Graduate Students

Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarship Competition for 2025-26

Two classes of Mackenzie King Scholarship are available to graduates of Canadian universities: the Open Scholarship and the Travelling Scholarship. Both are to support graduate study.

The Open Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in any discipline, in Canada or elsewhere.  One Open Scholarship is awarded each year. The value has recently been about $13,000 but it is subject to change.

The Travelling Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in the United States or the United Kingdom in the areas of international relations or industrial relations.  Recently four scholarships of $15,000 each have been awarded annually, but the number and the amount are subject to change.

Internal Deadline to apply: February 3, 2025

Student Research Awards - Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia
~ The Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia is committed to supporting research into Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and acknowledging the work of people who have chosen to do research in this field. As a means of honouring this commitment, we are pleased to provide Phyllis Horton and Abe Leventhal Research Awards each year.

This year we are offering:

• One graduate- or postdoctoral-level Phyllis Horton Research Award valued at $5,000
• Two undergraduate-level Abe Leventhal Research Awards valued at $1,500 each

The deadline for application is Monday, April 15^th, 2024. Applicants are welcome from any relevant discipline.

Laura Bassi Scholarship
~ The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed, within their disciplines. The scholarships are open to every discipline and are awarded three times per year: December, April, and August. The value of the scholarships are remitted solely through editorial assistance as follows:

Master’s candidates: $750
Doctoral candidates: $2,500
Junior academics: $500

These figures reflect the upper bracket of costs of editorial assistance for master’s theses, doctoral dissertations, and academic journal articles, respectively. All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. There are no institutional, departmental, or national restrictions. 

Deadline: There are several deadlines throughout the year.  Please see the website for more details.

Canada Graduate Scholarships (Master's) Program:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Deadline: National deadline December 1 (8:00pm ET) - Online application 

~ annual scholarships of $17,500 from CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC support and promote high-quality research in a wide variety of disciplines and areas. Applicants must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, and be enrolled in, have applied for, or will apply for full-time admission in a master's program.  

Nova Scotia Natural Resources and Renewables
Clean Economy Grant Program
Deadline: June 14, 2024
~ Helping master’s students research areas of importance to Nova Scotia’s Energy.

~ Each year up to 4 grants valued at $15,000 are awarded to master’s students pursuing an academic research program directly related to the development of Nova Scotia’s renewable energy resources, sustainable technologies, energy efficiency or earth sciences.

Soroptimist Foundation of Canada
Deadline: January 31, 2025
~ The Soroptimist Foundation of Canada annually offers several $8,500 grants to female graduate students in Canada who are pursuing careers that focus on improving the quality of women’s lives. Examples of such careers include, but are not limited to providing medical services, providing legal counselling and assistance, counselling mature women entering or re-entering the labour market, counselling women in crisis, counselling and training women for non-traditional employment, and positions in women’s centres.

Hearth & Stroke Foundation - Research Competition
Deadline: various deadlines
~ Heart & Stroke is proud to fund Canada’s best heart and brain health researchers. Please visit the link above for a comprehensive guide to our funding opportunities, application processes, peer review and more.

Personal Awards for Black Scholars competition
Deadline: May 22, 2024
~ Through these awards, Heart & Stroke is seeking to increase the representation of best-in-class Black researchers across heart and brain health research fields in Canada. By removing financial burdens, the awards aim to enable outstanding students to focus on their studies, undertake a program of research, and engage with mentors as part of their training and development. These awards will be offered to students accepted to or enrolled in master’s or doctoral programs in Canada who identify as Black and who are studying in an area specific to heart or brain health. These multi-year awards will function as salary stipends intended to enable trainees to focus on their studies and advance in their chosen field.   

The O'Brien Foundation Scholarship
Deadline: Apply Online between July 1 and November 1
~ Applications are accepted for work at the Masters and Doctoral degree levels only.  Applicants must be able to demonstrate that a major focus of their degree involves research, creative, or professional training leading to the credential they are seeking. O’Brien Foundation Fellowships are made primarily to residents of New Brunswick.

Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship (NSGS)
Deadline:  Students must submit their application and supporting documents (merged as one document) to FGSR (Heather.Gray@smu.ca) by May 20. 

• NSGS Application Form
• NSGS Annual / Final Report Form

~ graduate scholarship program created by the Province of Nova Scotia to help advance the economic and social wellbeing of Nova Scotians by investing in graduate thesis research in defined priority sectors. Scholarships are valued at up to $10,000 per year for up to two years at the Master’s level, and up to $15,000 per year for up to four years at the PhD level.

Scotia Scholars Award
~ The Scotia Scholars Award provides financial support to students with exceptional potential who are or wish to be engaged in a health research project at participating institutions. Recipients will participate on a project supported by a research supervisor. This award will support the growth and retention of highly skilled individuals who are advancing and translating knowledge in disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, strengthening health care delivery systems, caring for vulnerable populations, and preventing negative impacts to health and wellbeing.

Research Nova Scotia pursues equity, diversity and inclusion in Nova Scotia’s research enterprise and integrates these values in designing and implementing its programs and services.

