Fellowships and Awards, Special Initiatives Division December 2010

IDRC CRDI

Internal Review of IDRC’s Fellowships and Awards Program

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 1

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.3 OVERVIEW OF F&A ........................................................................................................................................... 4

1.3.1 A brief history ........................................................................................................................................... 4 1.3.2 F&A Program objectives .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.3.3 Beneficiaries of F&A awards .................................................................................................................... 6 1.3.4 An ‘awards-plus’ model ........................................................................................................................... 7

SECTION 2: CORPORATE AWARDS AND SJRA PROGRAMS ..................................................................................... 8

2.1 CORPORATE AWARDS PROGRAM ......................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Internships ............................................................................................................................................. 10 2.1.3 IDRC Doctoral Research Awards ............................................................................................................ 12 2.1.4 Journalism Awards ................................................................................................................................. 13 2.1.5 Bene and Bentley Fellowships ................................................................................................................ 14 2.1.6 Sabbatical awards .................................................................................................................................. 15

2.2 SOUTHERN JUNIOR RESEARCHERS AWARDS (SJRA) ............................................................................................... 15

SECTION 3: ISSUES AND OPTIONS ........................................................................................................................ 17

3.1 ELECTRONIC OR WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS PROCESSES.......................................................................................... 17 3.2 GEOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESEARCH .................................................................................................. 19 3.3 MENTORSHIP ................................................................................................................................................. 19 3.4 RESEARCH ETHICS ............................................................................................................................................ 20 3.5 TRACKING CENTRE-WIDE TRAINING ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................... 22 3.6 FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE SJRA PROGRAM ........................................................................................................ 23 3.7 STAFF WORKLOAD ISSUES .................................................................................................................................. 25 3.8 OUTSOURCING PROGRAMS ............................................................................................................................... 29 3.9 ENGAGEMENT WITH AWARD HOLDERS ................................................................................................................. 29 3.10 PUBLICITY ...................................................................................................................................................... 30 3.11 MONITORING AND EVALUATION ........................................................................................................................ 31

3.11.1 Corporate Awards and SJRA .............................................................................................................. 31 3.11.2 SJRA rolling Project Completion Reports ........................................................................................... 32 3.11.3 Non-conditional awards .................................................................................................................... 33 3.11.4 Disseminating Project Results ........................................................................................................... 33 3.11.5 Canadian and International Tracer Studies ....................................................................................... 34

3.12 FUNDING ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 3.12.1 Internships ......................................................................................................................................... 35 3.12.2 F&A Funding structure ....................................................................................................................... 35

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SECTION 4: FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................... 36

4.1 FUTURE DIRECTIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2 SUMMARY OF KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................... 37

4.2.1 Overall F&A program ............................................................................................................................. 37 4.2.2 Corporate Awards .................................................................................................................................. 37 4.2.3 SJRA program ......................................................................................................................................... 37

ANNEX A: KEY INFORMANTS................................................................................................................................ 38

ANNEX B: REFERENCES CONSULTED ..................................................................................................................... 39

ANNEX C: FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS STAFF ..................................................................................................... 40

LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS

Table 1: List of F&A Corporate Awards Table 2: Comparison of full time graduate students at Canadian universities and IDRA candidates Table 3: SJRA program statistics on awardees Table 4: SJRA projects Table 5: Countries and fields of study where Regional Directors identified need for awards (June 2010) Table 6: A year in the life of Corporate Awards (2009/2010) Table 7: Some key components of successful SJRA projects (identified in rPCRs) Table 8: Summary of 2010 Tracer Study Graph 1: F&A Budgets and Supplements 1995-2011 Graph 2: Internship Awards - Successful Developing Country Candidates by Nationality 1995-2010 Graph 3: Internship Awards - Home Canadian Universities of Successful Candidates 1995-2010 Graph 4: IDRA - Regions where successful candidates have conducted field research 1995-2009 Graph 5: Internship Awards - Applicants and Successful Candidates 1995-2010

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

ADDRF African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship ACCFP African Climate Change Fellowship Program ACU Association of Commonwealth Universities AERC African Economic Research Consortium AGRA Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa AO Awards Officer APHRC African Population and Health Research Center ASRO Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia AUCC Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada BCS Basic Content Services CBIE Canadian Bureau of International Education CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIFS-RF Canadian International Food Security Research Fund CIHR Canadian Institutes for Health Research CENTRA Centre Training and Research Awards database CCAA Climate Change Adaptation in Africa CMAAE Collaborative Master of Science in Agricultural and Applied Economics CP Canadian Partnerships CTAP Centre Training and Awards Program DPA Director of Program Area ECOHEALTH Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health ERC Ethics Review Committee ESARO East and Southern Africa Regional Office EU Evaluation Unit F&A Fellowships and Awards Program FAD Financial and Administration Division GA Grant Administrator GAD Grant Administration Division GAD AO Grants Administration Officer ICURA International Community-University Research Alliance IDL IDRC Digital Library IDRA IDRC Doctoral Research Awards IDRC International Development Research Centre IDRIS+ International Development Research Information Service IRCI International Research Chairs Initiative ISSP Institut supérieur des sciences de la population IMTD Information Management and Technology Division LACRO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACRO) LES Locally-Engaged Staff MERO Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa MPM Management Policy Manual NPTCI Nouveau programme de troisième cycle universitaire NSERC Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ODA Official Development Assistance OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

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OSGC Office of the Secretary and General Counsel PA Program Assistant PAD Project Approval Document PCR Project Completion Report PDA Professional Development Award PI Program Initiative PIM Project Identification Memorandum PMO Program Management Officer PO Program Officer PPB Program and Partnership Branch PPG Policy and Planning Group RD Regional Director RIMS Research Information Management Service RMIA Risk Management and Internal Audit rPCR Rolling Project Completion Report RO Research Officer RSGA Research Support Grant Agreement RUFORUM Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture SARO Regional Office for South Asia and China SID Special Initiatives Division SJRA Southern Junior Researchers Awards SPO Senior Program Officer SPS Senior Program Specialist SSA Sub-Saharan Africa SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council TAG Travel Advisory Group TUT-IERI Tshwane University of Technology – Institute for Economic Research on Innovation UKZN University of KwaZulu-Natal UPEACE University for Peace WARO Regional Office for West and Central Africa WFSJ World Federation of Science Journalists YCRA Young Canadian Researchers Awards

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of IDRC’s Fellowships and Awards (F&A) evaluation – the first such exercise at a programmatic level -- is to examine the relevance and effectiveness of the awards programs and provide strategic direction for future programming. This internal review was conducted in conjunction with an external evaluation, both with the objective of identifying program strengths and weaknesses and informing a vision for the future.

Section 1 of the report provides a short history of how the program has evolved and its current objectives today. It then identifies the benefits the awards are providing to award holders, to IDRC and to Canada and developing regions. The awards offered under F&A’s program provide Canadian and developing country students and researchers opportunities to acquire new knowledge, fresh perspectives and a broader international outlook, while also creating visibility, knowledge and network building for IDRC and Canada on important development research issues. Value-added features of F&A awards in keeping with IDRC’s “grants-plus” business model, include providing research proposal feedback and regional contacts, one-on-one mentorship to Interns, training workshops for developing country researchers to strengthen their research skills and funding for their supervisors to provide more effective and timely review of theses. There is scope for building on such features so that F&A provides an ‘awards-plus’ program.

Section 2 briefly reviews the results, administration and key programming challenges of a number of awards projects, identifying ways to improve or in some cases, re-structure or discontinue the projects. In the case of Internships, there is scope to enhance the role of mentors, and other issues can be addressed during orientation sessions. An overview of the Southern Junior Researchers Awards (SJRA) shows how the program has grown exponentially since its inception in 2006/07 in terms of thematic areas and new types of support. For both interns and SJRA, a change in title is proposed.

Key issues identified across a number of F&A projects are identified and discussed in Section 3. These issues include modernization of Corporate Awards application processes, consistent and adequate treatment of ethics issues, policies on eligible regions for fieldwork, workload issues, tracking other awards programs at the Centre, and tools used for monitoring and evaluation. Methods to increase publicity and engagement with award holders are also presented. Finally, future options for the F&A funding structure are presented.

Section 4 concludes with some recommendations that can be implemented soon, while others will require further elaboration and implementation over the medium-term. Activities will need to be prioritized, and their feasibility determined. The issues and options defined will be fleshed out in a strategy in early 2011; elaborating a strategy, also a first for the program, would serve to provide clear direction and goals, and importantly, provide a benchmark for future evaluation.

While the review has helped to identify ways to innovate and improve current programming that can be implemented without major changes, it has also raised ideas for F&A’s long term vision. Currently F&A’s

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focus is on administering awards, which are centred on building individual capacity. There is an opportunity for the program to move beyond this role, and make a contribution to “field building”, following the example of the Evaluation Unit and Donor Partnerships Division. Not only can F&A become a leader in awards management by enhancing its processes and award features, but it can be a knowledge provider and builder in the area of scholarships for development, in Canada and developing regions. A number of ideas on how to achieve this vision are provided in both the internal and external reports, and in a separate options document; feedback is welcome.

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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

This review prepared by Fellowships and Awards (F&A) staff and the Special Initiatives Division (SID) Director complements an external evaluation report prepared by an external consultant Dr. Eva Rathgeber. Together they form the first evaluation of IDRC’s F&A program as a whole. 1

1.1 Purpose and objectives

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide strategic direction to IDRC’s future F&A programming. The principal objective is to examine the relevance and effectiveness of the awards programs (Corporate, Southern Junior Researchers and occasional awards). The evaluation will:

- assess the extent to which the set objectives of the awards programs have been achieved, including their contribution to meeting IDRC’s priorities;

- outline the challenges encountered in the implementation of the awards programs; - review the design of the F&A program and methodology used; and - draw lessons for future programming (scope, content, and management/administration).

The results of this evaluation and F&A’s proposed new directions will be shared with Program and Partnership Branch (PPB) Management and Regional Directors. The executing agencies of the Southern Junior Researchers Awards (SJRA) program and other organizations offering similar awards may also be interested in the findings.

The evaluation will guide F&A programming in the next five years, informing choices by F&A/SID about its scope, content, management and administration, and funding. It is a formative evaluation with information on program strengths and weaknesses for reflection, learning and improvement. It will serve to: articulate a strong vision and raison d’être for the program; reinforce the purpose and value of its awards programs; address a number of current challenges; present options for awards processes; and identify future directions of the program. It will also serve as a benchmark for future evaluations.

1.2 Methodology

The external evaluation provides a valuable outside perspective on a number of processes and issues involved in F&A’s awards. It reviews current trends in international development awards, the impact and relevance of F&A’s awards, with particular focus on the SJRA program based on in-person visits with managing institutions in Eastern Africa, and on the current management model.

The internal review provides an overview of the F&A program, its benefits and value-added features, challenges specific to some programs and more general issues and options, such as the continuation of particular programs, moving to web-based application systems, increased publicity and engagement

1 A review of the Young Canadian Researches Awards (YCRA) program was completed in 1997, which led to the removal of Masters research awards and the creation of the IDRC Doctoral Research Awards (IDRA). There have also been various tracer studies to track former award holders.

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with award holders, and new titles. It concludes with future directions, including a new, bold vision for the F&A program. The report is based on internal document reviews and virtual and in-person interviews with key informants.

Both reports were prepared in parallel. While intended to complement one another, some overlap was welcomed as providing different and new perspectives.

1.3 Overview of F&A

1.3.1 A brief history

Since its creation in 1970, IDRC has supported awards through program areas, including the regional offices, and through a separate program dealing specifically with training awards. This separate program has undergone several changes in name and organizational location; in 2010, its name was changed from Centre Training and Awards (CTAP) to Fellowships and Awards (F&A).

