Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards for Postdoctoral Scholars

Prospective postdoctoral scholars (nominee) must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Nominees can hold any citizenship, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
• Must not have a current affiliation with a Canadian institution.
• Must currently be studying or working abroad (this includes Canadian citizens/permanent residents currently outside the country).
  • Participation of Canadian citizens in this initiative is intended for those who have previously left Canada for research and/or work experience and who wish to return to Canada to continue their research.
• Must be ready to activate the award in Canada by March 31, 2027. The Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide post-award policies apply to Impact+ Training Awards. Refer to the award holder’s guide regarding available start dates.
• Be qualified to undertake postdoctoral research at the nominating institution in Canada as of the award activation date.
• Hold or expect to hold a doctorate or health professional degree before the start date of the award.
• (Wave 1) Postdoctoral awards can start on the first day of any month from April 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027.
• (Wave 2 only) Postdoctoral awards can start on the first day of any month from August 2026 to January 2027 (February and March 2027 also possible for CIHR).
• Not hold or be on leave from a tenure-track or tenured faculty position.
• To be eligible for nomination, the candidate’s research must align with one of the following priority areas:
  • Advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum, cybersecurity)
  • Health, including biotechnology
  • Clean technology and resource value chains
  • Environment, climate resilience, and the Arctic
  • Food and water security
  • Democratic and community resilience
  • Manufacturing and advanced materials
  • Defence and dual-use technologies
• Additional CIRTA Q&A information is available on Tri-Council’s website.

Faculty members (nominator) must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Must hold an active Tri-Agency grant (CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC) with payments scheduled for the 2025–26 or 2026–27 fiscal years (see "For Nominators" at Canada Impact+Research Training Awards: Q&A, FAQ #19 for eligible grants) and for additional Q&A nominating information).
• Must be eligible to supervise postdoctoral scholars.
• While the nominator’s research grant does not have to specifically be within one of the eight identified priority research areas, they must be able to facilitate the nominee conducting research in one of the identified areas.

• Nominees can only be nominated by one nominator (cannot have multiple proposed supervisors or locations of tenure).
• International students/researchers already working or studying at a Canadian institution are not eligible for the Impact+ training awards. Instead, they can apply for the CGRS D or CPRA.
• Nominees cannot be currently holding another scholarship or postdoctoral research award from the three agencies or be currently benefiting from tri-agency funds from a supervisor’s grant.
• Cannot have previously held postdoctoral-level award from one of the three agencies

• Prospective postdoctoral scholars are to first contact a Faculty member in the Department to which they wish to apply, who is willing to act as a potential supervisor for the Impact+ Training Awards.
• If supported by a proposed supervisor, the prospective postdoctoral researcher (nominee) and the Faculty member (nominator) are to complete the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards – Nomination form and submit to the the postdoctoral’s proposed department. Refer to Nomination Procedures and the 2026 CIRTA Memo to Researchers & Departments for complete details.
• The nominator and nominee are to select the agency whose research mandate most closely aligns to the nominee’s research subject matter. In most cases, the agency will be the same as the agency of the nominator’s grant.

The Faculty member (nominator) is to refer to the Eligibility section above for nominator eligibility criteria, and refer to the 2026 CIRTA Memo to Researchers & Departments for complete details. Nominators are also to ensure all grant information, including the reference number, is included on the form or the nomination may not be reviewed.

May 12, 2026: deadline for Departments to submit the completed Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards – Nomination form and the prospective postdoctoral researcher’s CV to GPS via email (grad.awards@ualberta.ca). Refer to the 2026 CIRTA Memo to Researchers & Departments for complete details and departmental nomination quota.

The university’s quota (Wave 2) to submit recommended postdoctoral candidates for national review is 8.

Research security requirements apply to this opportunity. If you are already or you plan to be a holder of research funding subject to the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, you are reminded that under that Policy, if your research aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area, no one on your team can have any active affiliations with a Named Research Organization. This includes any Canada+ Impact Research Training Award recipients.

The expectation (see question 7) that you conduct open-source due diligence to verify a prospective nominee’s affiliation and sources of funding or in-kind support. Please consult the SRO portal for more information on the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) and fo support with conducting open source due diligence. Please use the Category B form to request support on validating the affiliations of prospective nominees.

Additionally, please consult the SRO portal for more information about STRAC and the completion of the required Attestation Forms using the University’s Attestation App

Finally, all University of Alberta-affiliated individuals submitting an Attestation Form must also complete required research security training available in Canvas as an institutional condition of application.

The Impact+ training awards will be processed by GPS and the agencies in two phases with separate deadlines:

Wave 1:

Closed.

Wave 2:

Prospective postdoctoral researchers (nominee), prospective supervisors (nominator), and departments are to refer to the 2026 CIRTA Memo to Researchers & Departments for complete details and departmental nomination quota.

May 12, 2026: deadline for departments to submit the completed nomination package to GPS via email (grad.awards@ualberta.ca). Departments are to ensure the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards – Nomination form and CV are complete in their entirety, or the nomination may not be reviewed. Late submissions of nominations will not be accepted after May 12.

May 13 – 27, 2026: GPS nomination review and adjudication to select recommended candidates for national review. The university’s quota for Wave 2 is 8 postdoctoral nominations.

June 3, 2026: deadline for GPS to submit recommended candidates to Tri-Council for national review. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted by Tri-Council. With the exception of personal contact information, no changes or updates to submitted nominations can be made either before or after this deadline.

Summer 2026: anticipated date results will be shared by Tri-Council.