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The Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Established in 1975 as the Queen’s Centre for International Relations (QCIR) under the directorship of Nils Ørvik, the Centre has a mandate to conduct research in matters of national and international security and other aspects of international relations.

It supports teaching in the field of security and defence and, through its publications and activities of its members, contributes to public debate on Canadian foreign and defence policy, and on issues of international peace and security. In 2011, the Centre's name was changed to reflect more clearly the range of its interests as a research unit in the School of Policy Studies at ���˴�Ƭ.

The CIDP is a leading Canadian research organization that bridges the gap between academic research and policy on matters related to military and defence.

David Haglund (Department of Political Studies) was appointed director of the CIDP on July 1, 1985.  After completing two full (five year) terms, he stepped down. Neil Macfarlane succeeded him. When Dr. Macfarlane finished his term, Dr. Haglund again was appointed interim director and was then appointed the CIDP director for a final five year term.

Dr. Haglund reflects on his significant achievements during his time at the helm of the QCIR. “The quantity and quality of the annual conference-related edited volumes stands out. Also, I was proud to involve PhD students as Graduate Fellows, many of whom have gone on to teach at Canadian universities. I was happy to develop close ties both with Royal Military College (RMC) and with Quebec-based IR centres that were part of the DND-funded circuit. The QCIR formed an important link in the above-mentioned chain and contributed to scholarship and policy development relevant to Canada’s defence and security interests.”

Stéphanie Martel (Department of Political Studies) was the CIDP Research Director from April to June 2023 and then director from July to October 2023. Howard Coombs (RMC) stepped in as interim director at that time and finished his term as the CIDP director. He was also the first director at RMC.

“During my term, the , a collaborative network funded by the Department of National Defence's MINDS initiative, was renewed for another three years with the CIDP as its secretariat,” Dr. Martel says. “The CIDP also continued to develop its focus on gender and security through a collaborative project I co-lead with Drs. Stéfanie von Hlatky and Yolande Bouka. Research on gender, security and global governance managed at the Centre is one of its latest and most productive area. This is even more the case now that the CIDP is home to the , led by Dr. Bouka.”

Dr. Coombs talks about his achievements during his leadership of the CIDP. “These achievements included strengthening defence partnerships, enhancing student engagement, and internal restructuring to, more effectively, support the expansion of CIDP research. I believe that CIDP's most valuable contribution is bridging academic research with defence policy to address modern security challenges.”

“The CIDP is a vibrant and collegial environment that serves as the institutional home for a diversity of policy-focused research and learning on defence, security and international affairs at Queen's and in Kingston more broadly,” Dr. Martel adds. “It is a small Centre with a dedicated staff that has consistently punched above its weight in terms of the quantity and quality of its research outputs, the quality of the support it gives to its fellows in managing their research programs, the extent of its (national and international) partnerships with various players in the policy world, its deep connections to the Kingston community, and the numerous opportunities for professional development and mentoring it offers to the next generation of security and international policy experts. It is quite unique and plays a big part in making Queen's a leader in policy and political studies.”