The Centre spent approximately $20 million or 10 percent of its program appropriations on training and awards during its first decade2; and about $78 million up to 1989/90. At one time, the awards program had a budget of $6 million and 8 program officers, three in regional offices.

Following cuts to program funding, to staff, and particularly to awards for developing-country nationals during the recession, the F&A Division was replaced by the Centre Training and Awards (CTA) Unit in 1992. At its lowest point, its budget was $540,000 in 1995 with 4.5 staff members. During that same year, a single umbrella project was created for the Corporate Awards for greater efficiency.

The budget has since grown steadily, particularly after the creation of the Southern Junior Researcher Awards (SJRA) program in 2006. Due to the recent economic slowdown, there were decreases in 2009/10 and 2010/11. The maximum budget appropriated for a Corporate Awards project was in 2008/09 when it was $3,700,000 and F&A managed $958,674 in awards for other parts of the Centre (see Graph 1).

When the CTA unit was originally established, it included roles beyond building individual capacity through its awards programs, and information management. These roles included setting policy and standards for IDRC-funded training, in terms of the appropriate level and type of training and the most suitable institutions for particular fields of study. With budget and staff reductions and a heavy awards program workload, CTA’s principle focus became the training policy and management of Corporate Awards, primarily for Canadian researchers.

In November 2004, CTA increased the number of awards to developing country nationals by expanding the IDRC Doctoral Research Awards (IDRA) and the Canadian Window on International Development Awards (CanWin) programs to students from developing countries studying in Canada. In 2006-07, the

2 IDRC Training Policy Study, 1981. The study was prepared by the former Office of the Vice-President, Planning to provide information on the first two decades of IDRC’s support for awards.

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$0$500,000

$1,000,000$1,500,000$2,000,000$2,500,000$3,000,000$3,500,000$4,000,000$4,500,000$5,000,000

1995

-199

619

96-1

997

1997

-199

819

98-1

999

1999

-200

020

00-2

001

2001

-200

220

02-2

003

2003

-200

420

04-2

005

2005

-200

620

06-2

007

2007

-200

820

08-2

009

2009

-201

020

10-2

011

Graph 1: F&A Budgets and Supplements 1995-2011 (as of Nov 2010)

F&AAllocatedBudget

F&AAllocatedBudget +Supplementsto Awards

SJRA program was established to support developing country graduate students studying in developing regions.

With a budget of $3.5 million in 2010/113, F&A is responsible for managing 10 Corporate Awards projects and 10 SJRA projects with 5 staff members. F&A also manages an average of $300,000 per year of awards from other parts of IDRC. While the budget and program activities have grown, staff size has remained the same.

1.3.2 F&A Program objectives

The overall objective of the program is to develop a critical mass of trained and experienced researchers in Canada and in developing countries to promote sustainable and equitable development in developing country regions. The program also seeks to provide a new generation the opportunity to participate actively in international development issues and consider careers in this field.

More specifically F&A aims to:

* Serve as IDRC’s primary mechanism to support Masters and doctoral research at Canadian4 and developing country universities, for Canadian and developing country nationals through field research awards and some full study support in areas corresponding to IDRC research priorities;

* Offer opportunities for hands-on experience to Canadians and developing country nationals through internships and professional development awards under the guidance of IDRC program staff;

* Provide fellowships to senior academics and researchers with a substantial research and publications record and extensive personal and network contacts in a program area;

* Manage awards for other parts of IDRC and for external donors; * Provide professional advice on matters concerning training policy, appropriate levels and types

of training; and

3 Since 1995, SID has made an annual request for funding of Corporate Awards, under a single allocation and administrative mechanism. Since 2009, F&A’s Corporate Awards budget is separate from the SJRA program budget to allow for greater visibility and uniformity with other IDRC projects. 4 IDRC Strategic Framework 2010-2015, section 165.

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* Build the capacity of Southern institutions to manage competitions, awards and training workshops.5

These objectives are well aligned to help fulfill IDRC’s objectives, as described in the Strategic Framework 2010-2015:

* Build new knowledge, including fields of knowledge, around the chosen research themes. * Build research capacity, especially in developing countries. IDRC will continue to help build the

capacities of individual researchers, while increasing its efforts to build the capacity of research organizations.

* Enable its research partners to influence policy and practice, and help build constituencies for change.

1.3.3 Beneficiaries of F&A awards

The awards provide benefits to:

Individuals: Award holders obtain enhanced research skills, new knowledge, fresh perspectives, personal growth, a broader international outlook, a deeper understanding, and opportunities to reflect on how to address global challenges. The awards provide opportunities for professional development, including careers at IDRC.6

IDRC: Besides increased visibility, the research by current and former awardees can contribute to research content and methodologies within the Centre’s priority areas (through final reports and theses and direct knowledge contributions at the Centre from Interns and PDAs). The awards also strengthen linkages between IDRC and the academic community, and award holders can increase networking among partners. IDRC staff enhance their own supervisory and leadership skills by helping award holders and Research Intern colleagues.

5 Specific objectives for Corporate Awards and for each SJRA project are set out in their respective Project Approval Documents (PAD). 6 Twenty-nine former IDRC award holders worked at the Centre in 2010 (in 2006, there were 25), i.e. 10.3 percent of Ottawa-hired indeterminate full-time staff (9.5 percent in 2006). Of these, 27 worked at the Head Office and 2 in the regions (one in ESARO and one in SARO).

“Every year, this [Internship] program brings into the Centre a new crop of young minds with fresh ideas and enthusiasm. It provides Programs Staff an opportunity to provide mentorship and be in a teaching mode that they otherwise do not have. It is an opportunity to deepen knowledge within the Program around a research topic in a particular context, and requires the mentor to update his or her knowledge to keep up with the intern. It is also an asset for the program to have an extra set of motivated and qualified hands on deck, for supporting the work of the program. It is an opportunity to share knowledge not only of the work of the Centre, but of the workings of IDRC with early career professionals, who will carry this experience and knowledge forward to great benefit to the Centre. This to me is a low-cost high-impact gold-star type of activity that serves the Centre well internally and externally, as well as demonstrating that the Centre acts as it preaches : building capacity in a young generation of interns.” - Respondent, 2010 Survey of Mentors

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Canada: Canadians are provided professional development, hands-on international experience, and networking opportunities. IDRC awards increase the pool of experts who understand development issues, and who will make valuable contributions in this field on behalf of Canada. The award holders’ research also often leads to ongoing or future collaborations with developing countries. The reputations of Canadian universities are enhanced when students are granted research awards that promote ties with the developing world.

Developing countries: The awards strengthen research capacity and foster the growth of a new generation of trained and experienced researchers, policy makers, and development practitioners. Grants to developing country institutions will help them to become centres of excellence, build local awareness and knowledge, and increase their capacity to run competitive grants schemes.

1.3.4 An ‘awards-plus’ model

IDRC’s “grants-plus” business model for funding research for development sets it apart from other funding organizations. It involves the roles of funder (providing financial support to create new opportunities for research), adviser (engaging with recipients as a mentor and increasingly on a peer-to-peer basis) and broker (furthering networking among grantees, helping to strengthen research-to-policy linkages, and facilitating access to research materials and other services).7 F&A’s approach to funding research awards in international development can be guided by this model. A future focus on an ‘awards-plus’ model would help the program to deliver added value benefits to award holders and granting partners.

F&A’s current ‘awards plus’ features include the following:

- A funder: F&A awards provide opportunities for research for early, mid-career and senior

researchers through its competitive and non-competitive awards programs; - An adviser: Award holders are engaged in a number of ways:

Applicants, both successful and non-successful, receive comments from IDRC reviewers on their research proposals;

Interns and PDAs are mentored by IDRC POs in their research and on grant management;

Interns and PDAs benefit from professional development opportunities (research in developing countries, courses and conferences during their one-year placement);

Interns attend an orientation session and special sessions on travel, employment, research ethics and informed consent, and inter-cultural effectiveness;

7 IDRC. Business Model, Performance Management, and Resource Allocation at IDRC. Submitted to the Board of Governors at the March 2010 Meeting. Page 2.

“Finally after a long wait the examiners reports are back, guess what? Start calling me Dr., as I have made it! Thank you so much for the fund and the support which, without it I would have dropped out. The workshop cleared most of my concerns and eased my frustration.” – Award recipient, University of Nairobi SJRA project

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Managing institution staff obtain advice on effective awards projects; IDRC staff receive assistance and advice in running awards programs and addressing

special or challenging cases. - A broker:

F&A staff suggest former award holders in the field with whom current awardees can network;

All award holders have access to IDRC’s on-line library during their award; Research Interns and PDAs participate in IDRC’s annual Learning Forum and other

events; SJRA awardees are provided funds to attend research training workshops and

conferences where they can network and meet professionals/senior researchers in their field;

They also benefit from facilitation grants to supervisors for effective and timely supervision;

Some SJRA projects require a publication by award holders, encouraging wider dissemination and policy influence of their research;

One SJRA project enables African doctoral students to spend a semester at a university in Canada.

As discussed further below, there are other ways in which F&A could add value for its awards and move from being service-based to a knowledge provider.

SECTION 2: CORPORATE AWARDS AND SJRA PROGRAMS

2.1 Corporate Awards Program

The Corporate Awards program manages 10 awards programs granted within the three phases of a researchers’ career cycle: early, mid-career and senior. The awards are granted through a variety of competitive and non-competitive programs (Table 1).

The vast majority of awards granted are at the early level. They include:

- IDRC Doctoral Research Awards (IDRA) - Canadian Window on International Development Awards (CanWin) - IDRC Awards for International Development Journalism - Community Forestry: Trees and People – the John G. Bene Fellowship, and The Bentley Cropping

Systems Fellowship - IDRC Internship Awards

Awards to mid-career researchers consist of the Professional Development Awards (PDAs) and the IDRC Science Journalism Awards. At the senior level, a select number of sabbatical awards are offered. Over the past five years, over 500 awards were granted through Corporate Awards programs (Graph 1).

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Table 1: List of F&A Corporate Awards

Award Year est’d

Description Eligibility Level of studies

Value (up to)

Competitive Awards IDRA 19828 Support field research in a developing country for

students enrolled in a doctoral program at a Canadian university.

Canadians or developing country nationals9

PhD $20,000

CanWin 1997 (PhDs) and 2002 (Masters and PhDs)

Allows graduate students enrolled in a Canadian university to undertake in-depth comparative research on the interrelationships between Canada and developing countries, including problems shared by Canadian First Nations or Inuit communities and a developing region of the world.

Canadians or developing country nationals

Masters/ PhD

$20,000

Internships 1988 Allow Masters or doctoral-level students, as well as recent graduates, to do research for international development. A paid in-house program of training and mentorship in research, research management, and grant administration offered at IDRC’s head office or in a regional office.

Canadians or developing country nationals

Masters/ PhD

$58,500-$65,50010

Int’l Development Journalism11

2002 Granted to students enrolled in, or who have just completed, a full-time Masters or graduate diploma program in journalism at selected Canadian universities

Canadians Masters/ Graduate Diploma

$20,000

Bene 1987 Support graduate students undertaking field research on how forest resources contribute to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being of developing-country residents.

Canadians Masters/ PhD

$15,000

Bentley 1998 Assist graduate students or post-doctoral researchers with a university degree in agriculture, forestry, or biology to carry out applied on-farm research with farmers in a developing country.

Canadians or developing country nationals

Masters/ PhD

$30,000

Science Journalism 2006 Offered to mid-career journalists to develop their professional skills in science reporting and research by working at a host organization, conducting research, and reporting in one or more developing countries.

