Launch of the new Harmonized Tri-agency Scholarship and Fellowship programs

Press Release

March 11, 2025

As announced in Budget 2024, the scholarship and fellowship programs administered by the three federal research funding agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – have been streamlined into a new harmonized talent program called the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) that will open for applications in summer 2025.

With the new CRTAS program, the annual number of scholarships and fellowships available to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will increase by 1,720 awards. This increase will include 300 additional awards at the master’s level, 1,200 at the doctoral level, and 220 at the postdoctoral level. The annual value for these awards will be $27,000 at the master’s level, $40,000 at the doctoral level and $70,000 at the postdoctoral level.

The CRTAS aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity, and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to the Canadian research ecosystem, economy, and prosperity. The design of CRTAS has been shaped by the Tri-agency Research Training Strategy (2024) which focuses on modernizing the research training approach of the granting agencies with the aim to deliver an equitable, inclusive, accessible and effective suite of scholarships and fellowships to support enhanced research and professional skills acquisition for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as well as facilitate their transition to careers requiring strong research skills in all sectors of society.

Key updates:

The Canada Research Training Awards Suite will include the following:
- - Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M)
    - The master’s scholarship has a duration of one year and is valued at $27,000.
    - Objective: help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.
    - Selection criteria:
      - Academic excellence (50%);
      - Research potential (30%);
      - Personal characteristics and interpersonal skills (20%).
    - To be eligible to apply, along with other criteria, applicants must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a Protected Person, and either enrolled in an eligible master’s or direct-entry doctoral program with a significant research component or have applied for, or are intending to apply for, an eligible program. The award may only be held at eligible Canadian post-secondary institutions.
    - The master’s-level Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements program currently offered by NSERC and SSHRC will be extended to CIHR for the 2025/2026 competition cycle.
- - Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D)
    - The doctoral scholarship has a duration of three years and is valued at $40,000 per year.
    - Objective: recognize and support the next generation of outstanding trainees in research. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the CGRS D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.
    - Selection criteria:
      - Research Potential (50%);
      - Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia (50%).
    - To be eligible to apply, along with other criteria, applicants may be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, Protected Person, or foreign citizen, and either enrolled in an eligible doctoral program with a significant research component or have applied for, or are intending to apply for, an eligible program. Foreign citizens must be enrolled in a doctoral program of study at an eligible Canadian institution at the time of application. Up to 15% of all doctoral awards will be awarded to international applicants.
    - The award may be held at both Canadian and international post-secondary institutions. Approximately 20% of all doctoral awards would be eligible to be held abroad. International applicants may only hold the award in Canada.
    - The doctoral program will maintain the practice of setting institutional quotas.
- Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA)
  - The postdoctoral award has a duration of two years and is valued at $70,000 per year.
  - Objective: recognize and support the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. The program provides funding and flexibility, empowering emerging Canadian and international leaders to develop the skills to build world-class research and drive Canadian prosperity and competitiveness.
  - Selection criteria:
    - Research potential and experience (50%);
    - Quality of proposed research program (50%).
  - To be eligible to apply, along with other criteria, applicants may be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, Protected Persons, or foreign citizen, and either hold a doctorate or be enrolled in the final year of their doctoral program. Up to 20% of all postdoctoral awards will be awarded to international applicants.
  - The award may be held at both Canadian and international post-secondary institutions. Approximately 30% of all postdoctoral awards would be eligible to be held abroad. International applicants may only hold the award in Canada.
  - Applicants may apply a maximum of three times to this funding opportunity. The eligibility window will be up to 36 months from the degree completion date. Exceptions to the doctoral degree completion eligibility period are granted up to a maximum of an additional 36 months if you meet certain criteria.
The new CRTAS will open for applications in summer 2025, with deadlines varying by agency. For the 2025/2026 competition cycle, applicants will continue using the funding agencies’ current online systems.
- The application materials for the new program may be adjusted, but the overall submission process and key deadlines for the 2025/2026 competition cycle will generally remain consistent with those of previous years.
The current Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (results released mid-April 2025) and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (results released mid-February 2025), as well as all current agency-specific postgraduate and postdoctoral award programs (results released in Spring 2025), will be the final competition cycles for these programs.
The Canada Graduate Scholarships Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement will remain the same for the 2025/2026 competition cycle. It will be rebranded and redesigned as a supplement for the CRTAS. The revised supplement will be open for applications in 2026.