Why was IDRC created?
IDRC was created because a group of Canadians, led by Lester B. Pearson, believed that the gap between the world’s rich and poor should be lessened. The Centre’s architects understood that people build their own futures, and they believed that science and technology had a role to play in that development process. The solution they proposed was an organization that would help developing countries build applied research capacity to meet the needs of their own people. Twenty-eight years after its creation, the notion of an international development agency funded by a national government but taking its lead from foreign researchers is still a radical concept. Perhaps this is why IDRC was the first institution of its kind and remains among the few that exist. Canada’s willingness to embark on such a bold experiment and its continued support of Southern science has won the country a great deal of respect and goodwill. – A copy of the IDRC Act can be found at http://www.idrc.ca/institution/ea