Canadians or developing country nationals

N/A $60,000

Non-competitive Awards PDAs Unknown Granted to individuals with some career

experience to develop their expertise in a particular professional capacity by working with IDRC staff on program and research issues.

Canadians or developing country nationals

Masters/ PhD

$66,500-$75,000

Sabbatical awards/ Visiting Fellows

2000 Granted to senior academics and researchers with substantial research and publication records, and extensive contacts in an IDRC research program area.

Canadians or developing country nationals

N/A Varies

8 The YRCAs were established in 1982 to support Masters and doctoral field research; the IDRAs replaced the program in 1997 to support only doctoral field research. 9 The awards were opened up to students from developing countries in 2004. 10 The total value range of the Intern awards includes stipend (based on education level), benefits, research and travel. 11 The International Development and Science Journalism Awards programs replaced the Gemini (est’d 1982) and Periscope (est’d 1992) Journalism Awards.

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The research focus of award recipients corresponds to IDRC’s four priority areas: agriculture and the environment; science, technology, and innovation; social and economic policy; and health and health systems. A few Corporate Awards programs were selected to review administrative and other programming issues.

A summary of the awards and results are provided in this section while any significant issues and options are left for discussion in Section 3.

2.1.2 Internships

The Internship program has placed 163 Interns over the past 15 years. Of these, 74% (121) have been female. Developing country nationals have accounted for 17% (27) of awardees and were from 20 different countries, particularly China, Egypt, Nigeria and India (Graph 2).12

The top 20 Canadian universities from which the Research Interns graduated, or are still pursuing their Masters or PhD (Graph 3) are led by universities in Ontario (78 Interns) and Quebec (37), followed by Nova Scotia (15), British Columbia (6) and Alberta (4); with no other provinces represented.13

Administration. The Internship program has been offered at IDRC since 1988. The majority of interns are funded by the Corporate Awards budget, while a few are funded by other Centre programming units

and the Evaluation Unit.

The administration requirements of the program are fairly significant. They are primarily managed by the F&A Awards Officer (AO), who deals with the coordination of the selection process, orientation sessions, responding to inquiries and year-round monitoring. All Interns also meet with a Grants Administrator (GA) regarding their contracts and research and travel, with the Compensation Services Advisor in Human Resources for

12 Relocation costs have been covered from 2008. 13 Note: Eleven (11) recipients obtained degrees from other developed country universities.

Bangladesh Bolivia

China

Congo

Egypt

Ethiopia

Ghana Honduras India Kenya

Mauritius Mexico

Nigeria

Rwanda

Senegal

Thailand

Togo Tunisia

Uganda

Uruguay

Graph 2: Internship Awards - Successful Developing Country

Candidates by Nationality 1995-2010

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18 15

10 8 7 7 6 5 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 05

1015202530

Graph 3: Internship Awards - Home Canadian Universities of Successful Candidates

1995-2010

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their benefits and insurance, and with the Travel Health & Wellness Specialist regarding their travel to developing regions. An information session is also organized with IDRC’s library.

Interns and Centre staff involved in the program as mentors, administrators and colleagues, are generally very pleased with the programme though a number of issues have arisen with titles, level of applicants, travel, language training, and pensions. Suggestions for new approaches to attracting and processing applications are addressed below in Section 3, as these apply to other F&A programs.

Titles. For several years, Interns have suggested that the title IDRC Research Interns does not reflect the nature of their work and the fact that they are paid. It can complicate their research as informants may not take them seriously. The last title change was in 2007 from Intern to Research Intern. Suggestions produced by Interns in late 2009 include those used in similar programs internationally (such as Junior Research Professional, Associate Research Fellow, Junior Research Officer). Taking into account other positions at IDRC, the need to clarify that this is a one year competitive position, and possible concerns about age discrimination, F&A proposes that the title be changed to “IDRC Research Award recipient” (or “IDRC Research Awardee”) or “CRDI Boursier de recherche.” This would fit in well with the title of “PDA recipient”, a position that some Interns receive after completion of their one year research internship.

Intern qualifications. IDRC’s Internships were designed to allow young individuals to gain hands-on learning in research, research management, and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC program staff, and a first experience in international development. While both Masters and PhD level applicants (current or recent graduates) are eligible, most successful Interns have been at the Masters level, in an early stage in their careers (PDAs in the past were granted to more senior-level researchers, today they are generally young Masters or PhD graduates with at least 2 years of experience in their particular field of study).

Over the past five years, many selected candidates already have significant work and travel experience, and a growing number have PhDs. This experience can benefit PIs but there is evidence of increasing risk of dissatisfaction with regards to the level of work and responsibilities at the Centre. POs have commented on the positions becoming more like post-docs than internships with Interns preferring their own writing to IDRC work and sometimes leaving IDRC early. Given the purpose of the program, and the proven capacity of Masters level candidates to handle PI tasks and to manage their own project with mentorship, F&A will encourage PIs to consider these applicants as more appropriate for internships, and to take on PhDs more exceptionally.

Travel. Some Interns travel for periods of 3 months or more and to areas with security risks, whether in remote or rural areas, areas of conflict, and/or where different cultural norms pose increased risks,

“[The Internship Program is] …a rare opportunity for a career determining

experience for young bright minds” - Mentor, 2010 Survey on Internship Program

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especially for women travelling on their own. F&A will organise a session for interns on safety and travel, in collaboration with members of IDRC’s Travel Approval Group (TAG).14

Language training. Interns have been eligible for language training that is offered to IDRC staff, provided their Mentor approves, and funded by F&A.15 F&A’s 2010 Survey to Mentors identified a number of problems – inadequate length for achieving proficiency, time opportunity costs, and conflicts with travel plans. F&A recommends ending language training for interns.

Pension refunds. Interns appreciate their funding and working conditions, especially since many other organizations or awards do not offer similar benefits to Interns. However, it is very time consuming for HR to deal with Interns’ regarding their pension refund at the time of their departure. Questions about pension refunds will therefore be addressed in the future by a group session with HR.

2.1.3 IDRC Doctoral Research Awards

The IDRA competition is the Centre’s primary mechanism to support doctoral research at Canadian universities, within IDRC’s priority themes, and accounts for the bulk of Corporate Award grantees. Of the 439 IDRAs granted over the past 15 years, 235 (54%) were to women. As the program only accepted developing country nationals in 2004, the majority of recipients were Canadian (83%).16 Latin America hosted the most field research, followed by East and South Africa, West Africa, South East and East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East (see Graph 4). Almost half of grantees were students at universities in Ontario (201), followed by Quebec (145), British Columbia (41), Alberta (30), Manitoba (17), Nova Scotia (4) and Saskatchewan (1). The University of Toronto and McGill University have hosted the most IDRAs. This provincial distribution of IDRAs is broadly consistent with the distribution of the overall student population with the exception of Ontario which is overly represented (see Table 2). Nonetheless there is scope for F&A to promote the program more broadly so that applications are received from a broader range of universities. Further details about the IDRA awards are covered in the external evaluation report.

14 Another issue to be discussed further with HR is compensatory leave accumulated during research fieldwork. 15 The estimated cost for language training per Intern is $870. 16 However, many candidates have dual citizenships or recently obtained their Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

51

123

165

28 45

90

7 0

50

100

150

200

ASRO ESARO LACRO MERO SARO WARO Others

Num

ber

Region (note: some projects are conducted

in several regions)

Graph 4: IDRA - Regions where successful candidates have conducted field research

1995-2009

13

Table 2: Comparison of full time graduate students at Canadian universities and IDRA candidates

2.1.4 Journalism Awards

Support for journalism awards at IDRC dates back to the 1970s. The IDRC Awards for International Development Journalism program, which grants awards to graduate students at Canadian universities and the Science Journalism Awards for internships at media institutions, were created in 2002 and 2006. IDRC also currently supports journalism through the Innovation, Technology & Society (ITS) program, namely through the SjCOOP Project (# 106174), which was renewed in 2010 for a second phase.18

Science journalism. The current science journalism awards have proved problematic. One host institution (in Quebec) was dropped in 2010 because of inadequate mentorship; a second (in South Africa) has had problems in recent years with turnover in management and difficulties in meeting the expectations of the latest IDRC awardee. The two UK-based institutions have had problems with visas and concerns about contravening the non-discrimination provisions of UK employment legislation, while the institution in South Africa also has problems with visas. As a result there is a need to rethink the F&A science journalism awards.

After consultations with IDRC colleagues and partners, as well as others in the field, it seems that there continues to be a need to build up the field of science journalism especially in developing countries (NB Health journalism has more funding in Canada through CIHR and elsewhere through the Gates Foundation). We therefore suggest the following strategy:

17 Figures provided by AUCC, based on fall 2009 preliminary full-time enrolment of Masters and PhD students at AUCC member institutions. http://www.aucc.ca/publications/statistics_e.html. 18 This will provide training for 60 journalists in science reporting and 15 experienced science journalists as trainers in science journalism in African and Arab contexts. It will also place and strengthen 10 associations of science journalists that will provide support to the 60 journalists and 15 trainers.

Province

Full time Canadian graduate students (2009)17

Successful IDRA candidates 1995-2009

NFLD 1,780 (1.3%) - PEI 220 (0.02%) - NS 3,770 (3%) 4 (1%) NB 1,370 (1%) - QC 40,640 (31%) 145 (33%) ON 48,190 (37%) 201 (46%) MB 2,660 (2%) 17 (4%) SK 2,910 (2%) 1 (0.2%) AB 11,550 (9%) 30 (7%) BC 18,880 (14%) 41 (9%) TOTAL 131,970 439

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1. End the current program through Nature, SciDev.net, Research Africa (and Agence Science Presse) – the transactions costs have become very high for a program that now only supports 3 individuals (1 Canadian and 2 developing country citizens) a year.

2. Reinvest F&A funding for Science Journalism awards in: a. providing additional grants (for travel and writing OR 3-month internship at Nature UK

or India, SciDev.net, Research Africa) for 4 of the trainees in the SjCOOP project19; AND b. providing funding to the two science journalism chairs in Canada (at Laval and Carleton

University) to allocate to 2 of their students per year each (travel and writing OR 3-month internship at Nature UK or India, SciDev.net, Research Africa).20

Awards for International Development Journalism. F&A will continue to provide funding to the six schools of journalisms21 to award to Masters and graduate diploma students for travel/fieldwork grants. In renewing the terms and conditions for these grants the issue of science-related stories could be raised/encouraged.

The Communications Division is also interested in providing travel grants to Canadian journalists to write stories about international development, drawing on a model used at CIHR (e.g. 2 anglophone and 2 francophone per year). F&A suggests Communications consider contracting the Canadian Association of Journalists to manage this process and that the call for proposals be sent to members of the Canadian Science Writers Association inter alia, and that the terms of reference make specific mention of science-related issues amongst others.

2.1.5 Bene and Bentley Fellowships

The Community Forestry: Trees and People – John G. Bene Fellowship and the Bentley Cropping Systems Fellowship were created as a result of donations by these former IDRC Board Governors in the late 1980s and late 1990s. Their objective is to provide support to graduate students undertaking field research in developing countries in agriculture, forestry and biology. Only one award is offered a year to a Canadian in the case of the Bene Fellowship (CAD $15,000) and one every two years to a Canadian or developing country national for the Bentley Fellowship (up to CAD $30,000). They have attracted few applications in recent years, despite publicity efforts by F&A. Given the high transactions costs, F&A suggest that the awards be combined into one award, and outsourced to an organization or relevant Canadian university program, such as the International Model Forest Network (based in Ottawa) or Laval University’s Faculté de foresterie, géographie et géomatique. This would require approval by the Bene and Bentley families.

