A Crown corporation, IDRC is guided by a 21-member, international Board of Governors and reports to the Canadian Parliament through the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2006/07, IDRC received CA$135.3 million in funding from the Parliament of Canada.

IDRC’s mission is empowerment through knowledge

• It funds applied research by researchers in developing countries on the problems they identify as crucial to their communities. Most supported projects result from direct exchanges between the Centre and developing-country institutions.
• It provides expert advice to those researchers.
• It builds local capacity in developing countries to undertake research and innovate.

 
IDRC supports research under four broad themes:

• Environment and Natural Resource Management (ENRM)
• Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)
• Innovation, Policy and Science (IPS)
• Social and Economic Policy (SEE)

 
To fulfill its international mandate, IDRC has six regional offices. IDRC's regional offices provide a local perspective to the Centre’s programming, nurture partnerships, and provide a first point of contact for researchers in developing countries. They also ensure closer monitoring of risks associated with the Centre's work and allow IDRC to respond to opportunities in a timely and coherent way.
 

International Development Research Center