RÉSEAU INTERNATIONAL DES FEMMES DOCTORANTES ET DOCTEURES

What RÉSEAU INTERNATIONAL DES FEMMES DOCTORANTES ET DOCTEURES does

RIFDOC (Réseau International des Femmes Doctorantes et Docteures) is a Canada-based mutual aid and solidarity network founded in Fall 2020 by Lydie C. Belporo and Isabelle Roberge-Maltais to support women doctoral candidates and PhD holders across the Francophone academic world. The organization operates from Quebec and serves members in Canada, France, Cameroon, Finland, South Africa, and additional countries, drawing participants from institutions including Université de Montréal, UQAM, McGill, Laval, Sherbrooke, HEC Montréal, Paris Panthéon Assas, and the University of Lapland.

The organization's products consist of a member directory (Annuaire), a publications blog, podcasts, a mentorship program, and a calendar of events including recurring webinars, participation in ACFAS congress colloquia, and a first Doctoral Day held on November 15, 2024. Delivery infrastructure is a WordPress-based website (rifdoc.com) with social channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and webinar delivery via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Strategic institutional relationships include a co-organized doctoral and postdoctoral summer school with the Université de Montréal Faculty of Graduate Studies (June 14, 2022), annual ACFAS congress colloquia from 2023 through 2025, and engagement with Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) leadership in late 2022 and early 2023.

The business model is donation-based with no membership fees; all activities are offered free of charge, and the network accepts donations via check, Interac transfer, and (pending) credit card on its website. Operations run on a small team (1–10 employees per firmographic data) and a volunteer Board of Directors, with no external investment, no proprietary technology platform, and no AI/ML infrastructure described.

Name

RÉSEAU INTERNATIONAL DES FEMMES DOCTORANTES ET DOCTEURES

Legal name

Réseau International des Femmes Doctorantes et Docteures

Website

https://rifdoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RIFDOC is a Canada-based nonprofit network that supports women doctoral candidates and PhD holders through a member directory, mentorship program, webinars, podcasts, and events across the Francophone academic community, funded by donations and offered without membership fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic community and professional networking for women doctoral candidates

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

SECONDARYBPADAOAB

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Donor Coordination, Grantmaking & Development Finance Programs

SECONDARYEDAIAOAJ

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Scholarships, Funding & Financial Aid for International Study

Keywords

• Academic networking community
• Doctoral mentorship network
• Women in academia
• Scholarship opportunities database
• Research collaboration platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: RIFDOC is a non-profit network that operates primarily through donations. The website offers multiple donation methods including credit card (pending), check, and Interac transfer to [email protected]. Donations support activities for doctoral candidates and building research partnerships in the Francophone academic community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIFDOC is a non-profit international solidarity and mutual-aid network for women doctoral candidates and PhD holders. It delivers a member directory (Annuaire), a blog/publications platform, podcasts, events (webinars, doctoral days, ACFAS colloquia), and a mentorship program, all offered free of charge and funded through donations. The network connects members across Canada, France, Cameroon, Finland, and other countries to enable mentorship, scholarship access, and collaborative research.

Product overview

RIFDOC operates as a solidarity and mutual aid network for female doctoral students and doctorate holders. The organization provides a unified platform consisting of a member directory (Annuaire), a blog for publications, podcasts, event organization (webinars, doctoral days, conferences), and a mentorship program. These services are designed to facilitate international networking, research collaboration, scholarship opportunities, and mutual support among women in academia. The network also maintains a donation functionality for supporting its mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annuaire (Member Directory) Searchable directory of network members allowing women doctoral candidates and PhD holders to expand their professional network through quality connections across different countries.
• Publications / Blog Blog platform featuring articles on doctoral experiences, webinar summaries, and academic topics relevant to female researchers.
• Podcasts Audio content published on the RIFDOC website related to the network's mission and activities for its women-in-academia audience.
• Events (Webinars, Doctoral Days, Conferences) Program of webinars, doctoral days, and conferences (including ACFAS colloquia) for members, providing networking, scientific communication, and academic career content.
• Mentorship Program Structured mentorship between doctoral students at various stages and doctorate holders, providing guidance and inspiration from female academic role models.
• Donation Platform Online donation functionality allowing supporters to contribute to the network's mission, accepting credit card (pending), check, and Interac transfer to [email protected].