19 The internship option may continue to be complicated by visa issues in which case it may not be viable. 20 These choices would be determined following further discussion with each of the three institutions, Laval and Carleton chairs and Jean-Marc Fleury, who directs the SjCOOP project. 21 They include the University of British Columbia, Carleton University, Concordia University, Université Laval, Ryerson University and the University of Western Ontario.

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Table 3: SJRA program statistics on awardees (as of Nov, 2010)

• 260 awards committed (205 doctoral research awards; 8 full-study PhDs; 47 full-study Masters)

• 164 awards granted (135 doctoral research awards; 8 full-study PhDs; 21 full-study Masters)

• The awardees are citizens of 20 sub-Saharan African countries, the largest number coming from Nigeria (30), Kenya (24), Uganda (18) and South Africa (12).

• The awardees are pursuing their studies in 15 countries, the top country namely South Africa (44), followed by Nigeria (24) and Malawi (15).

• Male awardees: 99 (66%); Female awardees: 52 (34%) • Awardees from Anglophone African countries: 129 (85%) • Awardees from Francophone African countries: 22 (15%)

2.1.6 Sabbatical awards

Approximately 1 to 2 sabbatical awards are granted to senior academics or researchers per year. Funding for these visiting fellows, who are selected by PPB Management, are supported through the Corporate Awards budget. Budgeting for these awards is problematic for F&A, as they are not planned in advance and funds kept aside for the awards are often unused.22 While F&A would still manage the awards, alternative funding options through either forward planning funds or PIs would allow F&A to budget accordingly and use its funds for other awards. Alternatively fellows could be identified a year in advance of their sabbatical with IDRC.

2.2 Southern Junior Researchers Awards (SJRA)

The SJRA program was established in 2006/2007 as a pilot to support the research training of graduate level researchers in developing countries. It provides funding and guidance to local institutions to manage and administer competitive awards in disciplines where there is a need for research capacity development. The approach is consistent with IDRC’s new 5-year strategy, notably the emphasis on “encouraging and supporting researchers from developing countries to conduct research in their own institutions and regions.”23

The awards cover Masters and PhD field research costs, and full-study costs (mostly PhD). IDRC Regional Directors and Program Area staff have helped to identify where awards are needed and institutions able to administer them, as well as contributed funds for training workshops, occasional semesters abroad at Canadian universities24, supervisor support, personnel, review committee meetings, publishing and evaluations.

The program began in East and Southern Africa and expanded to West Africa in 2009.25 Since its inception, it has tripled from a budget of $630,000 in 2006/07 to $1,974,000 in 2010/11. To date there have been ten projects with total funding of $6,782,823, of which F&A contributed $5,356,683, GEH $1,260,900 and Acacia $86,800. The projects range from approximately $100,000 to $1,700,000. Some are near completion and some have gone on to additional, multi-year phases. The fields in which the 22 For example, for the last 2 years F&A has been reserving funds for a visiting fellowship in health. 23 Section 32, Strategic Framework 2010-2015 24 To date, only the University for Peace (UPEACE) project in Ethiopia includes funding for two doctoral students to spend a semester abroad at a Canadian University. 25 The two West African projects with ISSP and NPTCI complement programming in health and economics via APHRC and AERC in East and Southern Africa.

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awards are granted complement IDRC’s thematic priorities.26 The majority of the projects grant Doctoral Research Awards (DRAs) at an approximate value of $15,000, some Full Study (FS) PhD awards at some $70,000 and FS Masters awards at some $25,000. The level of the award varies with the thematic field of study, university and country/region. Program statistics are included in Table 3 and a list of all projects are provided in Table 4.27

Table 4: SJRA projects

Institution Funding (CAD)

Thematic Area Collaborating Centre unit

Awards

AFRICAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH CONSORTIUM (AERC) Project 103902-072

417,900

Economics research

GGP (SEP) 14 doctoral research awards 4 full-study PhD awards (All awards granted)

AFRICAN POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER (APHRC) (Grant I) Project 104655-039 (Grant II) Project 105407-048 (Grant III) Project 106906

484,700 (F&A $334,700; GEH $150,000) 1,113,100 (F&A $1,000,000; GEH $113,100) 1,700,000 (F&A $900,000; GEH $800,000)

Health systems

GEH (SEP) 18 doctoral research awards (All awards granted) 38 doctoral research awards (All awards granted) 50 doctoral research awards (No awards granted)

COLLABORATIVE MASTERS PROGRAM IN

AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS (CMAAE) / AERC Project 104655 – 028

100,000

Agricultural economics

GGP (SEP) 4 full-study Masters (All awards granted)

INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DES SCIENCES DE LA POPULATION (ISSP) Project 106129

689,900 (F&A $492,100; GEH $197,800)

Health policy and health systems analysis

GEH (SEP) 39 full-study Masters (13 awards granted)

NOUVEAU PROGRAMME DE TROISIÈME CYCLE

INTERUNIVERSITAIRE (NPTCI) EN ÉCONOMIE Project 105939

300,000

Economics

GGP (SEP) 18 doctoral research awards (Six awards granted)

REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES FORUM FOR

CAPACITY BUILDING IN AGRICULTURE (RUFORUM) Project 105809

577,900

Sustainable agriculture and natural resources management

RPE (AE) 28 doctoral research awards (20 awards granted)

TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (TUT) INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH

ON INNOVATION (IERI) Project 105407-062

90,400

Science and innovation

IPS 8 doctoral research awards (All awards granted)

UNIVERSITY FOR PEACE (UPEACE) (Grant I) Project 103902 – 073 (UPEACE) (Grant II) Project 105407-041

297,525 528,700

Peace and security

PCD (SEP) Linked to PCD Project #104617

10 doctoral research awards 2 full-study PhDs (All awards granted) 12 doctoral research awards 2 full-study PhDs (All awards granted)

UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL (UKZN) Project 104655-048

15,820

Ecohealth Ecohealth (AE) 1 doctoral research award (Award granted)

26 To date, 59% of committed funds have been for health-related awards; 24% for social and economic policy; 9% agriculture and environment; 7% for ICT4D; and 1% for innovation, policy and science. 27 The data do not include ISSP’s 13 recent award recipients as information was not available at the time of reporting.

17

Institution Funding (CAD)

Thematic Area Collaborating Centre unit

Awards

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI (UoN) Project 104655-086

466,878 (F&A $380,078; ACACIA $86,800)

ICT4D Acacia’s 10 core themes, regional priorities

Acacia (ICT4D) 8 doctoral research awards 4 full-study Masters (All awards granted)

TOTALS: Total Grants: CAD $6,782,823 - Total F&A commitments: CAD $5,356,683 - Total PI commitments: CAD $1,347,700

Total Awards granted: 164 Total Awards committed 260 -205 doctoral research awards (135 granted) -8 full-study PhDs (8 granted) -47 full-study Masters (21 granted)

Besides support to students, F&A helps to strengthen the grant management capabilities of the institutions hosting the SJRA, drawing on its SPS experience in managing competitive awards and knowledge of the region, as well as examples/templates used in other F&A awards programs.

Administration. Besides the expansion of workload with the addition of new projects, in 2009 F&A was required to follow regular research project procedures from Project Identification Memorandums (PIMs) and Project Approval Document (PADs) to Project Completion Reports (PCRs).28 This has streamlined the administration and monitoring of each awards project, made the SJRA program more visible within the Centre, and helped to identify areas for improvement (see examples in Section 3.12.2). Regular monthly meetings with GAD for updates on Corporate Awards and the SJRA projects are another way to address any pending issues.

Program title. The SJRA program name dates from 2006/07, during its pilot phase. Both the terms “Southern” and “Junior” have attracted criticism from within the Centre, managing institutions and awardees. In particular, many of the awardees have more experience than “Junior” implies. Drawing on various suggestions, F&A recommends: IDRC International Fellowships / Bourses internationales du CRDI.

Future funding options for the SJRA program are discussed in the next section.

SECTION 3: ISSUES AND OPTIONS

3.1 Electronic or Web-based Applications Processes

F&A’s experience in managing awards competitions over the years is reflected in its informative website and its Intranet site with reference documents for IDRC staff. It has an extensive database of award-

28 SJRA projects had been previously managed under RSGA contracts within the corporate award projects. They had not required PADs, and despite some project funding levels of approx. $500,000, F&A was not required to complete PIMs or PCRs for the projects.

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holders and statistics about the awards. IDRC staff have commented that F&A staff know their programs well, are organized, and always available for guidance. Nevertheless, it is time for F&A to review its processes to take advantage of electronic applications and new web-based processes that will be available within the Centre in 2011. Such systems are already being used both in other large competitive grant awarding bodies as well as in other parts of the Centre. Using electronic applications will not only allow more flexibility for applicants, it will also facilitate data collection.29

In the past F&A insisted on all applications to be paper-based, in large part to address concerns about fraudulent documents and signatures, and given that there is no Centre-wide policy on accepting scanned signatures. In the fall 2010 IDRA competition, responding to various concerns, scanned reference letters and letters of approval by research supervisors with an electronic or scanned signature were accepted for the first time, though candidates were still required to forward original and signed letters to IDRC before the announcement of the results and before funds for the awards were released.

F&A consulted 3 PI-managed awards programs and 4 external organizations30 about their respective policies on electronic or web-based application systems. While some organizations still request hard-copy submissions as F&A does, most accept documents by e-mail, allow scanned signatures, and no longer request original letters. No major issues related to these processes were cited. Web-based application systems have proved more problematic. IDRC’s Think-Tank Initiative, which piloted a web-based application system on the WCMS website, experienced many technical problems during their two project competitions with connectivity, system time-outs, document uploads, data loss, and e-mail confirmations going to spam folders. The process also required a technical guide for applicants. However, the new web-based application system being developed by IDRC’s Information Management and Technology Division (IMTD) through Microsoft Sharepoint to replace the WCMS version is intended to resolve these issues. The system will include both an external Call for Proposals Portal for applicants to apply and review the status of their submissions, and an internal Proposals Processing Portal, which will allow reviewers to access records and input comments and scores. Each field will have its own separate database, and the information entered will be easy to sort or filter. Other planned features include an automated approval of submitted online forms and the ability to attach supplementary documents. The portals will allow applications to be saved intermittently and to have access supported by a number of internet browsers.

F&A staff look forward to implementing the new system in 2011. Availability of an efficient web-based system will determine whether F&A considers outsourcing F&A programs to a third party (such as AUCC or CBIE), as discussed in Section 3.9. The system has the potential to reduce the workload that current awards programs generate. At the same time, coupled with increased publicity, as discussed below, it would allow IDRC to collect and retain all personal information on the award holders, which is very

29 Note: F&A experimented with an electronic application process with the 2009 Ecopolis Awards competition; due to a number challenges and a lack of a formal support system, this process actually increased staff workload. 30 They include IDRC’s Think Tank Initiative (SEP), Research Awards in Climate Change and Water (AE) and Challenge Fund (IPS); and the Association of Universities and Colleges (AUCC) Partnership Programs, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

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important for statistics and future communications.31 However, opening competitions electronically (coupled with increased publicity, as discussed below) may result in increased applications, and in turn, more review and follow-up work.

3.2 Geographical considerations for research

F&A’s awards web pages currently state:

In principle, IDRC supports research on all parts of the developing regions of the world. At this time, Fellowships and Awards is not supporting awards which involve research in Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe or Central Asia.

There has been uncertainty about the two restricted regions (Central Asia and Eastern Europe) as well as the coverage of “developing regions”, leading to regular inquiries to F&A staff. IDRC's policy on "where we work" states that “IDRC recognizes the OECD list of countries and territories eligible for Official Development Assistance” (ODA). The regional exclusion reflects IDRC’s interest in having the expertise to review proposals, and this is usually where there is an IDRC regional office. The list of countries specifically excluded reflects Canadian government foreign policy considerations. A fourth factor is to avoid security risks for researchers (as identified by IDRC’s Policy and Planning Group).

