we impact and the Canadian community we work within, where everyone can truly be themselves. We welcome Indigenous peoples and persons from all races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, as well as persons with physical or mental disabilities to be part of our team. At IDRC, we place human rights and dignity at the center of our work. We have a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the delivery of our mandate and during our research for development activities.

We strive to ensure barrier-free selection processes. If you are contacted regarding a career opportunity, testing or interview, please advise the People and Corporate Culture Division representative of the accommodation measures that must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.
All IDRC employment offers will be contingent on satisfactory references and self-declaration results. IDRC will request information from references provided by job applicants about any findings related to sexual exploitation, abuse and/or harassment in the context of employment. By submitting an application, job applicants confirm their understanding of the recruitment process above.

About the awards

This year IDRC will offer research awards related to these development areas or themes:  Climate-Resilient Food Systems,  Democratic and Inclusive Governance,  Education and Science,  Ethics in Development Research,  Global Health, Policy and Evaluation, and  Sustainable Inclusive Economies.

All awards will be based in Ottawa except for one award (TBD) that will be based in one of IDRC's regional office.

If your research proposal is selected, you will join IDRC as a Research award recipient for a period of 12 months from January to December 2025 to undertake research on the topic you have submitted. You will receive hands-on experience in research and program management and support, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective. Meet some of our former  IDRC Research award recipients .

Awardees in Ottawa will be considered full-time non-union employees of IDRC for payroll purposes. Benefits include employer contributions to employment insurance, employer health tax, the Canada Pension Plan, and paid vacation leave. 

For all awardees some travel and research expenses are also supported.

Who can apply

• For the awards based in Ottawa: Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, and students from low or middle-income countries, enrolled in a Canadian university with a work permit valid for full-time work (37.5 hours per week) in Canada  until 31 December 2025.
• For the award based in the region, the candidates must hold citizenship of that country.  
• Students who are enrolled in or who have completed a master’s program from a recognized university within the last three years
• Preference will be given to students who have completed a master’s degree

Eligibility requirements

• Applied for only one research award recipient opportunity
• Proposed research must focus on one or more developing countries on the OECD  DAC list of ODA recipients
• Field research component cannot be more than 3 months
• Research cannot be proposed in countries with  Government of Canada travel security advisories  to "Avoid all travel"
• Specific eligibility criteria of each research theme must be satisfied
• Completed  Research proposal submission  and  Academic information and professional qualifications form  and  for awards in Ottawa a copy of your valid student permit or full-time work permit valid at least until 30 April 2024, if applicable , or proof of your Kenyan Citizenship for the award in Nairobi which must be uploaded as part of the application process  (Note: If these documents are not uploaded your application will not be considered)
• Candidates who have valid student permits and are selected will have offers conditional upon obtaining a work permit valid for full-time work (37.5 hours) from 2 January to 31 December 2025.

Note: You will be required to state in the application process if for the duration of the IDRC research award (i.e. 2 January to 31 December 2025) one of the following applies to ensure there is no conflict of interest: i) have received another Canadian government scholarship, award, subsidy, bursary, etc.; ii) hold a federal government contract in support of a research or work project; iii) have received another IDRC award or any award managed by another institution but supported by IDRC, such as the Queen Elizabeth Advanced Scholars program; and iv) involved directly or indirectly with any other IDRC project.                                               

Research proposal evaluation criteria

• Relevance of the proposal to IDRC's mission and mandate
• Relevance of the proposal to selected development outcome area
• Clarity and quality of the proposal
• Clarity and appropriateness in addressing the ethical considerations and gender dimension of the proposed research
• Applicant's capacity to conduct the proposed program of research including academic qualifications, local language abilities, and related experience 
• Applicant's capacity to conduct program of work, including related employment experience

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  

For further information, please consult the  Frequently Asked Questions  and the  Short-Listed Candidate Checklist . If after reviewing all the information provided, you still have a question, please contact us at  careers@idrc.ca .