Graduate Research Awards for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
The Graduate Research Awards for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation (GRA) programme was initiated by Dr. Jennifer Allen Simons, President of The Simons Foundation, in partnership with the International Security Research and Outreach Programme (ISROP) of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) in 2003. The primary objective of the Awards is to enhance Canadian graduate level scholarship on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation issues.
Since its inception, the Graduate Research Awards programme has provided $160,000.00 in scholarships to Canadian graduate students working on policy-relevant non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament issues (NACD) and has helped to encourage a new generation of young scholars dedicated to further expanding their knowledge and expertise on these critical issues.
The programme originally offered three Doctoral Research Awards of $5,000.00 and four Master’s Research Awards of $2,500.00 each year to support research, writing and fieldwork leading to the completion of a major research paper or dissertation proposal on an issue related to disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. For the 2010-2011 GRA, The Simons Foundation doubled the funding available for the awards with the intention of doubling the number of students able to participate, which allowed ISROP to develop a new and innovative format for the GRA consultations at DFAIT headquarters in Ottawa. Instead of having the successful GRA applicants make presentations to DFAIT officials on a NACD issue of their choosing, the programme was restructured to consist of a series of debates on four timely issues.
Following an initial review of applications, 16 candidates were short-listed for further consideration and assigned one of the four debate topics. Applicants were then required to research and write, individually and independently, a 1,000 word position paper arguing their assigned position on the subject. The eight students who made the strongest argument in support of their position, as determined by an expert review panel, were selected to receive a Graduate Research Award of $5,000.00 and were invited to debate their positions in person at the GRA Consultations held at DFAIT headquarters in Ottawa. The debates provided an unique opportunity for exchange among departmental officials, Canadian opinion-leaders and young leaders and the next generation of experts in the NACD field. At the GRA Debates in Ottawa, officials of the International Security Bureau of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) attended the sessions and Mr. Donald Sinclair, Director General of the International Security Bureau at DFAIT, hosted a working lunch in honour of the GRA recipients. Additional monetary awards of $2,000 were also provided to the two students deemed to have made the most effective arguments in support of their position at the debates in Ottawa.
Graduate Research Awards for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation 2011-2012 competition is now closed for applications - click here for more information.
