University of British Columbia - University-Industry Liaison Office

Published purpose

This project seeks to set up the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI). Established in 2013, CIRDI is a coalition of the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and École Polytechnique de Montréal. The Institute’s mandate is to assist developing countries to improve and strengthen their natural resource governance through policy, legislation, regulatory development and implementation, training, technical assistance and applied research. CIRDI’s main activities include: (1) conducting country-level needs assessments (e.g., in the areas of taxation, legislation, revenue collection, and distribution); (2) delivering technical assistance to respond to these needs (for example by improving national legislation and regulatory policies); (3) supporting the training of government officials and practitioners (for example: scholarships, accreditation and certification programs); and (4) sharing Canadian knowledge and expertise broadly through publicly accessible media and relationships with other world-renowned centres. Examples of projects include integrated water resource management in Peru, transforming artisanal and small-scale mining in Ecuador and Colombia, building capacity in the Ministry of Mines in Ethiopia, and smaller projects looking at local procurement strategies in Africa and the rise in mining conflicts internationally.