Funding for this award is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.

Funding Amount and Duration
PhD: Up to $18,750/year, up to 4 years.
Master’s: Up to $12,500/year, up to 2 years.

Details of this competition can be found as follows: 
Master’s: https://www.researchns.ca/scotia-scholars-masters/
Doctoral: https://www.researchns.ca/scotia-scholars-doctoral/

Important Dates
The deadline for applications is April 25, 2024 at 1:00pm (ADT). Applications will not be accepted beyond this date and time.

All applicants will be notified of decisions in June 2024. Funding may begin September 2024.

MITACS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Deadlines: see link above
~ MITACS offers a variety of funding opportunities for Masters and PhD students.  Please see the link above for further details.

CANADA GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS: Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements Program
Internal Deadline to submit applications to FGSR:  June 1 and October 1
~ up to $6,000 available for a period of research study abroad. The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements (CGS-MSFSS) support high-calibre Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences at research institutions abroad. Supplements of up to $6,000 are available to active CGS (master’s or doctoral) or eligible Vanier CGS holders to help offset the costs of undertaking research studies outside Canada for a defined period.

FULBRIGHT CANADA - Traditional Fulbright Student Awards 
Competition open from May 15 - November 15

CERIC - Graduate Student Engagement Program
Deadline: November 1, 2024
~ As a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development, CERIC encourages the engagement of Canada’s graduate students (full-time or part-time) whose academic focus is in career development and/or related fields through the Graduate Student Engagement Program (GSEP).

IMFG Richard M. Bird Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Application Deadline: April 26, 2024

The $60,000 Richard M. Bird Post-Doctoral Fellowship supports researchers who have recently completed their PhD or will have completed it by September 1, 2023. Fellowship recipients will prepare two original research papers for publication by IMFG and present their research through two seminars. Depending on the recipient’s interests and IMFG’s research agenda, the recipient may also develop and organize IMFG conferences, events or roundtables and engage in various other research projects at the Institute.  

2024-2025 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program

The Government of Canada launched the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to strengthen Canada's ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health.

Eligible students who wish to be considered should send a message of interest and their CV to Research Grants Officer, Marlene Ramos (using rgo@smu.ca).

Internal Deadline - September 13, 2024

2024-2025 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) program

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is designed to support world-class postdoctoral researchers. The fellowship provides $70,000 per year for two years. The program is open to both Canadian and international researchers who have recently completed a PhD, PhD- equivalent, or health professional degree. Applications must be completed in full collaboration with the proposed host institution.

Eligible individuals who wish to be considered should send a message of interest and their CV to Research Grants Officer, Marlene Ramos (using rgo@smu.ca) by AUGUST 15, 2024

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship Competition (DOCTORAL)
~ More than just a scholarship, the three-year program offered by the Foundation aims to train engaged leaders with the skills required to turn their ideas into actions and contribute concretely to addressing the challenges of their communities, Canada, and the world. They will benefit from exchanges, networking, and events with the Foundation’s Fellows and Mentors, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields.

At the end of the process, about fifteen candidates will be selected to participate in this unique program, receiving a generous scholarship that can reach up to $210,000 in total, including:

• Up to $50,000 per year for three years to cover tuition and living expenses during their doctoral research.
• Up to $20,000 per year for three years to cover the costs of research travel, networking, participation in Foundation events, and to improve their knowledge of Canada’s official languages.

Application deadline: November 25, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. EST


2023 Betram Scholarships
Application Deadline - May 24, 2024

~ In recognition of the growing importance of good governance to all Canadian institutions, the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research is offering up to three annual Bertram Scholarship of $15,000 to PhD students registered at Canadian universities. The scholarship will support the work of students who are conducting research into governance as part of their doctoral research project.

To be eligible for the scholarship, the doctoral research project should focus on a topic directly related to governance, including for example:

• The importance of effective boards in enabling good decision-making and improving the functioning of Canadian institutions;
• Governance issues of interest to Canadian boards of public, private, government-agency and not-for-profit organizations;
• The role of corporate governance in enabling positive societal impacts;
• Governance best practices through the Canadian perspective.
  
  

CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC Doctoral Scholarships

SMU Internal Deadline CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC: Thursday, October 17, 2024 - Online application – PLEASE UPLOAD COPIES OF OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS ONLY.

~ The Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral (CGS D) program is a federal program of scholarships awarded through national competitions by the 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 of Canada (SSHRC).

Agency-specific doctoral awards

In addition to the CGS D, each agency has its own doctoral awards.  Refer to the appropriate literature for CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC for further details.

Meritorious CGS D applicants may also be eligible for agency-specific doctoral awards.  Applicants complete and submit one application to be considered for both a CGS D scholarship and an agency doctoral award. CGS D scholarships are offered to top-ranked eligible applicants.

NSERC: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowships

~ The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) has established the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Foreign Researchers. A limited number of promising early-career researchers are given the opportunity to conduct research in Japanese universities and in designated research institutions and laboratories. NSERC is responsible for recommending Canadian nominees for JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Application deadline is February 1