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2022RIFDOC leadership met with the Chief Scientist of Québec Rémi Quirion (December 2022) and the FRQ Directors (January 2023) to discuss research funding and support for young researchers.
• Université de Montréal - Faculty of Graduate StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2022Collaborative partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies of Université de Montréal to organize a female-exclusive doctoral and postdoctoral summer school (École d'été doctorale et postdoctorale exclusively feminine) held June 14-16, 2022. The summer school addressed 'Doctoral candidates and the job market: For sustainable solutions to persistent inequalities.'
• ACFAS (Association francophone pour le savoir)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFDOC partners with ACFAS for conference organization. The network organizes dedicated colloquia at the ACFAS annual congress including 'Enjeux féminins dans l'écosystème académique' (2023), 'Dynamiques genrées en milieu académique : quand la science devient politique' (2024), and 'Pratiques de résistance et pratiques transformatrices face aux inégalités genrées en éducation et en enseignement postsecondaire' (2025).
• Audrey MollardminorOthersAudrey Mollard (professional coach) delivered a webinar on networking and collaboration skills for RIFDOC members on December 2, 2022, providing professional development content for the academic community.
• Sarah RodrigueminorOthersAuthor of 'Maudites hormones' and speaker engaged to deliver a webinar on May 29 on hormones and academic performance, addressing women's health issues in research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Réseau québécois en études féministes (RéQEF): Quebec-based francophone research network on feminist studies that aggregates scholars and organizes colloquia. Comparable as a Francophone academic network with conference-driven programming and institutional ties, though broader than women-only and not exclusively doctoral.
• African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD): Pan-African fellowship program investing in women agricultural researchers across multiple countries. Comparable as a network specifically supporting women doctoral/early-career researchers in Africa — directly relevant given RIFDOC's Cameroon membership base.
• Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT): Canadian national coalition advocating for women in STEM fields through policy work, conferences, and mentorship. Comparable as a Canada-based women-in-academia advocacy network with conference programming, though broader than doctoral-only.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Women in Science (AWIS): US-based nonprofit association advocating for women in STEM across all career stages, with mentorship, awards, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable as a women-in-academia membership community, but operating at far larger scale and Anglophone focus.
• Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD): UNESCO-affiliated international network supporting women scientists in developing countries through fellowships, training, and networking. Comparable global geographic footprint including Cameroon and African members, and similar mentorship/scholarship facilitation function.
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE): Global professional society for women in engineering with student/graduate chapters, scholarships, and conference programming. Comparable women-in-STEM membership community with scholarship facilitation function, though engineering-specific and far larger.

Direct peers

• 500 Women Scientists: Grassroots, member-driven organization building a global community of women in science through local pods, mentorship, and open advocacy. Comparable as a volunteer-led, community-led network serving women in academia with limited infrastructure.
• Graduate Women in Science (GWIS): International society supporting women in graduate-level science through fellowships, mentorship, and networking. Closest peer to RIFDOC by mission: women graduate/doctoral candidates receiving mentorship and scholarship support from a member-run network.

Emerging players

• Mothers in Science: International nonprofit advocating for parent researchers, with strong representation of women doctoral candidates and postdocs. Comparable audience overlap (women doctoral candidates facing structural barriers) and similar NGO/nonprofit structure.
• Women in Global Health: International movement of women working in global health research and policy with chapters in many countries including francophone Africa. Comparable cross-border advocacy and networking model for women in research, though health-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=ut0rwQkej3w&t=4s
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/348147406365499
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rifdoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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