For greater clarity, F&A propose to include on the website a full list of the countries in which IDRC does fund field research and to update this every year (or more frequently if necessary). An additional proviso would address the security concerns. Following current practices, evaluators in the regions will be asked to identify any travel concerns, which may be isolated in particular locations within a country or territory. Travel restrictions will also be informed by IDRC’s Travel Advisory Group (TAG) and DFAIT advisories. F&A will request PPG to review each year the list of countries in which F&A is not to fund awards.32

3.3 Mentorship

In the course of the review various concerns were raised about the role of the Mentor in the F&A Internship program. Many of these are administrative, ranging from ensuring interns complete activity reports, travel and progress reports to allowing Interns time off and/or to work non-traditional working hours, which do not comply with IDRC’s employee practices,33 and signing off on ineligible expense items.

Another issue is the need for greater guidance to interns on safety during their travels to developing regions. It is the Mentor’s role to ensure Interns are comfortable with travelling (especially if it is their

31 The Centre Training and Research Awards (CENTRA) database contains information on over 4,000 IDRC award holders since 1971. 32 An immediate question is whether North Korea should be included in the list. 33 There may also be a lack of appreciation by some Research Interns of their responsibilities and expectations as an IDRC employee; many perceive themselves at arm’s length of the Centre, rather than employees.

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first time in a region), to assist them with local contacts and to monitor them while travelling, as necessary.

To help clarify these problems, starting in January 2011, both the Compensation Advisor and GA will make special presentations to Interns and Mentors during their orientation session on their roles and responsibilities. In addition, activity reports will be monitored by HR in 2011.

3.4 Research ethics

In mid-2008, several Mentors noted issues with reviewing the ethics of Research Interns’ research projects. With input from OSGC, PPG and RMIA, F&A updated information sheets on the role of the Mentor, drafted ethical guidelines for Interns, and included a special session on ethical guidelines in the interns’ orientation session. In May 2009, the Vice President of PPB approved a working group to review these and other issues across the Centre that had arisen in part as the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) listed in the IDRC Management Policy Manuals (Volume III: Section 5.3) had been inactive. The Working Group on Research Ethics, which involved F&A staff amongst others, completed its final report in April 2010. This recommended the following modifications for F&A programs:

- Ensure consistent treatment of ethics issues throughout key documents (i.e. application form, checklist and web announcement);

- Include ethics considerations in the selection review criteria for the Bene and Bentley competitions;

- Ensure consistent language on ethics in all program contracts; and - Provide explicit space for discussion on ethics issues in progress and final research report

guidelines.

It also recommended that the ERC be re-established and, amongst its work, review any Interns’ or PDAs’ research identified as posing sufficient ethical concerns, thereby relieving mentors who are usually not well placed or do not have the requisite skills to conduct an ethical review of their research.34 The Interns would also be asked to self-assess ethics issues when preparing research proposals. In addition, F&A was advised to:

- Revise the guidelines for Mentors on ethics issues; - Ensure consistent treatment of ethics in all reporting requirements; and - Ensure Intern proposal requirements include a self-assessment of ethics issues and strategies to

address them.

Guidelines to this effect will be included in the 2011 competition announcement.

34 The Mentors are like thesis supervisors; as they are directly linked to the research, they are not considered independent enough to conduct an ethics review of their Intern. Rather they are responsible for assisting with identifying ethics issues, mitigating them, and recommending consultation with the ERC.

21

In the case of Visiting Fellows, who are neither IDRC employees nor consultants, current contracts do not stipulate they are responsible for the ethical conduct of their research. Despite the low risk given their greater experience as senior researchers, the Working Group recommended:

- The addition of a standard clause in contracts for Visiting Fellows and coverage of ethics in work plans (by the Fellow and supervising Program Area Director).

A study (by Rob Robertson) completed in September 2010, building on the Working Group report, proposes new policies and procedures for IDRC to deal with research ethics. Regarding F&A, it is recommended:

- Applicants be directed to the IDRC Corporate Principles on Research Ethics; - All applicants be required to address ethics issues as per the “points to consider” in the PAD

Appraisal; - All evaluators comment on the adequacy of the treatment of ethics in applications; - Successful applications be assessed by the same screening mechanism that the ERC establishes

for research projects, and treated with the same rules throughout the life of their activity; and - Award letters contain ethics clauses and conditions as for other research activities.

With regards to developing country institutions managing the SJRA, IDRC is considered largely removed from the research supported by awardees; however, the ethics review mechanisms of the institution need to be assessed to ensure they meet acceptable international standards, and that they adhere to the Centre’s Corporate Principles on Research Ethics.35 F&A will consider adding ethics issues to training workshops for students and for managing institutions as needed.

F&A will act on the recommendations listed above by mid-2011.

For doctoral research awards, since 2002, applicants are required to show approval of their research supervisor. Previously approval by a university research or ethics committee had been necessary. The change avoided delays in applications; also it was consistent with IDRC acceptance of supervisors approving any changes in research methodology while the student is in the field. Nonetheless, IDRC reserved the right, if necessary, to require a student to submit approval from the university ethics or research committee.36

In addition, all evaluators in awards competitions have to address whether the applicant (and supervisor) have adequately addressed ethical considerations. To date this system has worked well. Nonetheless F&A will ask IDRC’s ERC, when it is reinstated, to consider the adequacy of this approach, or whether F&A should revert to the original policy of requiring approval of research proposals by university ethics or research committees to mitigate risk for IDRC.

35 Eql development inc. Research Ethics at IDRC. September 2010, p. 45. 36 For example if two evaluators differed with the opinion of the supervisor.

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3.5 Tracking Centre-wide training activities

Although F&A is known as IDRC’s focal point for funding training and awards, it is not the sole provider of such awards at the Centre. Increasingly, there are competitive grants processes occurring throughout the Centre to support research areas.37 A number of research projects also include funding allocations to support the studies or research of students in certain fields or institutions to complement project objectives and build capacity in the regions. Some of these are held with the support of the F&A program, others choose to run the awards independently.

Although F&A is aware of several such examples, it is unclear how much funding or how many grants are being offered outside of F&A as this data is not easily accessible. POs are asked to indicate in draft PADs whether a project includes a training component but not in the final version of the PAD. Also, the definition for ‘training’ in the PAD (and more widely at the Centre) is not concise; therefore it ends up being an unreliable source for reporting purposes.

F&A’s interest in other IDRC awards programs is not to take over their management but to be able to capture the data in the CENTRA database. F&A receives several requests (internally and externally) for data on Centre-funded awards or students by region or country. It is also very important for strategic programming decisions whether in Corporate awards (such as the continuation of the Science Journalism awards, noted in Section 2.1.4) or SJRA projects. For example, by being aware that the $60 million Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFS-RF) includes training for Masters and doctoral students38, and that a forthcoming project with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) will support 20 doctoral and masters students in SSA, F&A will think carefully before expanding more awards to agriculture in SSA.

A survey of PMOs by F&A in October 2010 sought to identify awards funding managed by their respective programs since 2005.39 Four PMOs shared links to project examples; others replied that they could not easily extract this information as it is not systematically tracked. Some track the number and level of students involved in project implementation, however this usually does not involve formal training. Ecohealth began in 2010 to track individual capacity building in their projects and GHRI also

37 There has been a greater use of competitive granting mechanisms by the Centre, often in partnership with the Canadian granting councils. These are usually built around external peer reviews, unlike the more common internal review approach at IDRC (Business model, IDRC, 3-4). 38 The collaborative CIDA-IDRC CIFS-RF project (# 106071) will include support for Masters and doctoral training in SSA, Latin America and Asia, with some 40-50 students in SSA. 39 Information on program funding for training, specifically for tuition or field research was requested, rather than examples of informal training support (conferences, short-courses etc.) or graduate students receiving funding for their involvement/work in project implementation.

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plans to do so.40 Several POs consider this key data that should be tracked and included in technical reports along with project level results.41

Many more initiatives with funding for graduate level field work and/or studies were identified through queries of IDRC’s Development Information Service (IDRIS+) database.42 Altogether 55 projects since 2005, in the awards, research support and research categories, appear to have included relevant training awards.43 PMOs indicated that the majority of such funding is directed to developing country nationals.

F&A recommends that all PMOs be required to report on such training activities to allow the information to be captured by F&A’s database.

3.6 Future directions of the SJRA program

When the SJRA program started it focussed on key priority areas in sub-Saharan Africa, and during discussions with PPB Management in September 2008, F&A was advised to continue the way it was working, and to go ‘deeper’ where there was success. As noted in the Strategic Framework 2010-2015, with further funding F&A will expand the SJRA program award in sub-Saharan Africa and extend it to Asia and Latin America. It is therefore timely to consider various options. Besides new countries the framework states:

“The Centre will also explore opportunities for young researchers in developing countries to use and develop their research skills after graduation. Some schemes should allow for exposure to policy research so that junior researchers familiarize themselves with the conditions under which some of their findings can influence development decisions.”44

Some ideas beyond training, such as post-doctoral fellowships and entrepreneurial internships are discussed in the external evaluation. Here we present some ideas and options raised in discussions with the six IDRC Regional Directors (RDs) in June 2010.45 Drawing on their understanding of current

40 For GHRI programs with funding from CIDA, information on individuals is recorded as this is necessary for CIDA’s annual technical assistance reports. 41 This information was based on the results of a similar inquiry made by an Innovation, Policy and Science (IPS) PMO in the summer of 2010. Apparently numbers of students trained is one of the top three indicators for several research councils. 42 Project abstracts were reviewed to find initiatives for individual capacity building in competitive grants research programs or support granted for project related work. The search excluded projects that provided funding for conferences, seminars or workshops; and team research projects. 43 A few examples: AE CCAA - African Climate Change Fellowship (104391 and 104700); ICT4D Acacia - OECD Internship for African PhDs: Policy Research and Dialogue on Innovation and ICT Policy (106043); IPS Challenge Fund - International Community-University Research Alliance Program (CURA) (104518); and SEP-GEH/GHRI - Africa Health Systems Initiative African Research Partnerships Program (AHSI-Res) (105482). 44 IDRC Strategic Framework 2010-2015, section 166. 45 Meetings were also held with Regional Directors when the project was first established and informal communications have taken place on an ongoing basis.

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research and the political climate in the region, each RD identified countries and fields of study where there is a need for SJRA, as outlined in Table 5.

Table 5: Countries and fields of study where Regional Directors identified need for awards programs (June 2010)

Regional Office Countries Fields of Study

ASRO Cambodia and Vietnam, also Laos and Burma

Urbanization, climate change and migration

ESARO Open; students from weaker countries to study in South Africa

Open; IPS-related awards

LACRO Andean region: particularly Bolivia and Ecuador

Primary health care, evaluative thinking

MERO Yemen and Sudan Climate change

SARO Pakistan, Nepalese students studying in India, possibly Bhutan, Afghanistan,46 China-India student exchanges

Public policy, health, development planning and management

WARO Open; peace-related project in Ghana or West-Central Africa, post award internships at Think Tanks

Economics, health, peace and conflict resolution, governance, and S&T

All RDs expressed strong interest in having SJRA established or further evolve in their region. However, some PIs do not have the time or human resources to support the establishment of an awards program.

East and Southern Africa already hosts 8 of the 10 SJRA projects, but there is interest and capacity in ESARO to absorb two to three times as many projects. The awards enrich ongoing projects, mesh capacity-building with research, and help build IDRC’s reputation. Key determinants of successful awards projects in the region include having a strong managing institution and/or an enthusiastic PO to do some of the management, administration and evaluative work, complementing the SPS in Ottawa. As the program expands, this will be all the more essential as F&A will not be able to monitor the awards projects as closely as currently.

