Funding opportunities: International Development Research Centre

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Funding opportunities

This website provides information for research teams interested in approaching the Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health Program Initiative (Ecohealth PI) for funding for a research project.

The majority of the Program Initiative's funding is provided for research teams, rather than individuals. Individuals seeking funds for training purposes should visit the website of the IDRC Training and Awards Unit: www.idrc.ca/awards.

This section provides information for research teams on

submitting general funding applications to the Ecohealth PI,
Ecohealth PI general review criteria that could be useful for the research teams in the development of concept notes,
links to (or information on) specific active Calls for Applications or Calls for Proposals developed by the Ecohealth PI, and
links to Call for Applications managed by other units within IDRC.

The Ecohealth Program Initiative is in the last year of the 2005-2010 program cycle. Please note that all available funding has been allocated up to March 31, 2010. We are unable to consider additional requests for funding at this time. IDRC is developing new and exciting priorities for the next 5-year period. Please monitor the IDRC website for new programming and funding opportunities beginning in April 2010.

How to Apply for Funding from the Ecohealth PI – General funding applications

Research teams interested in applying for funding from the PI after April 1, 2010 should become familiar with Ecohealth priorities, approach, and current calls for proposals: www.idrc.ca/ecohealth. In addition, research teams should read the general IDRC guidelines on how to apply for funding: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-54473-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html.

It is strongly recommended that research teams contact a Research Officer for further information before applying for funding from IDRC. Send inquiries in English, French or Spanish to ecohealth@idrc.ca. Starting a dialogue early in the project development process will help to ensure closeness of fit between the research team's area of interest and the Program priorities. After consulting a Research Officer, research teams are encouraged to develop a brief concept note to submit to ecohealth@idrc.ca.

New ideas submitted to the Ecohealth PI are reviewed twice yearly (The last intake deadline was June 1, 2009. Dates for 2010 are to be confirmed). If your idea is of interest to IDRC for possible funding, a Program Officer will initiate a follow-up discussion within 6 weeks of the submission deadline.

A concept note is not a full proposal. Concept notes typically include an outline of the research problem, the research questions, the proposed methodology, expected outcomes, the research team members' expertise, an initial budget outline (including any other sources of funds) and a timeline. Research teams are encouraged to use the IDRC concept note format if it meets their needs (here). Submitted concept notes should indicate how the project relates to the Program’s scope and objectives.

Browsing through the IDRC project database (IDRIS) can help researchers to better understand the types of projects funded by IDRC and to identify gaps that may be of interest to IDRC. This database can also serve as a tool to find potential research partners.

Research teams interested in applying for IDRC funding should bear in mind that each year there is strong competition for limited funding.Thus, it is not always possible to offer funding to all applicants.

Consistent with the mandate of IDRC, the Ecohealth PI strives to respond to the research ideas and priorities of developing country partners, and support research capacity in developing countries. Collaboration with Canadian (and other developed-country partners) can be considered. In such instances, IDRC requires strong southern leadership or co-leadership of the research, and prefers that the southern partner institution host the project. On rare occasions, the Ecohealth PI will consider requests to support research ideas led by developed country or international organizations.

General Review Criteria Used by the Ecohealth PI in Evaluating Concept Notes

Does the research address one or many of IDRC’s and the Ecohealth PI’s objectives priorities and thematic areas of focus?
Does the research idea have potential policy impact?
Will the project build capacity for research in the developing South?
Does the research apply an ecohealth approach?
- Does the project consider the inter-relationships between people, ecosystems and social and economic processes?
- Is the methodological approach participatory? What is the degree of local participation? Have the different roles of the various stakeholders been considered?
- Does the proposed research combine insights and methods from different disciplines in a transdisciplinary fashion? Is this also reflected in the research team's composition?
- Is gender and social analysis included in the research methodology? Have the gender and other social dimensions of the research been identified?
Who has asked for this research? Who will use the results of this research? At what stage of the research process will the users be involved?
How will the project’s findings (including results, tools, strategies, and relevant processes) be communicated among decision makers, beneficiaries, and other relevant stakeholders? What strategies are in place to build bridges between research and practice?

Ecohealth Call for Applications/Call for Proposals

Current special thematic Calls for Research Proposals are posted on the Program's homepage and in the box at the top of this page. Please check the Call requirements and eligibility criteria carefully before submitting your application.

Call for Applications/Call for Proposals Managed by Other Units in IDRC

For current Calls for Proposals that are posted and managed by other groups in the Centre, please visit the website Current IDRC Competitions.