Government of Canada — Tri-Agency (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC)
$70,000 a year for two years for postdoctoral researchers at Canadian institutions. Open to Canadians, permanent residents and protected persons; international applicants need a PhD or postdoc at a Canadian institution, and up to 20% of awards go to them.
Published by G Paul · last checked September 26, 2026
The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) is the federal Tri-Agency's flagship postdoctoral fellowship — the Budget 2024 successor to the discontinued Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. The award provides $70,000 per year for 2 years, totalling $140,000, and is held at a Canadian university or research institution. Administration is split across the three federal granting councils, with the recipient applying to the council aligned with their research area: CIHR for health, NSERC for natural sciences and engineering, SSHRC for humanities and social sciences. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons can apply. International applicants can apply only if they are registered in or have completed a doctoral or health professional degree at a Canadian institution, or are doing postdoctoral research at one, and up to 20% of awards go to international applicants. Quebec-domiciled postdocs are fully eligible alongside the rest of Canada — research awards are excluded from the Quebec opt-out of federal student financial assistance. The CPRA is highly competitive and is typically positioned as a stepping-stone to a tenure-track research career; selection emphasises the quality of the research project, the strength of the proposed supervisor and host institution, and the candidate's research trajectory.
You qualify for CPRA if you (1) have completed a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) within the eligibility window — no more than three years before September 1 of the year you apply, with extensions for parental or medical leave and other career interruptions, relevant industry or government work, or clinical training such as a residency; (2) have secured a proposed supervisor and host Canadian institution willing to host your research; (3) propose a research project that fits the mandate of CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons can apply; international applicants must be registered in or have completed a doctoral or health professional degree at a Canadian institution, or be doing postdoctoral research at one, and up to 20% of awards go to them. Some sectoral restrictions apply (e.g., engineering postdocs in NSERC's mandate must propose research recognised as natural sciences / engineering, not pure social science). The award is held at the Canadian institution; a CPRA holder cannot simultaneously hold most other Tri-Agency or major federal postdoctoral awards.
This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.
Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.
Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.
Use the Apply on the official site button on this page: it opens the official application page in a new tab.
Applications close on September 10, 2027. Submit a day or two early: application sites get busy at the end.
Yes. It is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and international students.
FundMyCourse.ca · checked Sep 26, 2026
$140,000 ($70,000/year × 2 years)
fundmycourse.ca/scholarships/cpra-canada-postdoctoral-research-award-nserc-cihr-sshrc