Update on CIHR support for the Master’s, Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scholars

(2011-05-06) CIHR is committed to building a foundation of highly promising and talented students and trainees. Through programs that provide direct stipend support or support indirectly through grants, CIHR is supporting the research and knowledge translation leaders of tomorrow – individuals who will positively contribute to improving health and the health system.

The Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program

The Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program provides financial support to develop future health researchers at both master's and doctoral levels. Applications are accepted in all areas of health research, including biomedical, clinical, health services and policy, and social, cultural, environmental and population health.

As a way to temporarily expand the program, Budget 2009 provided a substantial but temporary increase in the budget for CGS. This increase will be concluding in 2011-12 and the budget will go from a maximum of $36.2M in 2010-11 to $21.2M in 2012-13 and beyond. As a result of these budget shifts, the number of CGS awards that CIHR offers has fluctuated over the years. Moving forward, however, CIHR aims to maintain funding levels for the doctoral awards at about 180 new awards per year. The master's awards offered in 2011-12 and beyond, will be fluctuating initially but will eventually stabilize at about 140 new awards each year.

The Tri-council Vanier program established in 2008 aims to attract and retain top-tier doctoral talent by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies, as well as strong leadership skills. Both Canadian and international students are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier scholarship. This year, CIHR will be administering 56 of the 167 awards funded through this program. Vanier scholarships are valued at $50,000/year for three years.

Canada Graduate Scholarships by the numbers:

  • 170 new CGS master's awards for the February 2011 competition; 
  • 180 new CGS doctoral research awards from the October 2010 competition; 
  • 10 new Doctoral Foreign Study Awards from the October 2010 competition to support students pursuing a doctoral degree in a health-related field abroad; 
  • 56 new Vanier Doctoral CGS awards from the Fall 2010 competition; 
  • Up to an additional 10-20 master's awards and 25-50 doctoral awards supported through Priority Announcements each year in areas of strategic importance to CIHR's institutes and partners; 
  • About 1200 doctoral students and 1600 master's students supported through CIHR grant programs in any given year.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

CIHR supports postdoctoral scholars through the open fellowships program and the new Banting postdoctoral fellowship program. Applications are accepted in all areas of health research, including biomedical, clinical, health services and policy, and social, cultural, environmental and population health. 

Following through on the commitment in the CIHR's Health Research Roadmap to increase support for postdoctoral trainees, CIHR has made significant increases in the number of trainees funded at the postdoctoral level. CIHR will be funding 170 new awards per year through the open program, up from the previous level of 140, and significantly higher than the 110 funded in 2007-2008. The budget allocated for the open program over five years has risen from $12M to approximately $21M in this period, not including the additional trainees funded through Priority Announcements or from grants.

The Tri-council Banting postdoctoral fellowships program established in 2010 aims to: attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent; develop their leadership potential; and position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow. Both Canadian and international trainees are eligible to apply for a Banting fellowship. This year, CIHR will be administering 24 of the 70 awards funded through this program. Banting postdoctoral fellowships are valued at $70,000/year for two years.

Postdoctoral fellowships by the numbers:

  • 170 postdoctoral fellowships awarded in 2010-11, up from the previous level of 140; 
  • $21 million budgeted for postdoctoral fellowships over five years in 2010-11, up from $12-million budget in 2007-08; 
  • 24 new Banting postdoctoral fellowship awards from the Fall 2010 competition; 
  • Up to an additional 50-75 postdoctoral fellowships supported through Priority Announcements each year in areas of strategic importance to CIHR's institutes and partners; 
  • About 1,000 postdoctoral fellowships supported through CIHR grant programs in any given year.

If you have any questions or comments about CIHR's support for students and trainees, please do not hesitate to contact the following:

Open Fellowships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships
Gerd Reicker at gerd.reicker@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Canada Graduate Scholarships and Vanier CGS
Dominique Lalonde at dominique.lalonde@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

We welcome your feedback as we aim to continuously improve our programming.

Kelly VanKoughnet
Acting Vice President (VP) Research