International Development Research Centre

IDRC's mandate is to initiate, support, and conduct research into the problems that developing regions of the world face and the means for applying and adapting scientific, technical, and other knowledge to the economic and social advancement of those regions. IDRC aims to assist scientists in developing countries to identify sustainable, long-term, and practical solutions to pressing development problems; mobilize and strengthen their research capacity, particularly the capacity for policies and technologies that promote healthier and more prosperous societies, food security, biodiversity, and access to information; develop links among researchers in other developing countries; provide them access to the results of research around the globe, particularly by developing and strengthening the electronic networking capacity of institutions that receive IDRC funding; and ensure that products from the activities it supports are used by communities in the developing world and that existing research capacity is used effectively to solve development problems. IDRC funds the work of scientists working in universities, private enterprises, government, and nonprofit organizations in developing countries and provides some support to regional research networks and institutions in developing countries. This support is designed to build a corps of researchers in each country and develop a network of people and institutions that can undertake effective research and use the results of research to effect change.