Applications Open: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program 2025 for Canadian and International Researchers

Applications Open: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program 2025 for Canadian and International Researchers. Apply below.

When is Application Deadlines:

• CIHR: 17th September
• NSERC: 17th October
• SSHRC: 11th September

Tell Me About Canada Postdoctoral Research Award:

The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program recognizes and supports 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 Canadian and international leaders in innovation and scholarship of tomorrow to develop the skills to build world-class research and drive Canadian prosperity and competitiveness.

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The CPRA program is a federal research talent investment program in the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) administered by 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). 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 Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.

To help build a world-leading innovative economy, reinforce a diverse culture of critical thought and improve Canadian productive capacity, the CPRA supports and promotes promising research talent 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 postdoctoral researchers to add to their experience by engaging in research either in Canada or abroad and facilitates their transition to the next phase of their career.

Which Fields are Eligible

Awards may be reserved to support federal or agency-specific research priority areas. These research priorities will reflect aspects of contributing sectors and research areas across all three agency mandates. The agencies will communicate further information to applicants when research areas are identified.

Type:

Research

Who can Apply for Canada Postdoctoral Research Award ?

This award is not intended for students (including health professionals) to complete a degree or related internship.

Applications must meet all of the eligibility criteria to be eligible.

General conditions

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• hold or expect to hold a doctorate or health professional degree before the start date of your award; and
• not hold or be on leave from a tenure-track or tenured faculty position. Generally, “tenure or tenure-track” refers to an open-ended academic position in which the holder can form a research group, apply for externally funded research as a principal investigator and teach. 

In addition:

• you must have completed all requirements of your doctorate or health professional degree no more than three years before September 1 of the year in which you apply.
  
  Note: This is not the conferred or convocation date indicated on your transcript, but rather the date on which all the requirements of your degree were met, including the successful defense and submission of the corrected copy of your thesis. If you have more than one doctoral degree, the completion date of your most recent relevant degree will be used to determine your eligibility.

Exceptions to the doctoral degree completion eligibility period are granted up to a maximum of three years only if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• If your career was significantly interrupted after completing your doctorate or health professional degree due to extenuating circumstances, you may qualify for an extension of the eligibility period. Eligible interruptions may include parental, medical and/or family-related responsibilities, mandatory military service, disruptions due to war, civil conflicts or natural disasters in your country of residence or limited research opportunities due to socio-economic reasons. The eligibility period can be extended by the duration of the eligible delay(s)/interruption(s).”Career interruption” refers to a period of time when you were not working (full-time or part-time) and when your research was completely interrupted.
• If you have acquired at least six months of full-time, relevant employment in industry or government (experience in an academic institution or its affiliated hospitals, research institutions and other laboratories will not be considered) after you received your doctorate or health professional degree, the eligibility period can be extended by the duration of this employment.

If you became the primary caregiver after the birth or adoption of a child within three years before or after completing your doctorate or health professional degree, your eligibility period will be extended by three years.

If you have engaged in a non-research-related clinical training (e.g., residency) after you received your doctorate or health professional degree, the eligibility period can be extended by the duration of this training.

If you are subject to an extended eligibility period, you may be asked to provide additional information and/or supporting documentation. Any such submission will only be used by agency staff to assess your eligibility for the program. If you wish to inform the review committee of delays and/or special circumstances that may have affected your performance and/or productivity, you may do so in the Special circumstances section of the application.

International applicants

If you are not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the application deadline, you must be:

• currently enrolled in or have completed a doctorate or health professional degree at a Canadian institution; or
• conducting postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution.

Up to 20% of all postdoctoral awards will be available to international applicants.

How Are Applicants Selected?

Which Countries are Eligible?

Canada and also International Researchers in Canada.

Where is the Award Taken?

You can hold your CPRA at:

• academic research institutions in Canada or abroad
• provincial research institutions
• research hospitals
• colleges, non-government organizations, Indigenous organizations and other institutions with a significant research training mandate

CPRAs cannot be held at a Canadian federal government research institution.

Direct any questions about institutional eligibility to the appropriate funding agency well in advance of the submission deadline.

International locations of tenure

To be eligible to hold your award at an eligible international institution, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the application deadline; and
• have completed your doctorate or health professional degree at a Canadian institution.

Up to 30% of all postdoctoral awards will be available to be held abroad.

When considering locations of tenure outside of Canada, and to help you plan for safe travels and to safeguard your research abroad, you are encouraged to consult the Government of Canada’s resources related to travel and research security. These include the following pages:

• Travel advice and advisories by destination
• Travel health notices
• Registration of Canadians abroad
• Emergency assistance outside Canada
• Safeguarding Your Research portal, which includes resources such as a Travel security guide for university researchers and staff, a series of self-directed research security training courses, and Canada’s list of Named Research Organizations
• Safeguarding Science initiative, which offers virtual training modules including on the protection of your research while travelling abroad

Please note that the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy) does not apply to scholarship and fellowship programs, such as the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS). However, all Canadian researchers are encouraged to consult the Tri-agency guidance on research security and associated resources in order to exercise due diligence when managing their research.

How Many Awards?

Not specified

How to Apply for Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program:

APPLY HERE

GOODLUCK!

Other restrictions

• You can submit a maximum of one Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M), Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) or Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. If you submit more than one application, only the eligible application submitted first will be retained.
• You can apply a maximum of three times to the CPRA.
• You cannot have already received a postdoctoral-level award from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC (including a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship)
• You cannot hold a CPRA concurrently with another tri-agency research training award.