CIHR / NSERC / SSHRC Opportunities

The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Doctoral (CGRS D) supports research-oriented doctoral study across health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities. The award value is CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months. Applicants select the federal granting agency—CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC—that best matches their research field. Applications are electronic through the relevant agency platform, but the submission channel depends on registration status and whether the Canadian institution has a quota. SSHRC states that direct applicants in the 2026 competition have until 19 October 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern because the standard 17 October date falls on a weekend. Applicants who must submit through a Canadian institution must follow that institution's deadline, which is often significantly earlier.

Applicants must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time-equivalent study in the doctoral program or eligible doctoral portion of a joint program by 31 December 2026. The doctoral program must be predominantly research-oriented and lead to a thesis or another substantial, merit-reviewed research output. Applicants may submit only one Canada Research Training Awards Suite application per academic year and may apply to CGRS D a maximum of three times. International applicants who are not Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons must be registered in their doctoral program at an eligible Canadian institution by the application deadline; up to 15% of awards are available to international applicants.