The IDRC Research Partnerships Challenge Fund seeks to catalyze new research consortia to tackle global issues or those of particular relevance to developing regions of the world. It does so through supporting larger-scale research programs in collaboration with Canadian and international funding agencies.

In establishing the Challenge Fund in 2005, IDRC responded to the growing interest in collaborative and comparative international research from researchers in Canada and in low and middle income countries. The Challenge Fund also creates the opportunity for IDRC to complement its existing research programs through new collaborative arrangements with other research funding organizations.

When new research funding opportunities are launched, they will be advertised here and disseminated through the IDRC Bulletin (sign up for the IDRC Bulletin at www.idrc.ca/subscribe).

For more information on the Research Partnerships Challenge Fund, contact: David O'Brien at dobrien@idrc.ca

Partnerships:

To date, the IDRC Research Partnerships Challenge Fund has supported the following joint initiatives.

The International Research Chairs Initiative (IRCI), a program with the Canada Research Chairs Program. Read more: www.idrc.ca/irci

Program Description http://www.idrc.ca/challenge/ev-117843-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html  

The International Community-University Research Alliance program (ICURA), a joint initiative with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Read more: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-120812-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html  

Program description http://www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/program_descriptions/cura_idrc_e.asp  

The International Partnerships Initiative (IPI), a collaboration with the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence program. Read more: http://www.idrc.ca/challenge/ev-102730-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html  

Program description http://www.nce.gc.ca/comp/IPI/IPI_e.htm  

The Canadian Global Health Research Initiative’s Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership program. This major initiative expands an existing partnership between IDRC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian International Development Agency, and Health Canada. Read more: http://www.idrc.ca/challenge/ev-94787-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Program description http://www.idrc.ca/challenge/ev-121620-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Competition results http://www.idrc.ca/challenge/ev-110013-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html