Both WARO and ESARO RDs agreed that thematic projects should not necessarily be replicated between their regions (e.g. AERC – NPTCI). Each case should be considered on its own, depending on need. Linguistic and different education systems can pose challenges to communication and barriers to effective collaboration. Another suggestion was to connect to the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), which is building strong institutions in the regions and laying the ground for links to awards programs, for instance through post award Internships at Think Tanks in sub-Saharan Africa.

46 Stephen McGurk encouraged F&A to take a lead in the Afghanistan Research Capacity Fund being explored by GEH/RHE and SEP.

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While there still appears to be unsatisfied demand in Africa, other regions could benefit from similar awards projects and a decision will be needed in the upcoming year on regional expansion. Besides areas suggested by the RDs, GEH has expressed interest in an awards program in Bolivia.

Additional possible modalities for awards include: post-doctoral awards; more training workshops, to build skills such as proposal-writing and communicating results; student exchange programs (e.g. China-India student exchanges); internships or entrepreneurial training; expanded funding for semesters in Canada47; and collaboration with other donors.

Finally, an important issue is whether F&A has an exit strategy for its awards projects in Africa. The external evaluation, which involved interviews with managing institutions in Eastern Africa, ESARO staff, and other funding agencies, provides insights on the interest and ability of managing institutions to leverage other funds.

3.7 Staff workload issues

The F&A team has 5 staff members located in Ottawa: 1 Senior Program Specialist (SPS), 2 Program Management Officer (PMOs), 1 Awards Officer (AO) and 1 Program Assistant (PA). A list of their experiences is included in Annex C. The Corporate Awards are primarily managed by the SPS, one PMO and AO, while the SJRA awards are managed by the SPS and a second PMO.48 The PA provides support for all F&A activities, while all programs are supported by one full-time and one partial Grant Administrators (GA). F&A is also sometimes supported by a partial Research Intern (shared with Canadian Partnerships program) during the year, and a Summer Student (usually shared with Canadian Partnerships and the Vice-President’s office).

In 2009/10, a total of 87 Corporate Awards were granted through 6 competitive and 6 non-competitive awards processes. Table 6 provides further details.

47 Funding was allocated for this in the SJRA UPEACE project which will take place in the spring of 2011. Partnerships with Canadian universities were also suggested by RDs in LACRO and ASRO. 48 The second PMO (formerly Research Officer) position was created in September 2008 in light of the growing SJRA program.

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Table 6: A year in the life of Corporate Awards (2009/2010)

AWARD

Award value (up to $ CAD)

Timeline

Staff Involved49

Review process

Number of Applications

Deadline(s) Announced Received Funded

COMPETITIVE AWARDS

IDRA $20,000 Apr 1st

Nov 1st

September

May

SPS, PMO, AO, PA, GA

F&A receives and processes applications, coordinates review with IDRC staff in Ottawa and regions

101 43

CanWin $20,000 April 1st September SPS, PMO, AO, PA, GA

F&A receives and processes applications, coordinates review with IDRC staff in Ottawa and regions

9 1

Internships $58,500-$65,50050

September December SPS, AO, PA, GA

F&A receives and processes applications, coordinates review with IDRC staff in Ottawa and regions

164 19

Ecopolis Awards51 $20,000 May 15th August SPS, PMO, AO, PA,

F&A receives and processes applications, and administers the awards; CCW handles the selection and review process

44 7

Int’l Development Journalism

$20,000 Annually, set by universities

varies AO Five universities52 process applications and review process.

F&A follows up to obtain awardee information

Unknown Info

9

49 The SPS is involved in every award, particularly in the initial stages and final review of applications, and to address any concerns. 50 The Internship and PDA stipends are determined every year by the SPS, based on the Centre’s salary grid and the education level of the award holder. They include stipends, benefits and research and travel allowances. 51 The third and final competition for the Ecopolis Award was held in 2009. 52 Ryerson University has now established a graduate program in journalism, and will be the sixth Canadian university to manage IDRC Awards for International Development Journalism.

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Bene $15,000 March 1st End of May AO, GA, PA

F&A receives and processes applications, review by external committee

3 1

Bentley $30,000 October 1st

(Every other year)

December SPS, PMO, GA, PA

F&A receives and processes applications, review by external committee

8 153

Science Journalism $60,000 Annually, set by media orgs

varies SPS, AO Host institutions receive and process applications.

F&A follows up to obtain awardee information and assist with work visa issues

Variable 2

NON-COMPETITIVE AWARDS

PDAs $66,500-$75,00054

N/A N/A SPS, AO By nomination

N/A 2

Sabbatical awards/ Visiting Fellows

$109,348 N/A N/A Director, SPS, AO

By nomination

N/A 2

Pearson fellowships55

Varies N/A N/A Director, SPS

By nomination – not currently offered

The application and selection process for each project varies. Applicants may be selected in house, through selection committees or by external reviewers/institutions. The most demanding awards include IDRA, Internships and CanWin (in order). With two competitions per year and a lengthy review process, the IDRA awards account for 80% of the PMO’s work, and also involve the SPS, AO, PA and GA. For the fall 2009 IDRA competition, the PMO and PA worked during 5 weeks processing the applications, which involved a minimum of 13 documents from each of the 58 applicants, determining eligibility, e-mail correspondence for clarifications (reading and writing a total of 267 for this competition), manual and electronic filing, preparing photocopies and mailings for IDRC evaluators in the regions, and preparing comments for candidates. The external evaluation addresses some of these application and evaluation processes. A number of options were presented by staff, in order to streamline workload.

53 Figures for the Bentley competition are for 2010/11, as no competition was held in 2009/10. 54 See previous footnote re. Internship and PDA stipends. 55 IDRC’s President nominates candidates for Pearson fellowships to the Board of Directors for their approval. The last Pearson Fellowship was granted in 1998. They remain on F&A’s awards list should they be granted again in the future.

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One example is to run three competitions per year for each broad region (Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Latin America).

Applications for the Internships have grown every year, consuming more of F&A’s time (see Graph 5).

Since the Climate Change and Water (CCW) program decided to launch its new four-year competitive awards program56 for Southern and Canadian researchers working on water-climate issues in the fall of 2010, overlapping with F&A’s Internships and IDRA awards peak work period, it was decided that F&A would not be able to run the competition. Instead it is responsible for issuing contracts and follow-up with awardees as needed.57

F&A staff, in particular the PA, receive many time-consuming general inquiries. Despite an extensive automated reply additional e-mails or phone calls are often involved (approximately 2 hours per day). Also, some 45 minutes is needed to enter data for each award holder into the CENTRA database.58 The growth of the SJRA program has increased visits and participation in selection processes and training workshops by the SPS, while new procedures in 2009 (completion of PADs, PIMs and PCRs) also added work for the F&A team, along with tracking statistics, reviewing calls, ongoing correspondence and general monitoring of each managing institution, and reporting.

The F&A SPS position has some elements of a Team Leader (supervision, approval of PRAs, leave and Activity Reports). As currently structured, the SPS is also more involved in many aspects and levels of the awards programs, rather than program development and evaluation, reflection on current policies, processes and future direction of the program.59 Other tasks include co-mentoring the SID Research Intern and Summer Student and providing advice as needed to Interns and PDAs.

56 Adaptation H20 project, #106299. 57 F&A will financially support CCW awards in this area to a few Canadian students each year. 58 This includes a number of steps, including verification, providing an EPIK link, preparing a report in the EPIK report depository, and filing in Livelink. 59 Tasks include the review, comments and approval of: PADs; financial reports from GAD on SJRA projects; reallocation of funds in Corporate Awards projects; supplements and re-allocations to SJRA projects; overruns on

10 2

11 7 8 8 6 4 6 7 8 9 11 9 15 2 3 2 1 3 2 4 4 2 4 3 2 3 3 4 9

35

60 67

88 71

83

128

66

167

119 120

164

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Num

ber

Years

Graph 5: The Internship Awards Competition - Applicants and Successful Candidates

1995-2010 (Includes Summer Interns between 1995 and 1997)

FemaleRecipients

MaleRecipients

TotalApplicationsReceived

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The current staffing and administration modalities need to change, even if there are no radical changes in F&A’s overall programming responsibilities. Any expansion of the SJRA program and/or deepening F&A’s role to building the field of awards, would require reviewing the present staff complement. Upgrading at least one PMO to a PO level position with signing authority and flexibility to travel would allow the SPS to delegate more and focus on program development and field building. Another strategy might involve locally-engaged staff (LES) at the regional offices to help manage the SJRA awards, under the guidance of a PO in the region. While moving to web-based applications will address many data entry issues, additional help may be needed for some backlog, supporting ongoing tracer studies, consolidating statistical information, and setting up social networking, as appropriate.

3.8 Outsourcing programs

One way to reduce the administrative workload is to outsource one or more of F&A programs to an external organization (this is elaborated in the external evaluation). In particular this makes sense for smaller projects that are time-consuming and yield few awards, such as the Bene and Bentley awards. Outsourcing larger programs like the IDRAs would have major time savings, though it would not eliminate all work, as seen with the science journalism awards. A downside risk is that the award holders are less connected with IDRC and may not associate their awards with the Centre.

F&A recommends that it try out IDRC’s new web-based application system before any decision is made to outsource larger award programs.

3.9 Engagement with award holders

The 2007 Tracer Study confirmed that award holders like to keep in touch with IDRC staff and other IDRC awardees in order to disseminate their findings, present their work at IDRC, have access to research carried out by other award holders, increase their visibility, and to feel valued by IDRC.

F&A staff and IDRC more generally have limited engagement with awardees once their awards are over, beyond tracer studies. Engaging with awardees is more challenging in the case of programs managed by outside institutions, including the SJRA and the two journalism awards programs. Since 2009, congratulatory letters by the Vice President of PPB are sent to each SJRA awardee, including the offer to obtain access to IDRC’s databases during the tenure of their award. When former awardees receive a prestigious award or position, F&A/SID alerts the President of IDRC, who sends them a congratulatory letter.

Engagement with former and current awardees and partners is “an integral part of IDRC’s business model”60 and should remain a priority. It establishes long-lasting feelings of community with IDRC, and

awards budgets; technical reports; all awards, budgets, letters recommending candidates for awards - including comments on IDRA and CANWIN evaluations; rejection letters; Interns and PDAs salaries and total award budgets; all new awards, including budgets; stipends for Visiting Fellows; profiles and other documents drafted by Communications Division; changes to the F&A website; TORs and payments for consultancy contracts supported by F&A projects; translation requests; purchase requisitions for invoices. 60 Business model, IDRC, 4.

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helps to reach out to additional or new networks to disseminate the opportunities and outcomes of awards offered by IDRC. Bringing awardees together would allow them to network with other researchers with similar interests or experiences in the field. Some award holders create personal blogs, where they post valuable stories and results from their field research in developing regions. These postings provide valuable results and outcomes of IDRC funded research awards.

Other ideas raised in recent years include:

- Awards alumni network (through e-mail, facebook or other medium); - Special panel/workshop of IDRA awardees, based on themes; - Mentorship program for former awardees to network, share fresh ideas, new approaches

and broader perspectives with current awardees; - Bringing awardees from Africa to Canada to share their experiences at workshops; - Network of visiting fellows to develop sense of connection and to raise profile of the award.

Also to exchange experiences about how the visiting fellowship program might be improved; - Asking awardees to prepare first person accounts for posting on F&A’s web page, or blogs

from the field; - Conference of Intern alumni or IDRAs every few years to track their achievements post-

IDRC; - Stock-taking workshop of all SJRA projects in Africa.61

F&A and Communications have discussed social media tools to help IDRC engage with current and former awardees, and for them to network among themselves. F&A plans to wait until such tools are available on the BCS website in 2011 in order to determine what might be most appropriate. Both technical assistance, whether from IMTD, Communications, Intern or consultant, and funding will be needed to develop these tools.

