IDRC - SDPI Fellowships in Governance, Security and Justice in South Asia

Second Round:

The International Development Research Centre in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute has launched Fellowships in Governance, Security and Justice in South Asia. The four-year programme aims to support the students in South Asian countries planning to pursue their Masters, M. Phil and PhD programmes in the fields of Governance, Security and Justice. First round of the applications have been completed and six students across South Asia are now taking benefit from this program. After a very successful first round of the Fellowships, the IDRC and SDPI is going to kick off the program’s second and last round of applications for the present phase.

It is perceived that the IDRC - SDPI Fellowships in Governance, Security & Justice in South Asia can add value by providing financial and technical support to students and mentors and bridge the key research gaps in areas of strategic interest across South Asia. It is believed that through extending financial and technical support, such initiative will also support marginalized segments in the society some level of targeting for women, minorities and students belonging from conflict-prone and disaster-hit regions. One of the key caveats that this program will aim to address is to steer researchers towards PhD program in multidisciplinary areas.

The overarching objective here is to building capacity of young researchers who can in turn produce quality research on regional issues particularly governance, security and justice.  However any new fellowships program should aim to fill in the caveats that existing schemes are currently not addressing. In order to do so the IDRC - SDPI Fellowships in Governance, Security & Justice in South Asia will aim for the following objectives:

1) Research on multidisciplinary areas currently not being focused by traditional university programs in South Asia.

2) Research on non-traditional security threats in South Asia. These threats today originate from (but are not limited to) governance, conflict, economic and financial security, lack of education and health interventions, environmental security, food and livelihoods security, terrorism, human and drugs trafficking, piracy, illegal immigration, and information security.

3) Research on cross-border issues of mutual interest in South Asia where multi-country case studies can help towards collective solutions.

4) Allowing IDRC fellows to meet every year to collectively discuss and disseminate their research and provide policy relevant advice to the governments and communities in South Asia. This will be an opportunity for these fellows to brainstorm key areas of interest through a multidisciplinary discourse.

5)Organizing through SDPI’s Center for Capacity Building, short term intensive training courses for graduate and research students in research design, academic writing, data survey and analysis, research dissemination through advocacy and outreach.