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Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

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Research Competition

ISROP periodically invites researchers from Canada and abroad to submit projects to conduct contract research relevant to the Government's international security priorities and policies. Contract research projects are assessed for policy relevance as defined by a list of research topics developed by ISROP in consultation with DFAIT officials, as well as for their potential to develop greater Canadian capacity to conduct innovative research in areas relevant to international security. It should be noted that, if a proposal is accepted, contractors will be paid for their services upon completion of their work in accordance with Treasury Board Guidelines.

Below you will find ISROP's research priorities for 2011-2012. Should you have any questions, please contact the Program Research Officer at 613-996-0407.

Research Proposal Application International Security Research and Outreach Programme

The research competition in Fiscal Year 2011-2012 is now closed. Research priorities for the next research competition will be posted in Summer 2012.

Research Priorities 2011-2012

Regional security issues and architecture

  1. Afghanistan, Central and South Asia: How is the threat of terrorism evolving in Central Asia and how does it intersect with wider regional trends, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan? What opportunities exist to strengthen cooperation in the region?

  2. Americas:

    • How can a constructive approach to civil-military issues be enhanced and institutionalized by regional security organizations and through political-military dialogues?

    • How are new (sub)-regional groupings like UNASUR (South American Union), Central American Integration Agency (SICA) and CDMA (Council of Defence Ministers of the Americas) affecting broader hemispheric security cooperation on the region's complex security challenges, including transnational organized crime?

  3. United States: How does the United States perceive its security interests in an evolving global strategic environment and what issues and with which countries/regions does the US expect to share the international security burden? What are the implications for global security systems and regional security arrangements?

  4. Asia-Pacific:

    • To what extent will the Asia-Pacific region shape the international security agenda over the next 3-5 years? 5-10 years?

    • What are the implications of new regional, sub-regional, and geopolitical changes and trends on existing engagement strategies and how will the region contribute to global security challenges in the future?

    • What are the strategic drivers and implications of maritime power and reach in the region (e.g., South China Sea) and beyond?

  5. Africa: How can the international community best support the development of the African Union's (AU) peace and security architecture? What are the expectations on the continent (Mahgreb and sub-Saharan Africa) of what the AU and the African Standby Force can/should accomplish?

  6. MENA: What lessons can be drawn from the experiences of other countries and regions for recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa? What role can the international community play to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach to support peace, stability and prosperity in the region, including through the G-8?

  7. NATO: What are the considerations facing strategic planners in implementing the new Strategic Concept?

  8. OSCE: What unique opportunities exist under OSCE auspices to explore enhanced cooperation on transnational threats such as crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cyber security? What are the incentives for cooperation, and where are the areas of convergence and divergence among OSCE member states?

Non-proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament (NACD)

  1. Enhanced Space Security: What are the strategic implications of current national and international trends and developments related to civil, military and commercial space?

  2. Non-Proliferation and Arms Control:

    • Assess and compare the legal and regulatory capacity within Canada and among partners and allies to prevent the foreign acquisition of goods and technologies for use in a weapon of mass destruction.

    • What are the implications of expanding the current memberships of multilateral export-control regimes to aspirant states?

  3. Disarmament: What is the value-added of the UN Disarmament Machinery including the Conference on Disarmament and what combination of practical steps and formal processes will support concrete disarmament actions among nuclear armed states (NPT and non-NPT)?

  4. WMD and Non-state actors: What policy options and choices will shape the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, and where are the areas of convergence and/or divergence with respect to Summit goals and next steps?

  5. WMD Threat Reduction:

    • How can countries increase coordination among organizations and mechanisms which are active on WMD security and non-proliferation issues, such as the 1540 Committee, Nuclear Security Summit, the Proliferation Security Initiative, The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the IAEA, and G-8 Global Partnership? What are the challenges and opportunities for rationalizing and streamlining efforts, and leveraging experiences?  

    • How do nuclear security and nuclear safety intersect? Should these subjects be addressed in tandem, and if so, in what manner and institutional context?

Emerging Issues

  1. Cyber-defence and security: What is it and how can it be obtained, protected, enhanced and harnessed in support of economic prosperity and national security interests? What progress has been made in the area of cyber-defence capabilities, and how are existing security architecture and alliances adapting and responding to new security and defence threats?

  2. Non-state actors What are the geopolitical implications of the increasing global reach of non-state actors, specifically as agents and purveyors of transnational threats such as WMD proliferation, terrorism, organized crime, piracy and human trafficking? How can the international community adapt to the increasing (networked) capacities of non-state actors?

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Date Modified:
2012-02-01