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IDRC Awards Students Funding

Wed. Oct. 19, 2011

WINNIPEG, MB - The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has awarded The University of Winnipeg a $150,000 grant in support of its Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) program focusing on Indigenous development.  The IDRC grant will provide scholarships for MDP students in support of the field study component of their degree requirements.  These funds will cover the costs of Canadian and international field placements for 10 students in each of the first and second year of the MDP, allowing a total of 20 students to receive a grant of $7,500 each.  Students selected for this honor will be identified as “IDRC Award Holders”.

Innovative Program
“The acknowledgment and support for the MDP from the globally respected International Development Research Centre will help inform other development institutions and organizations about this innovative program and will inspire IDRC Award Holders to strive to meet the Centre’s high standards,” said Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Winnipeg, on the importance of the IDRC grant to the University.

Dr. Julie Pelletier, Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies and Director of the Master’s in Development Practice, also expressed appreciation for the IDRC grant, “IDRC has suggested that, for the awards in its name,  preference be given to Indigenous students from Canada and other countries.  IDRC’s goal is to ensure that Indigenous students who meet the high academic standards for this graduate program are not denied the opportunity on the basis of their financial circumstances.”

The MDP program is a graduate program consisting of course-work and field placement experiences. The professional degree was developed by the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice under the chairmanship of Dr. Jeffrey Sachs with the support of the John and Catherine MacArthur Foundation.   The University of Winnipeg is one of two Canadian universities invited by the MacArthur Foundation and the Earth Institute at Columbia University to offer this degree. The University of Winnipeg alone will focus on Indigenous development and will become a hub, for the study, research, and practice relating to the development of Indigenous communities.

Providing Promising Researchers
“The focus of the MDP program is perfectly in keeping with IDRC’s mission of providing promising researchers the training and hands-on experience they require to tackle critical global challenges through science that supports sustainable and equitable development,” says IDRC President, David Malone. “We are proud to count the University of Winnipeg among our partners in this effort.”

For more than 40 years, IDRC has supported research in developing countries to promote growth and development.  IDRC works with researchers and innovators in those countries to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic, and environmental problems their societies face. These are goals shared by UWinnipeg’s MDP program and it looks forward to future collaboration with the IDRC.

For more information on the MDP program contact mdp@uwinnipeg.ca