About IDRC
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is Canada’s research-for-development organisation. Established by Parliament in 1970, IDRC funds and champions research and innovation in and with developing regions to address pressing global challenges. By investing in high-quality research, sharing knowledge with policymakers, and mobilising global alliances, IDRC works to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous world.
Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with regional offices in Montevideo, Nairobi, Dakar, Amman, and New Delhi, IDRC stays close to the communities and projects it supports. The organisation is governed by a board of governors, whose chair reports to Parliament through the Minister of International Development.
EdTech Hub and IDRC are working together as part of a global EmpowerED initiative to strengthen the capacity of governments and those who support them to anticipate and respond to the complex disruptions and innovations shaping the future of education. This partnership combines EdTech Hub’s leadership of cross-country research and global synthesis with regionally led initiatives delivered by EmpowerED partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Together, these efforts support ministries of education to strengthen coordination around EdTech research and deepen the use of evidence in policy design and practice.
EdTech Hub Participation in IDRC Initiatives
Partnering on AI for Education through their EmpowerED programme
As education systems navigate the twin pressures of rapid technological advancement and growing instability, bold and collaborative action is essential. To help meet this challenge, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and EdTech Hub have launched an exciting three-year partnership under IDRC’s EmpowerED programme.
Our shared goal: to strengthen the capacity of governments — and those who support them — to anticipate and respond to the complex disruptions and innovations shaping the future of education.
Learn moreSupporting African Ministries of Education
The IDRC Africa EdTech Initiative is a three-year programme designed to strengthen the capacity of Ministries of Education in select African countries to coordinate and collaborate with national education research organisations, networks, and groups. Its goal is to enable Ministries to co-design and drive context-specific EdTech research. This research will inform evidence-based implementation strategies and national-level policy development, ensuring that technology investments genuinely improve teaching and learning outcomes. The initiative will initially focus on Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal, where partners have strong relationships with Ministries and a clear understanding of education priorities and EdTech evidence gaps.
Learn moreContributing expertise to IDRC’s Empowering Teachers Initiative (ETI)
The Empowering Teachers Initiative (ETI) is a research-for-development programme that aims to improve teaching and learning in low- and middle-income countries by strengthening the equity, quality, and efficiency of teacher professional development (TPD) systems
Learn moreContributing expertise to the Unlocking Data Initiative
Unlocking Data is a pan-African collaboration to improve the availability, accessibility, and use of education data. Led by the Zizi Afrique Foundation with partners including ESSA, eBASE Africa, CERT, and EdTech Hub, and supported by GPE KIX and IDRC, the initiative strengthens data systems to inform decision-making and improve education outcomes in Kenya, Malawi, and Cameroon.
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