Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards

The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA) is a targeted, one-time initiative by the federal granting agencies designed to attract highly qualified research talent to Canada, whether of Canadian or international citizenship, and to support their establishment or return to the country. These awards support the recruitment of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in priority research areas, helping to build research capacity, strengthen Canada's research ecosystem and enhance Canada's global competitiveness.

Award Value

  • Doctoral level: $40,000 per year, for a maximum duration of 36 months
  • Postdoctoral level: $70,000 per year, for a maximum duration of 24 months

Internal Deadline – University of Ottawa

Two phases of nominations will take place:

First phase in winter 2026 

  • uOttawa Internal deadline: February 9, 2026 (closed)

Second phase planned for summer 2026 

  • uOttawa Internal deadline: May 11, 2026 

Eligibility

Nominees must meet both the eligibility criteria of the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards program and the requirements applicable to doctoral programs and postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Ottawa.

Key conditions of the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards program include:

  • Nominees can hold any citizenship, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons;
  • At the time of nomination, candidates must not be affiliated with any Canadian institution;
  • They must be currently studying or working abroad;
  • The proposed research project must align with one of the eight priority research areas:
    • Advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum technologies, 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

Specific Criteria

For doctoral nominees:

  • Must be eligible to enroll in a doctoral program at the University of Ottawa as of the award activation date
  • Cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment or be on leave from such an appointment concurrently with the Impact+ training award. Some exceptions apply.

For postdoctoral nominees:

  • Must be qualified to undertake postdoctoral research at the nominating institution in Canada as of the award activation date.
  • Must hold or expect to hold a doctorate or health professional degree before the start date of the award.
  • Cannot hold or be on leave from a tenure-track or tenured faculty position.

For faculty members responsible for nominations:

  • University of Ottawa professors must be principal investigators on an active grant (payment has been made or will be made between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2027) from one of the three granting agencies (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR).

Other Restrictions

  • 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
  • Doctoral: Cannot have previously held a doctoral-level scholarship from one of the three agencies.
  • Postdoctoral: Cannot have previously held a postdoctoral-level award from one of the three agencies.

Required documents

For the internal competition, the application file must include the following documents:

  • Application form (fillable PDF) duly completed (Parts 1 to 6) 
    Note that the Office will handle the institutional signature.
  • Supervisor: Grant payment notice/schedule included in the nomination file
  • Up-to-date CV of the nominee.
  • PhD Candidate: Confirmation of program admission
  • Unofficial transcripts:
    • Doctoral applicants: transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.
    • Postdoctoral applicants: transcripts from all graduate studies and proof you hold a PhD degree

CIRTA Agency Documents

Impact+ Nomination Form
Instructions-Nomination Form
Eligibility Checklist
Guidelines for Nominators

University of Ottawa Nomination Process and Important Dates

DateDetails
April to May 11, 2026

Prospective nominees are encouraged to:

  • identify faculty members whose research aligns with their interests;
  • consult departmental, school, research centre and institute pages, which typically present fields of expertise and ongoing projects;
  • target faculty members who could act as supervisors and nominators.

When making contact, it is recommended to:

  • explicitly mention their interest in a nomination under the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards program;
  • share eligibility criteria with the faculty member to allow them to confirm their eligibility to act as a nominator;
  • include a link to this page for reference.

Faculty members (nominators) and prospective nominees confirm their eligibility for CIRTA and work together to prepare the application file.

  • Eligibility verification: Application authors must verify eligibility of both the nominator and the nominee using the checklist provided.
  • File preparation: Complete the nomination form in collaboration with the nominee. The candidate must prepare the required documents.
  • Submission to faculty: The author (supervisor) of the nomination submit the complete file to their faculty for internal review by May 11, 2026. 

A faculty member may only submit one candidate per category (doctoral and postdoctoral).

May 11 to May 25, 2026, at 9 a.m.Each faculty will verify the eligibility and completeness of application files submitted by nominees, evaluate them, and provide a ranking.
May 25, 2026, 
at 9 a.m.

Deadline for faculties to submit nomination packages to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for the university-wide competition.

Only nominees with a complete nomination package will be considered by the adjudication committee.

Please note that the University of Ottawa has a limited number of nominations it can submit to the granting agencies.

May 25, 2026 to June 1, 2026The selection committee of the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OVPGPS) reviews complete and endorsed nomination packages and selects those to be forwarded to the granting agencies.
June 3, 2026

Nominations selected through the internal competition are forwarded to the granting agencies by OVPGPS.

Nominees and nominators will be informed if their nomination has been selected to move forward.

Summer 2026Official announcement of award recipients by the granting agencies.
Summer 2026 to March 31, 2027Award recipients begin their doctoral program or postdoctoral fellowship.

Number of nominations allocated to the University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa has been allocated a quota of 9 nominations at the doctoral level and 5 nominations at the postdoctoral level (Wave 2).

Tenure and Location of Tenure

The award must be held at the University of Ottawa for at least one year.

For More Information

Payment Process

The candidate must accept or decline the award and, in the case of acceptance, confirm the start date by sending an e-mail to the agency no later than the date indicated in the decision documents they received. 

Doctoral level

The process at the doctoral level is the same than for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships - Doctoral Program. Please refer to our website and the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guidefor details. If a signature is required, please contact the Financial Aid and Awards Service at [email protected]. 

Postdoctoral level
The process at the postdoctoral level is the same as for the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program. Please refer to the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide. If a signature is required, please contact [email protected]. 

Note: The information on this page is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment from the University of Ottawa.