IDRC Canada Research Awards and Fellowships

Most of IDRC funding is distributed through solicited open or closed calls for proposals aligned with institutional programming priorities such as climate resilient food systems, global health, education and science, democratic and inclusive governance, and sustainable inclusive economies. Individual grants, fellowships, and research-related awards fall under grants-in-aid, which are awarded directly to individuals or to institutions with minimal progress reporting.

Grant recipients must be legal entities and financially solvent, and they are subject to rigorous financial and administrative assessments before grant agreements are finalized. IDRC grants are legally committed once grant agreements are signed, and funds are disbursed based on a schedule of project milestones including technical and financial reports.

Grantees must adhere to strict project administration standards, exercise adequate financial controls, and comply with IDRC open access policies. All technical reporting, research outputs, journal articles, books, and grey literature generated through IDRC funding must be made freely and openly available via the IDRC Digital Library or open access repositories under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

IDRC monitors projects through site visits, reports, and digital project portals such as IDRC Connect. Grantees must submit interim and final technical reports along with detailed financial reports, ensuring all variances exceeding ten percent of budgeted amounts are fully explained and certified by both the project leader and chief financial officer.