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TRI-Agency & Government Awards

Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC)

The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D) supports Canadian students in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada's three federal granting agencies.   

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The Tri-Agencies

The Tri-Agencies refer to the three federal granting agencies that support research in Canada:

  • CIHR the Canadian Institutes for Health Research
  • NSERC the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • SSHRC the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

SFU Deadline to Apply:
October 1, 2025

Award Value:
$40,000/yr for 3 years

 Candidate Eligibility:
  • Canadian citizens
  • Permanent residents of Canada
  • International students
Note that only 15% of awards will be allotted to international applicants, so only competitive international applicants are encouraged to apply. International applicants must be enrolled at SFU at time of application.

Know your deadline: you must apply either through a Canadian institution or directly to an agency, depending on your registration status. The application form should prompt options, depending on your entries. Learn more: 

Canadian Graduate Scholarships

 

 

 

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How to Apply

Check eligibility

Confirm that you meet all the criteria before you apply.

  • Eligible doctoral programs must be predominantly research oriented and research must meet general guidelines for subject matter.
  • International students must be enrolled in a doctoral program at SFU by the application deadline (October 1).

Review evaluation criteria

Applications are adjudicated, and available funds awarded, through a merit review process. 

Prepare your application

Each agency has their own application system and instructions: 

  • CIHR:  and 
  • NSERC:  and 
  • SSHRC:  and login and 

SFU prefers official transcripts: Instructions for ordering SFU transcripts.

You may be eligible for supplements and initiatives, which you can self-identify and apply for directly within the application.

Complete your application

Follow the application instructions.
  • Complete applications must be submitted no later than October 1st.
  • Late/incomplete applications will NOT be accepted.
  • Edits/updates are NOT permitted after the submission deadline.

Questions about eligibility or application process?

Attend an Award Information Session or contact gradawards@sfu.ca

Transcripts

When you order official SFU Transcripts, enter the information below if you want the awards team to print, scan, and email you an electronic copy:

SFU Graduate Studies
ATTN: Scholarships
1100 Maggie Benston Centre
91ÅÝܽ
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6
Canada

Error message when uploading attachments?

For SSHRC, all transcripts pages must be portrait orientation (not landscape) and must be less than 10MB.

For NSERC, file names cannot contain special characters.

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Competition Timeline (2025)

October 1
4:30 PM (PST)           		 Student deadline to submit the full application. If the deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, applications must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. (PST) the following business day.
November 
 Departments rank applications and the University Scholarship Selection Committee (USSC) makes final decisions.
November Graduate Studies forwards selected applications to Tri-agencies.
April -May Students are contacted by CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC with results.

CGRS Doctoral Acceptance & Setup Process at SFU

1. Awardees are notified by CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC

  • Awardees must accept by the deadline given by the agency.
  • Awardees must read the  for terms and conditions.

2. Accept/Decline award offer 

  • CIHR: awardees must send Response to Offer form to Graduate Studies for signature before completing the Response to Offer task in 
  • NSERC and SSHRC: Award recipients must accept or decline by sending an email to the appropriate , stating whether they accept or decline, and confirming the start date.

3. Activate Award Payment (Request 1st installment)

  • CIHR: award recipients must complete the Confirmation of Commencement form on  and submit a signed copy to the  by email. Graduate Studies (gradawards@sfu.ca) should be cc'd on the email.  
  • NSERC and SSHRC: awardee must send  to Graduate Studies for signature. The signed form must be uploaded to the appropriate .

4. Accept SFU Payment Offer

  • Graduate award staff creates and sends an award payment offer through the Graduate Awards System.
  • If you are new to SFU you will receive the offer approximately 1 month prior to your start term.
  • You must accept the award in SFU's system to receive payment. 

5. Receive Payments

6. Changes and Leaves

  • Awardees must follow the processes outlined in the  and inform Graduate Studies of any changes to their research and/or enrollment status.
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