3.10 Publicity

F&A has worked with Communications over the past several years to improve its outreach. Currently F&A publicizes its awards competitions through IDRC’s website and Bulletin; Regional Offices; links to websites of universities and other organizations in Canada and overseas; Listserves of development programs at Canadian universities and other relevant organizations; mail-out of F&A posters and brochures62; participation in career days and other presentations at various universities; formal and

61 As an example, IDRC’s African Climate Change Fellowship Program (ACCFP), administered by SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START), is bringing their award recipients together at a culmination conference in December 2010. The conference will be a thematically-organized forum in which ACCFP Fellows, their supervisors and other regional experts present their work. It will also include discussions of the ACCFP process, the overall experience, lessons learned, challenges, future opportunities, etc. A writing workshop is also planned for the first 2 days to assist Fellows in packaging their research outputs for journals and other formal outlets. Awardees are also sometimes invited to present their research at Advisory Board meetings, and START has recently begun to feature profiles, final reports and videos of their fellows online. 62 The brochure was redesigned in 2009 but further changes will be needed in 2011. Mail-outs are usually once per year, to over 700 Canadian university graduate departments and career services, and other organizations and government departments, including First Nations organizations.

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informal networks of IDRC staff; and word of mouth. F&A are sometimes interviewed about the awards programs.63

F&A regularly visits local Ottawa universities, and a number of others on a responsive basis. Occasional trips to other Canadian universities have sought to improve the number of francophone applicants,64 while mailings to some departments (political science, economics, business and law) have been designed to attract more applicants from these fields. Despite these efforts, the 2010 Mentors survey indicated disappointment with the number of applicants. 65

Whilst recognising resource constraints on designing and implementing appropriate communications, and in dealing with increased applications, these observations underline the need for F&A to develop a communications strategy in collaboration with the Communications Division.66 The strategy will involve:

- Using the new IDRC website to post more awardee profiles, host social networking forums (i.e. blog, facebook, twitter), and other new material to encourage visits to F&A pages

- Increasing visibility of F&A awards in Canadian universities through regular and systematic contacts with international offices and departmental heads at universities, (targeting institutions, departments or languages that are unrepresented in the awards), and sending awardee profiles to university newsletters;67 and

- Continuing to work with regional offices and PIs to enhance visibility of programs and ensure developing country researchers know about opportunities.

3.11 Monitoring and Evaluation

3.11.1 Corporate Awards and SJRA

The nature of F&A monitoring and evaluation (M&E) generally differs from other IDRC programs. Only for SJRA projects are individual PADs68 and PCRs required. Nevertheless, F&A keeps records and statistics on its program results, which are summarized in the SID quarterly newsletters and annual report and routine Echonet announcements. All awardee information is entered in the CENTRA database inter alia to contact former award holders for tracer studies.

M&E of Corporate Awards Programs is mainly conducted through progress and/or final reports from awardees. In the case of most awards, confidential progress and final report forms are used for awardees and supervisors. They provide valuable information on how their research was impacted by the award, and input on the administration of the awards. In addition to the reports, mid-term meetings with Interns and PDAs and lessons learned after every awards competition provide invaluable information to improve the design of the program. The VP, Resources is briefed annually 63 In recent years, F&A staff were interviewed by Montreal-based research magazine Découvrir, Research Africa, Radio Canada Internationale (RDI), and Radio France International (RFI) to cover stories on F&A awards programs. 64 For example, the University of Manitoba, the University of Moncton and the University of Ottawa. 65 Applicants may be discouraged by only one or two awards being granted (Bene, Bentley, CanWin and International Development Journalism Awards). 66 This process was commenced in 2009 with Communications staff but not finalized. 67 IDRC staff will be asked to distribute F&A promotional materials during their trips as appropriate. 68 One annual PAD is required for the Corporate Awards.

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(February/March) on the non-receipt of reports from Interns/PDAs, Visiting Fellows and Mentors so that the VP can follow up with responsible Mentors or Directors.

The SJRA projects generally involve more M&E throughout the project cycle. Besides their involvement in project design, the F&A SPS and/or a responsible PI make pre-project and routine visits to managing institutions, and often participate in the preparation of the calls for proposals, selection processes and training workshops.69 Institutions prepare technical and financial reports which are used to monitor project milestones. The inclusion of key statistics helps to track the results of the program over time. SJRA projects complementing a larger PI project may have the awards component addressed in the PI evaluation, as in the case of PCD’s project with UPEACE (#104617).70 Some evaluations are also included as part of the SJRA project, as with ISSP and APHRC.71

3.11.2 SJRA rolling Project Completion Reports

As noted earlier, F&A began rPCRs for the SJRA program in 2009, first on an informal basis (for early SJRA projects that were components of Corporate Awards projects) and later as required for stand-alone projects. As of November 2010, two PCRs (Stage 3) and six Stage One rPCRs were completed.

The rPCRs record the following for the SJRA projects: the evolution of the projects; context and challenges particular to the region, institution and subject areas; issues or innovative features to monitor; ideas on ways to monitor and evaluate; comments on current and future directions of the program.

Stage One rPCRs have provided a number of specific and general lessons:

• The F&A approach is different from PI project development, which looks at research methodology and other criteria. An awards project has other considerations. PI units and partners have had to adapt and change their approach.

• F&A asks for and provides feedback and requests more details than other IDRC programming approaches. Some institutions find this tedious, while others appreciate the detailed list presented to them.

• The critical importance of building capacity through PhD research awards in addition to normal research projects.

• A number of important components of SJRA projects (see Table 7). 69 Projects that include support for training workshops include projects managed by APHRC, NPTCI, RUFORUM, Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Nairobi, and UPEACE. 70 The UPEACE evaluation is being conducted in late 2010. 71 APHRC conducts its own regular evaluation of its SJRA project.

Table 7: Some key components of successful SJRA projects (identified in rPCRs)

Good relationships &

communication with the collaborating officer

One clear chief collaborating officer and clear roles of the regional office

In-person visits Participation in training to

reinforce IDRC as a supporting organisation; also increases IDRC’s visibility

Conduct risk assessments early on, even if IDRC has worked with them before

Procedures and forms given very early on

Clear details on the disbursement of funds to students

33

Only one Stage 3 rPCR was completed to date, for the first phase of the APHRC project. This PCR noted:

- How a) training and b) funding for supervision led to reducing the amount of time for the awardees to complete their dissertation.

- Institution going above and beyond; APHRC hosted one award-holder for a week, so that he could work with an APHRC researcher to analyse the student’s data; provided additional funding for two IDRC award-holders to attend conferences, one in the U.S., one in Botswana.

- Exceptional organization and staff; hard working, open and forthcoming. - Students appreciate IDRC sending a representative to a training workshop; confirms that IDRC is

interested in the well-being of the students and not just a donor that disburses funds. - The success of this project attracted other donors to fund APHRC (e.g. the Wellcome Trust and the

Hewlett Foundation).

3.11.3 Non-conditional awards

Following streamlining of administration processes in 2003, F&A was advised by GAD to make all awards “unconditional”, to allow funds for each award to be disbursed at once instead of in two or three payments, and final technical reports would not be tied to a final payment. The objective was to alleviate workload within F&A and FAD. Making the awards unconditional was considered to pose very little risk for the Centre.

Currently only IDRA and CanWin awards are unconditional, while the Bene and Bentley fellowships and those granted by AE (Ecohealth, Agropolis and now CCW) continue to be conditional. F&A’s concern is that the change has led to a decline in reports received. In 2006 only 46% of awardees receiving IDRA and CanWin awards in 2004-2005 had submitted their final technical reports after their field research. Final technical reports are important for programming purposes, making links to universities, and accountability. Tying a final payment to the technical and financial reports is a major incentive for recipients to submit their reports upon completion of their field research. There is also a perceived risk that the non-conditional awards will impact F&A reporting and ultimately the accountability of its awards.

F&A therefore recommends that IDRA and Canwin grants be made in two payments, as per other Centre awards. The final payment would be conditional on receipt of the final reports.

3.11.4 Disseminating Project Results

F&A uses the F&A Internet website and the Echonet (every 2-3 months) to publish the results of the awards competitions. These data are also captured in the PPB Performance Indicators report. The receipt of awardee theses is communicated in the SID quarterly newsletter as well via Echonet.

Profiles completed by the Communications Division that are published on the F&A website and in the IDRC Bulletin also serve to disseminate project results. Eight were completed in 2008/09 and 6 were completed in 2009-10. Over the past few years, F&A has sought to identify awardee research projects

34

that have tangible results or findings that serve as a compelling story or that more clearly show the outcomes of F&A supported research.

F&A also provides information to the Communications Division to inform Members of Parliament in the ridings of successful Canadian award holders. This increases the visibility of IDRC awards in Canada both locally and within parliament.

3.11.5 Canadian and International Tracer Studies

The use of tracer studies to track awards recipients is a valuable tool in M&E of the awards programs. They analyse the distribution of awards over a set period, show where award holders are working now, and provide suggestions to improve the programs. F&A cannot make a direct link from the awards to the success of the awardees’ careers; however, it can be assumed that the training was a catalyst for their careers.72 There have been four tracer studies: Global Tracer Survey of IDRC Award Recipients by Ekos Research Associates Inc. (March 1992); Canadian Tracer Study by Michael Graham (October 2007); International Tracer Study by Michael Graham and Regional Offices (December 2008); and most recently, an update to the 2007 Canadian Tracer Study by SID Intern Elena Chernikova (December 2010). A summary of this most recent study is included in Table 8.

The 2008 International Tracer Study traced nearly 600 former award holders from developing countries who received awards between the 1970s and early 1990s. Many hold very senior or responsible positions; these findings were highlighted in the March 2009 IDRC Bulletin and a full list of award holders was shared with IDRC staff through Echonet.

Former awardees working in key subject areas or organizations in the regions and internationally, and those currently working at Canadian universities can serve as

72 Graham, International Tracer Study, December 2008.

Table 8: Summary of 2010 Tracer Study YCRA, IDRA and Canadian Window award holders (248 traced): - The majority of award holders are from

Ontario and Quebec universities; almost half (45%) of recipients were from 4 universities: the University of Toronto (15%), McGill University (11%), York University (10%) and the Université de Montréal (9%).

- Most recipients are Social and Applied Sciences students; top disciplines: Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, Health Studies, and Sociology. Few are from the Natural Sciences or Arts and Humanities.

- 27 Canadian universities were represented by award holders; this represents 47% of the number of universities that offer doctoral program in 2010 (57).

- 86% of the respondents are employed. Those who are unemployed are either still students (12%) or searching for work (2%).

- The majority of former award holders have chosen careers in academia (72%), and secondly in government (14%).

- Most award holders are currently living in Canada (76%), 9% in United States, and 15% in 30 other countries, mainly developing countries.

PDA and Internship award holders (91 traced): - A large number of recipients have

found careers at IDRC and in universities.

- 60 award holders are currently working in Canada (65%); 18 respondents (10%) are IDRC staff, and 16 are employed in universities.

- 31 award holders work outside of Canada. Examples: Deputy Director General, the Presidency (South Africa); Vulnerability Analyst Officer, UN World Food program (Ghana); Program Officer, the Centre for Arab Women Training and Research (Tunisia); Assistant Professor and Assistant Director, the Centre for Health Law, Ethics and Technology, Jindal Global School (India); and Director of the Centre for Law and Social Interdisciplinary Studies (CIES), Icesi University (Colombia).

