The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Internship awards provide exposure to research for international development through a programme of training in research management and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC programme unit staff. The internship is designed to provide hands-on learning experiences in research programme management - in the creation, dissemination, and utilisation of knowledge from an international perspective.

Candidates can be Canadians, permanent residents, or citizens of developing countries (see exceptions), who are either currently registered in a Master's programme or have completed a Master's degree. In principle, IDRC supports research on all parts of the developing regions of the world. (Exceptions as listed on the IDRC website: At this time, the Centre Training and Awards Program is not supporting awards which involve research in Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe, or Central Asia.)

The intern will undertake a programme of research on the topic submitted when competing for the internship award and will be trained in the Centre's policies and practices for grant administration under the mentorship of a programme officer.

Programme:

Internships will be considered in four programme areas. More specific requirements and themes for each programme unit are available on the IDRC website at the link below:

• Social and Economic Policy;
• Environment and Natural Resource Management;
• Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development; and
• Innovation, Policy, and Science.

Duration and location:

Internships are 6-12 months in length, and will be based at IDRC headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, or in an IDRC Regional Office. Developing-country interns should be based, preferably and where possible, in the IDRC Regional Office closest to their own country. In cases where this is not possible, or where the programming unit feels that there are compelling reasons for the intern to be based in Ottawa, IDRC will cover travel costs to and from Canada.

The application must show how the intern will accomplish a set of learning objectives. The specifications for Centre Internships are linked to current programme priorities and structure. Applications will be evaluated according to criteria such as relevance to sustainable and equitable development and to IDRC priorities, quality of the research proposal, and suitability of the candidate.

Please submit the document listed in the List of Supporting Documents to be Submitted. Applications must be sent by mail or by courier services to the contact address below.

Click here for further information.

IDRC website on June 10 2009 and on August 7 2009.