CFPs: International Policy Ideas Challenge 2024 (Canada)

The program offers applicants a chance to test their skills at translating academic expertise into policy language and insights. Applicants are invited to submit brief proposals. GAC will select between 5 and 10 winning proposals and provide coaching to researchers as part of further developing their proposals into full policy briefs. Winners will present their briefs to Government of Canada officials as part of the virtual Ideas Symposium, taking place in late 2024.

Themes

• Applications should propose a topic that affects Canadian interests in international policy (foreign policy, economic policy, international assistance policy), which applicants believe needs additional study. Proposals should explain why the proposed topic is important to Canada (What is the Canadian dilemma, vulnerability, and/or opportunity?) and sketch out preliminary policy recommendations (How should Canada’s international policy change or adapt?).
• The policy proposal must be relevant to at least one of the four themes mentioned below. A higher weighting will be awarded to proposals that explore a topic with an integrated and crosscutting approach, combining foreign, economic, and international assistance policy dimensions of the topic.
  • Canada’s international policy in a polycrisis environment
    • Crises, humanitarian assistance, and/or cascading impacts
    • Armed conflict and/or wars; adapting to the changing nature of conflicts (e.g. remote threats to security, unidentified non-state actors)
    • Consequences for Canada’s foreign policy objectives of limited capacity in the armed forces
    • Climate change-related disasters, food security, health crises, and/or resilience building
  • Emerging systemic challenges for Canada
    • Economic security, economic coercion, industrial overcapacity by trading partners, critical supply chain resiliency
    • Developing/securing Canada’s critical minerals supply and capacity
    • Global economic shifts, including de-risking, industrial policy, protectionism, sanctions, and the rules-based trading system
    • Climate change and climate diplomacy, energy transition, and/or net-zero industrial transformation
  • Leveraging the international toolkit (diplomatic, trade and international assistance relationships and tools) 
    • Global governance, future of multilateralism, UN reform, and/or increase in informal coalitions (minilateralism)
    • Promoting and defending universal human rights alongside allies and partners; including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
    • Future of economic diplomacy, including trade negotiations (e.g. new trade arrangements, sectoral agreements)
    • Engaging with middle ground (Global South) countries, BRICS, and/or decolonization
  • Strategic objectives and initiatives under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Engagement Strategy
    • Promoting peace, resilience and security
    • Expanding trade, investment and supply chain resilience
    • Investing in and connecting people
    • Building a sustainable and green future

Funding Information

• Between 5 and 10 awards will be granted. For each winning proposal, $4,000 will be provided to the lead (or sole) researcher upon submission of the final brief and formal presentation to GAC.

What you will get?

• In addition to the financial award, all winners will receive mandatory coaching. The coaching program will give winners additional assistance on their research, policy analysis and presentation skills. The coaching will include group and one-on-one sessions for which each winner will be paired with a subject-matter expert. Instruction will be provided in the official language of the application, and all sessions will be delivered online.
• By the end of the program, winners will have a deeper understanding of GAC, of Canada’s international policy considerations relevant to their areas of specialization. During the program, winners will also learn how to prepare a policy brief, develop policy recommendations and present their ideas in a compelling manner.
• Winners are expected to fully participate in all of the 4 coaching sessions. These will be delivered online during summer and fall 2024:
  • A 2-day group session on Global Affairs Canada and Canadian foreign policy 101.
  • A 1- to 2-hour one-on-one coaching session with a coach with relevant subject-matter expertise to discuss policy brief content and potential recommendations
  • A 1- to 2-hour follow-up coaching session with a coach to discuss the completed draft policy brief
  • A half-day group session to practice presentations
• Winners will also receive a course package with key readings. The package will include guidelines on writing a persuasive policy brief and delivering an effective presentation.

Eligibility Criteria

• The International Policy Ideas Challenge invites applications from current graduate students (Master’s or PhD level) and post-doctoral fellows at a recognized Canadian post-secondary educational institution.
• Researchers affiliated with a Canadian non-profit organization (e.g., a non-governmental organization or a think tank) who are within 6 years of graduation from a graduate program at a recognized post-secondary institution will also be considered.
• Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
• Indeterminate and term employees of the Government of Canada are not eligible to apply. Additionally, employees of GAC, including students and casuals, are not eligible to apply.
• Team applications, with a maximum of 3 members, are permitted; however, a lead researcher must be identified. A team application that includes collaborators from other universities is permitted. In the case of a team application, all members are expected to meet the above requirements.

For more information, visit Government of Canada.