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valuable contacts for IDRC staff and encourage students to apply for IDRC awards.

Tracer Studies will continue to be important in monitoring the impact of F&A programs. Future studies could address additional issues, both individual and institutional. Awardees could be asked to reflect on the impact of their award or to become Mentors for current or future IDRC awardees. Institutional impacts could be assessed through interviews with employers, inter alia. F&A will consider a consultancy on these issues.

3.12 Funding

3.12.1 Internships

Recent increases in the number of Interns and stipend levels have increased program costs. Options for cutting costs were raised in the 2010 Mentor’s survey. Respondents were amenable to reducing the length of the placement from 12 to 10 months however they were reluctant to reduce the time and funds allocated to the Research Interns’ personal research. If the number of total Interns needs to be cut, POs would prefer to have Interns every other year, to sharing them each year. Other options included cost-sharing with PIs, and hiring more developing country Interns to work in the regional offices.

Various Canadian universities have expressed interest in internships for their graduate students at IDRC, in Ottawa or the regional offices.73 This might help to reduce the costs of the Internship or summer student program, and to build relationships with key institutions. But it raises may other problems. It does not fit IDRC’s current model. It would be difficult to accommodate such requests and properly match graduate researchers with program areas, ensure benefits for both program staff and Interns, and be open to all schools. Also, experience prior to 2001 suggests that such programs can increase the administration workload. So F&A will continue to turn down offers of collaboration on internships with external organizations.

3.12.2 F&A Funding structure

Funding allocation for the F&A program has been complex and involved ongoing adjustments. Often small balances from previous projects are used to make up any shortfalls in the current fiscal budget funding. In recent years, there has been little growth in funding to F&A, due to the economic slowdown; funds have also been allocated to support the growing SJRA program. The number of Corporate Awards has not been reduced. However if funding remains stagnant and priorities are placed on expanding SJRA and/or increasing F&A’s contribution to knowledge about the field of scholarships, F&A may need to re-consider its funding scheme. Options include:

- Continue under the current scheme but determine the amount of funding needed to support the proper functioning of F&A’s Corporate Awards. Establish 5-year funding objectives for Corporate Awards and SJRA;

73 These include the Munk School of Global Affairs’ Master of Global Affairs Program (mid-program internship) and Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA).

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- Discontinue certain award programs (e.g. Science Journalism, Bene and Bentley) - Seek funding for SJRA programs from other IDRC Programs; - Obtain additional funding from IDRC pool; - Additional funding from IDRC pool (forward planning fund); - Look for external funding to continue SJRA awards; the ESARO RD suggested seeking Gates

Foundation funding, through the assistance of IDRC’s DPD; - Reduce the number of doctoral research awards granted; - Reduce the number of Internships, plus other changes to the program noted in Section 2.1.2.

While a few options are presented here for consideration and further discussion, the external evaluation also provides further options for funding.

SECTION 4: FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Future Directions

F&A programs have proven beneficial to many people in Canada and several developing countries, notably in sub-Saharan Africa, with a number of value-added or ‘awards-plus’ features. The programs remain highly relevant to IDRC’s strategic direction, with a particular focus on enabling advanced training and individual capacity building in development. The awards help graduate students and researchers acquire new knowledge and skills that are critical for their professional development, with some also benefitting personally from fresh perspectives and a broader international outlook. In recent years, the awards have also enabled institutional capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa in the area of competitive grants management.

The process of internal review and external evaluation -- the first undertaken by F&A -- has been an important exercise in highlighting where F&A programming is successful and how it can evolve in light of changing needs and circumstances, to be more effective and innovative.

An important question is, What is the vision for F&A? Some changes would allow F&A to continue to be an effective manager of awards, expanding their thematic and geographic scope, and assisting IDRC programs and partners. But there is an opportunity for F&A to do this in a more informed, proactive way, as a leader in knowledge on development training and awards. This would require a new approach, drawing on the example of the roles played by the Donor Partnership Division, in the area of funding and philanthropy, and the Evaluation Unit on evaluative thinking and methodologies. The implications in terms of programming options and resources required are considered in the accompanying synthesis document. Here we focus on the recommendations that emerge from the internal review.

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4.2 Summary of key recommendations

4.2.1 Overall F&A program

Develop a three to five-year F&A strategy identifying: o priorities for expansion/contraction of awards (thematically and geographically), o options for deepening awards o steps for becoming a leader in the field of development fellowships and awards o priorities for streamlining administrative processes (including web-based applications,

ethics review, reporting of training activities by Programming units) o communications strategy to publicise results of past awards, strengthen networking of

awardees, and solicit applications from underrepresented communities Change current staffing and administration modalities Require PMOs to report on training activities to ensure data is captured by F&A database

4.2.2 Corporate Awards

Consider outsourcing IDRA and other Corporate Awards, depending on results of two year trial of web-based application system

Enhance administrative processes and move to electronic applications For Internships: raise awareness of Mentors’ roles and responsibilities (ensuring completion of

activity reports, security and monitoring of Intern); implement sessions on safety and travel orientation, on pension refunds; finalize research ethics guidelines; review questions in technical report and/or consider exit interview; change title to “CRDI Boursier de recherche” i.e.“IDRC Research Award recipient” or “IDRC Research Awardee” ; ensure clarity on level of Interns; end access to language classes

Include on the website a full list of the countries in which IDRC funds field research Review policy for ethics review of IDRA and CanWin awards Reintroduce holdbacks to all awards to ensure receipt of reports. Redesign and outsource Science Journalism awards Combine Bene and Bentley awards and outsource Enhance visibility of programs at Canadian universities; target underrepresented populations.

4.2.3 SJRA program

Determine future programming priorities: new region/themes/countries of focus Explore new funding options (informed by external evaluation and DPD) Build linkages with other IDRC programs, such as Think-Tank Initiative Consider exit strategy for programs including assistance with resource mobilization Consider conference/workshop of managing institutions to share lessons Add ethics issues to training workshops for students and for managing institutions as needed Continue with voluntary and mandatory rPCRs, ensure lessons are captured Change program name to IDRC International Fellowships / Bourses internationales du CRDI

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ANNEX A: Key informants

IDRC staff:

F&A staff: Bowry, Rita Senior Program Specialist, F&A Castets-Poupart, Liliane Program Management Officer, F&A Crawley, Michelle Program Management Officer, F&A Dumais, Jean-Claude Awards Officer, F&A Labrie, Carole Program Assistant, F&A Other program staff: Braun, Heidi Program Management Officer, CCAA Bruneau, Pascale Grants Administration Officer, GAD Burone, Frederico Regional Director, LACRO Cantin, Danielle Program Management Officer, CCW Chearer, Catherine Manager, Grant Information, GAD Freeman, Connie former Regional Director, ESARO Fuchs, Rich former Regional Director, ASRO Hoole, Trent Senior Legal Counsel, OSGC Houle, Nathalie Compensation Advisor, Human Resources McGurk, Stephen Regional Director, SARO Miles, Caitlin Program Management Officer, TTI and SEP Porrett, Barbara Manager, Systems and Collections, IMTD Prokopiak, Angela Director, Communications Division Rached, Eglal former Regional Director, MERO Ravichandran, Veena Senior Program Officer, IPS Santiago, Fernando Program Officer, IPS Stevenson, John Project Management Support Officer, IMTD Thibault, Denise Travel Health & Wellness Specialist, Human Resources Thomas, Brenda Grants Administrator, GAD Toure, Kathryn Regional Director, WARO Wood, Tricia Senior Program Officer, Evaluation Unit External informants:

Hilts, Phil Knights Fellowship program, Harvard University Jenkins, Jonathan Director of Operations, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK Fleury, Jean-Marc Executive Director, World Federation of Science Journalists Mbarga, Gervais Associate Professor, Université Laval, Chair, Science Journalism Stevenson, Lois Former IDRC visiting research fellow Stipernitz, Boris Asst Director, Fellowships and Institutional Grants Programs, SSHRC Humphries, Jennifer Vice-President, Membership and Scholarships and Team Leader, CBIE

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ANNEX B: References consulted

IDRC. “Business Model, Performance Management, and Resource Allocation at IDRC”, submitted to the Board of Governors at the March 2010 Meeting. March, 2010.

IDRC Evaluation Unit. “Evaluation Findings on the Design and Implementation of Competitive Grants Processes”. 2007 IDRC Fellowships and Awards Division/SID/Centre Training and Awards Annual Reports 1980-2010. IDRC Innovation, Policy and Science program. “DRAFT IDRC Research Partnerships Challenge Fund: A Progress Report (2006-2010)”. September 1, 2010. IDRC. Innovating for Development Strategic Framework 2010–2015. October, 2009. IDRC Office of Planning and Evaluation. Training Policy Study, 1981. IDRC Centre Training and Awards (CTA). Annual Reports 1992-2009. Eql development inc. Research Ethics at IDRC. September 2010. Statistics and facts on higher education in Canada. AUCC. October, 2010. http://www.aucc.ca/publications/statistics_e.html. Tracer Studies: Graham, M. Tracer Study of Awards Programs Supported by IDRC: Internships, Professional Development Awards, Young Canadian Researchers Awards, Doctoral Research Awards, and Canadian Window on International Development Awards. March, 2007. Graham, M. International Tracer Study, December 2008. Chernikova, E. (SID Research Intern 2010). Tracer Study 2010 of IDRC-Supported Award-Holders: Internship Awards, Professional Development Awards, Young Canadian Researchers Awards, Doctoral Research Awards, and Canadian Window on International Development Awards - From 1995 to 2008. November, 2010.

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ANNEX C: Fellowships and Awards Staff

Rita Bowry, Senior Program Specialist (SPS)

Rita has worked at IDRC in Nairobi and Ottawa for 25 years, 16 of which have been with F&A. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Nairobi, Masters in Education from the University Ottawa, and a UNESCO-UNEP Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management and Protection from the Technical University of Dresden, Germany. Her university education was completed in Kenya, India, Canada, Germany and France. Rita previously worked for the Government of Kenya as a research associate, and with USAID-supported environmental training and management projects in East and Southern Africa as a researcher and later field manager.

Liliane Castets-Poupart, Program Management Officer (PMO)

Liliane Castets-Poupart has been at IDRC for 10 years, 6 with F&A. She holds two Bachelors of Arts in Communications and French Literature from the University of Ottawa and a Masters in Public Administration on International Management from the École nationale d’administration publique (ÉNAP) from Quebec. For her Masters research project on international volunteer work and global citizenship, she conducted interviews in Guatemala. Liliane studied and worked in Europe (France, England, Germany and Spain) in the private and public sector in management and administration. She ran her own business in France specializing in foreign handcrafts, mostly from developing countries.

Michelle Crawley, Program Management Officer (PMO)

Michelle has worked with IDRC in F&A since September 2008. She worked previously in international awards programs and research and policy at the AUCC, and in university relations at the University of Ottawa. She holds a Masters in Political Science and International Development from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and French from Niagara University in the United States. During her studies she spent a semester abroad in France and did a four-month field research project in rural Mexico on women and economic empowerment for her Masters thesis.

Jean-Claude Dumais, Awards Officer (AO)

Jean-Claude has nearly 25 years of experience working at IDRCin a number of capacities and areas including Human Resources, Grants Administration, and Finance and Administration. He has worked with F&A since 1997. Jean-Claude obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations and a certificate in pédagogie pour l’enseignement collégial from the Université Laval.

Carole Labrie, Program Assistant (PA)

Carole has worked with F&A for 4 years. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with a minor in Spanish from the University of Ottawa. Previously, Carole worked more than 10 years as the Administrative Director of the Conference Interpreters of Canada, and as an elementary school teacher in Quebec for 4 years.