The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award is a federal research talent program jointly administered by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. It supports postdoctoral researchers across health, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary work.
Recipients undertake a predominantly research-oriented program at an eligible institution in Canada or, under narrower conditions, abroad. The award is intended to develop research skills and support the transition to the next career stage.
Benefits & funding
- C$70,000 per year for 24 months.
- Up to 20% of awards are available to eligible international applicants.
- Up to 30% of awards may be held outside Canada by applicants who meet the international-tenure conditions.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold, or expect to hold before the award starts, a doctoral degree or a health professional degree; a general bachelor’s or master’s degree does not qualify on its own.
- Degree requirements must normally have been completed no more than three years before September 1 of the application year; specified career interruptions, relevant industry or government employment, caregiving and non-research clinical training can extend the window, subject to the published rules.
- Applicants cannot hold or be on leave from a tenure-track or tenured faculty position.
- An international applicant who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person must be enrolled in or have completed an eligible doctoral or health professional degree at a Canadian institution, or be conducting postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution.
- Holding the award outside Canada additionally requires Canadian citizenship, permanent residence or protected-person status and a doctoral or health professional degree completed at a Canadian institution.
- Applicants may apply to only one tri-agency research training award program in an academic year, may apply to CPRA no more than three times, cannot have previously received a CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC postdoctoral award, and cannot hold CPRA with another tri-agency research training award.
- The proposed program must be predominantly research-oriented and significantly distinct from, or extend beyond, the doctoral thesis.
Can you apply?
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Education required
Bachelor · Master · PhD Enrolled · PhD
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Application process
- 1Choose CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC according to the research subject matter.
- 2Complete the agency-specific online application: ResearchNet for CIHR, Form 201 in the NSERC online system, or the SSHRC online application.
- 3Arrange all agency-specific supporting documents, appraisals, supervisor materials and institutional forms early enough for their separate submissions and any internal review.
- 4Submit by the applicable 2026 agency deadline: SSHRC by September 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET, CIHR by September 16, or NSERC by October 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET. A CIHR or SSHRC host institution may set an earlier internal deadline.
Program timeline
SSHRC English-language webinar.
August 12, 2026
SSHRC application deadline.
September 10, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET
CIHR application deadline.
September 16, 2026
NSERC direct-application deadline.
October 17, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET
Results notification.
March 31
Available start window stated for the SSHRC route.
April 2027 to January 2028