MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – The Think Tank Initiative today announced a Call for Expressions of Interest in Latin America. Funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Initiative will provide multi-year core funding, training, and technical support to successful think tanks.
Eligible institutions in Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and Peru can now apply for this support by completing an Expression of Interest. A parallel Call for Expressions of Interest has been launched in South Asia.
“Many Latin America research institutes lack core funding that allows them to establish their own priorities, engage in long-term planning and research programs rooted in their local realities, and attract and retain top-calibre personnel,” said Federico Burone, Director of IDRC’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Investing in research capacity and conditions, and enhancing access to knowledge of our own realities, is crucial to informing public debates and decision making in Latin American societies.”
The Think Tank Initiative supports independent policy think tanks in developing countries, enabling them to provide sound research that both informs and influences national policy. It is anticipated that this investment will lead to improved policies and, ultimately, more equitable and prosperous societies.
The three donors have committed a total of US$90 million to the Think Tank Initiative, and recently awarded US$30 million in grants to 24 successful think tanks in East and West Africa. The Initiative is envisioned as a long-term investment over at least 10 years.
For more information about the Think Tank Initiative and for details on how to apply, please visit www.idrc.ca/thinktank.
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Notes to Editors
About IDRC
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For nearly 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies. www.idrc.ca
About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1967 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, and population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at www.hewlett.org.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org.
Media contact:
IDRC
Andrea Puppo
Tel: (+598+2) 709-0042 x246
apuppo@idrc.org.uy