About IDRC-CRDI and SDPI
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (French: Centre de recherches pour le développement international—CRDI ) is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970. It supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC reports to Canada’s Parliament through the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The aim of IDRC is to create innovative, lasting local solutions that build "healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies."
SDPI was founded in August 1992 on the recommendation of the Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (NCS), also called Pakistan’s Agenda 21. The NCS placed Pakistan’s socio-economic development within the context of a national environmental plan.
Objective of the fellowship
The overarching objective here is to building capacity of young researchers who can in turn produce quality research on regional issues particularly governance, security and justice. However any new fellowships program should aim to fill in the caveats that existing schemes are currently not addressing. In order to do so the IDRC - SDPI Fellowships in Governance, Security & Justice in South Asia will aim for the following objectives:
- Research on multidisciplinary areas currently not being focused by traditional university programs in South Asia.
- Research on non-traditional security threats in South Asia. These threats today originate from (but are not limited to) governance, conflict, economic and financial security, lack of education and health interventions, environmental security, food and livelihoods security, terrorism, human and drugs trafficking, piracy, illegal immigration, and information security.
- Research on cross-border issues
- of mutual interest in South Asia where multi-country case studies can help towards collective solutions.
Allowing IDRC fellows to meet every year to collectively discuss and disseminate their research and provide policy relevant advice to the governments and communities in South Asia. This will be an opportunity for these fellows to brainstorm key areas of interest through a multidisciplinary discourse. - Organizing through SDPI’s Center for Capacity Building, short term intensive training courses for graduate and research students in research design, academic writing, data survey and analysis, research dissemination through advocacy and outreach.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants are free to apply for Masters, MPhil or PhD programs. For Master’s and MPhil the maximum duration of fellowship will be 2 years while for PhD the maximum duration will be 4 years.
- Should be a citizen and current resident of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal or Pakistan.
- Applicants should be under 30 years of age at the time of application
- Applicants should be in possession of a recognized degree from a recognized university in South Asia.
- An Affidavit will be required indicating that the candidate has a previous university degree and where the university and the taught degree program are both recognized. It should be clearly mentioned that the applicant is not availing any other scholarship.
The candidates who could not succeed in first round of applications can also apply again after reworking their applications.
Important: Applicants will be assessed on the basis of past academic credentials, extra-curricular achievements, two reference letters from university professors, and a research proposal in the case of MPhil/PhD students. The research proposal should be 3-5 pages long providing details of research objectives, research problem, gaps in past literature, methodology, data sources and expected results. For Maters' level students, a detailed essay of 3-5 pages is required briefly stating how this degree programme will better serve their future pursuits and their country of origin. Female students and students from fragile areas and minority groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
Contact details
Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
38 Embassy Road, G-6/3 Islamabad
Pakistan
Postal Code: 44000
Tel: +92-51-2278134
Fax: +92-51-2278135
Contact person: Afsheen Naz - afsheen@sdpi.org
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