International Research & Exchanges Board

The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is an international, nonprofit organization that specializes in global education and development. IREX works with partners in more than 100 countries.^[4]

IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board)

Founded	1968[1]
Type	501(c)3
Focus	Education, independent media, civil society
Location	Washington, DC, United States
Area served	International
Product	International development
Key people	Kristin Lord (President) [2]
Revenue	$70,206,999[3]
Employees	400 [4]
Website	www.irex.org

History

IREX was established in 1968 by the American Council of Learned Societies, the Ford Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the US Department of State.^[5][6][7] IREX conducted scholarly exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union until the fall of the Iron Curtain.^[5]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, IREX implemented projects to support democratic reforms and strengthen organizations.^[8] IREX administered programs to conduct educational exchanges, strengthen civil society in developing countries, increase internet access, and provide training and support to journalists and media organizations.^[9][10][11]

Activities

IREX designs and implements programs that focus on civil society, education, gender, governance, leadership, media, technology, and youth.^[12]

These programs include the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders,^[13][14] the World Smarts STEM Challenge,^[15][16] and Learn to Discern, which has been discussed for its approach to helping citizens recognize disinformation and fake news.^[17][18][19]

See also

• Human development
• International education
• Leadership development
• Media development
• Media literacy
• Positive youth development
• Soft power