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Latest cohort of tri-agency scholars is strengthening research capacity across Canada
General news Students
March 13, 2024
Today, the Government of Canada announced it had granted over $275 million in scholarships and fellowships in 2023 to bolster Canada’s research community and advance groundbreaking scientific and engineering discoveries.
These funds, managed by the federal research granting agencies— the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)—aim to empower students and researchers, fostering a more robust, healthy, and equitable future for Canada.
The objective of this support is to create positive, far-reaching impacts that touch the lives of all Canadians, nurturing continued excellence in a diverse range of disciplines spanning natural sciences, engineering, health, social sciences, and humanities.
Through this commitment, over 5,700 scholarships and fellowship recipients have been granted funding for research training through the following awards and programs:
- The CIHR Doctoral Foreign Study Award
- The CIHR Fellowship Program
- Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral and Master's
- Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements
- Canada Graduate Scholarships to Honour Nelson Mandela
- NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral
- NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships
- SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships
- SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships
These scholarship and fellowship recipients are developing their research skills and exploring vast and diverse research topics. Some examples of this research include: delving into diverse challenges related to artificial intelligence, smart agriculture technologies, astrophysics, statistics and data analysis, machine learning, Indigenous languages and rights, the effects of climate change on populations worldwide, human psychology, drug and treatment trials, genomic therapy, and healthy living guidance.
Awards and programs
- The CIHR Doctoral Foreign Study Award (DFSA) provides special recognition and support to approximately 10 students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in a health-related field abroad. This award is valued at up to $35,000 per year for up to three years. Learn more about CIHR’s other health research training award programs.
- The CIHR Fellowship Program provides support for highly qualified candidates at the postdoctoral (post-PhD) or post-health professional degree stages to add to their experience by engaging in health research either in Canada or abroad. These fellowships are valued at up to $60,000 per year for up to five years.
- The Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s (CGS M) Program helps develop research skills and assists in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies. A CGS M is valued at $17,500 for one year.
- The Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral (CGS D) Program supports and promotes research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. This support allows scholars to fully concentrate on their doctoral studies, to seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields, and to contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.
- The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements provide additional supplements of up to $6,000 to active CGS (master’s or doctoral) holders or eligible Vanier CGS holders to help offset the costs of undertaking research studies outside Canada for a defined period. The supplement supports high-caliber Canadian graduate students in building global links and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences at research institutions abroad.
- The Canada Graduate Scholarships to Honour Nelson Mandela are jointly administered by CIHR and SSHRC and are an honorary mention that applies for the duration of the CGS D award. They recognize and support graduate students conducting research in one or more of the five areas that Nelson Mandela championed during his lifetime: national unity; democracy, freedom and human rights; leadership; children’s participation in society; and children’s health. Each year, SSHRC awards the honour to up to 10 CGS D recipients, and CIHR will award the honour to two CGS D recipients.
- The NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides support to a core of the most promising researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. The fellowships are also intended to secure a supply of highly qualified Canadians with leading-edge scientific and research skills for Canadian industry, government, and academic institutions.
- The NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral (PGS D) program provides financial support to high-calibre graduate students who are engaged in a doctoral program in natural sciences or engineering. This support allows scholars to concentrate more fully on their studies and seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields both within Canada and abroad.
- The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships program supports high-caliber students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities. This support allows scholars to fully focus on their doctoral studies, to seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields, and to contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.
- The SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships support the most promising Canadian new scholars in the social sciences and humanities and assist them in establishing a research base at an important time in their research careers. The purpose of these fellowships is to provide stipendiary support to recent Ph.D. graduates who are undertaking original research, publishing research findings, developing and expanding personal research networks, broadening their teaching experience, preparing for research-intensive careers within and beyond academia, and preparing to become competitive in national research grant competitions.
