The French Research Institute for Development (Institut de recherche pour le developpement, IRD) manages scientific programs on the relation between man and the environment in the Asia-Pacific region, Mediterranean region, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America and Caribbean.
IRD is under the joint authority of French authorities responsible for international development assistance on one hand, and research on the other. IRD’s three main functional areas are research, advisory services, and capacity building.
Grant Programs for Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Natural Resources
1 — Research Programs and Projects. Research at IRD addresses the challenges of social, cultural, and economic development of the global South. IRD’s science areas include food security and agriculture; climate change and natural hazards; access to water; renewable energy; ecosystems conservation; and others.
About research programs
2 — Capacity Building. Through its activities to support and form scientific communities in the South, IRD funds and/or coordinates several lines of financial and programmatic support for thesis research, academic studies, and North-South professional exchanges.
About capacity building
APPLICATION (for 1-2 preceding): IRD’s website announces calls for research proposals, fellowship applications, exchange opportunities, and nominations for research prizes.
Coverage includes calls from multiple French organizations, not solely IRD. The website provides brief profiles of each opportunity — including eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other supporting details.
Link to calls for proposals
Geographical Distribution of Grant Activities in Developing Countries
The following are countries where IRD has a programmatic presence, using the regional classification of the Terra Viva Grants Directory.
Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands: Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Vietnam
South Asia: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal
Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia
Sub-Saharan Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Comoros, Dem Rep Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Togo
Latin America and Caribbean: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela
Note: IRD is also present in the French territories and overseas departments of French Polynesia, Reunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Guiana, and Martinique.
IRD’s main website is available in French and partly in English and Spanish.
IRD provides a directory of its offices worldwide. The directory provides the names of IRD’s representatives in its regional and country offices, and gives their contact information.
March 2021