International Research and Experiential Learning

International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX) is a recently-created unit of the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation (OVPRI) resulting from the merger of the Office of International Research and the Centre for Research Opportunities. IREX helps University of Ottawa researchers address challenges facing the world, in collaboration with leading national and international partners, by serving the research community, ensuring compliance, and creating research partnerships of global significance

International impact

$13M

In extramural grants and contracts involving international partners (2020)

>$750K

Internal seed funds leveraging and over $350K in counterpart cash contribution (2020)

1st

Rank in growth of International Collaboration Publication (580% over 2000-2019 period)

Funding opportunities

uOttawa-Mitacs International Research Training Award

In partnership with Mitacs, this program funds uOttawa senior undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to conduct 12- to 24-week research projects at a partner institution. The program also allows international students to conduct research on campus under the supervision of a professor.

Our partners

Max Planck Society for the advancement of science: The society supports fundamental research in the natural, life and social sciences, arts and humanities. The University has research collaborations in numerous disciplines, including a joint Centre for Extreme and Quantum Photonics established in 2015.
Chinese Academy of Sciences: The academy has been ranked the No. 1 research institute in the world by Nature Index. Since a 2005 agreement, uOttawa has rapidly expanded its collaborations, from obstetrics to systems biology, fish biology, social sciences and many other key areas of knowledge.
National Cheng Kung University: A public research university located in Tainan, Taiwan, it is best known for engineering, computer science and medicine. Since 2011, an agreement has allowed research partnerships in these areas to take off, encouraging exchanges of both professors and students.
National Centre for Scientific Research: This French state research organization is the largest basic science agency in Europe. Over the years, several joint research projects and other forms of exchanges have involved a significant number of uOttawa researchers. In 2022, the Centre national de la recherche scientifique Office for Canada was established at the University of Ottawa.
Université Claude Bernard de Lyon 1: The university has 65 state-funded research units working in three fields: health, the environment and material technologies. University of Ottawa researchers have longstanding collaborations in these areas and many others.