Sponsor
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Program
Global call for inaugural IDRC College of Reviewers
Description
Research evaluators are wanted for IDRC’s inaugural College of Reviewers.
An all-of-IDRC evaluation of the quality of the research the Centre has supported over the past five years will be launched in 2020. IDRC is seeking applicants to join the Centre’s inaugural College of Reviewers to assess IDRC-funded research in this evaluation.
Scope
IDRC’s Policy and Evaluation Division is looking for external experts to serve within an inaugural IDRC College of Reviewers. Successful candidates will be assigned to a thematic panel within the College of Reviewers and will assess samples of research projects related to their own disciplinary expertise. College panels will be constructed to align to IDRC programs.
IDRC is looking for a research quality evaluation, not a research impact or research outcome evaluation. Judgements on quality will be sought using the RQ+ approach. RQ+ requires assessments to be drawn related to the scientific integrity, legitimacy, importance, and utility of a research project. At the same time, RQ+ requires contextual categorization and empirical data collection.
Eligibility
Candidates will be selected on the basis of:
- their individual strengths and expertise; and
- how individuals fit together in a team that can address the breadth of the programming under review (it is not expected that any single candidate will hold all the requisite thematic strengths needed for this evaluation).
Individual candidates must possess the following qualifications:
- Substantial sectoral knowledge and research experience (minimum 10 years of work experience) relevant to one or more of IDRC’s programs
- Experience conducting evaluations of research quality (often called “peer-review”) in a research for development context.
- A broad-minded understanding of the parameters of “good quality” in a research for development context.
- Ability to work creatively and productively in a team setting.
- Independence from the IDRC program under review (i.e., the evaluator will not have received research funding from IDRC in the last two years, have no expectation of receiving a research grant in the next year, have no real or perceived conflicts of interest, and have no stake in the evaluation outcome).
The following qualifications would be considered an asset:
- Program evaluation experience.
- Fluency in one or more languages (beyond English or French) that are applicable to IDRC programming.
These criteria will be assessed in the initial application package (based on a cover letter and CV).
A short-list of candidates will be selected for interview (by telephone or Skype) to further assess applicants.
Funding Availability
Reviewers will be compensated $750 CAD per day for 37 days.
Project Duration
January to June 2020
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Applicants should submit their signed OR-5 form and full application package to research.services@uoguelph.ca. | |
External Deadline | Applicants submit a CV and a maximum two-page cover letter outlining how they meet each of the eligibility requirements to: collegeofreviewers@idrc.ca. |