Graduate student awards
External awards for domestic graduate students
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Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence
The Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence supports the recruitment of top students to AI-related master’s programs in Ontario.
- $17,500 for one year
- Candidates applying for entrance into a full-time master’s program in an AI-related field at Ontario Tech University.
- Quotas:
- Open competition: no quota
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Mitacs Globalink Research Awards
The Mitacs Globalink Research Award program provides funding to support graduate student research projects abroad. The program is open to all disciplines and provides an opportunity for faculty at Canadian universities to strengthen existing international research collaborations and connect with colleagues around the world through the mobility of graduate students in Mitacs partner countries.Partner countries
Mitacs partner countries:
- Brazil
- China
- France
- India
- Israel
- Korea
- Mexico
- Tunisia
Funding varies by destination.
How to apply:
- Please apply via the Mitacs website.
- Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Next steps:
- Successful candidates can begin their projects a soon as they have provided Mitacs with the required supplementary documents. Projects must begin within one year of receiving their results. Applications are awarded competitively and subject to available funding.
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Mitacs Accelerate Program
The Mitacs Accelerate Program connects companies with over 50 research-based universities through graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who in turn apply their skills to organizational challenges. Interns gain real-world experience, while companies are connected with high-quality researchers.
The Mitacs Accelerate Program connects companies with over 50 research-based universities through graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who in turn apply their skills to organizational challenges.
How to apply:
- Please apply via the Mitacs website.
- Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program
The Tri-Agency scholarship and fellowship programs administered by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have been streamlined into a new harmonized program called the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS).
The new harmonized program within CRTAS is now the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) (formally known as the Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (CGS-D)).
The CGRS D program aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity, and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.
The objectives of the CGRS D program vary according to the Tri-Agency descriptions below.
- CIHR: Funds applications in any area of health research.
- NSERC: Provides financial support to scholars who are engaged in research in the natural sciences or engineering.
- SSHRC: Funds research in the social sciences and humanities.
Value and duration:
- $40,000 per year, up to 36 months
- Eligible to apply: doctoral students
Nomination quota:
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – three*
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) – three*
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – three*
*Quotas are determined by the individual granting agency. If there is a discrepancy between the advertised quotas here and those of the CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, the latter shall prevail.
Institutional deadline:
- 2025-2026 application is now closed
Eligibility:
For full details about eligibility, review the ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA on the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral program webpage.
International Applicants: If you are not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), you must be enrolled in a doctoral program of study at the time of application.
- International student applicants to the fall 2025 CGRS D competition who are not registered in a doctoral program at Ontario Tech for the fall 2025 term will be deemed ineligible.
Other restrictions
- You can submit a maximum of one scholarship or fellowship application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
- You can apply a maximum of three times to this funding opportunity.
- You cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
How to apply:
You must apply either through a Canadian institution or directly to the appropriate agency, depending on your registration status on the application deadline date and/or your registration status during the calendar year of application. Where you intend to hold the award has no impact on the channel through which you must apply. If you fail to submit your application through the correct channel, your application will not be considered.
To determine the correct channel:
- Determine your registration status for the calendar year of application. If you are unsure of your registration status in the calendar year of application, contact gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca
- To determine which agency to submit your CGRS D application to, please see the Tri-Agency Guidelines on Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency (if you are still unsure after consulting these resources, contact the relevant agencies).
- Review the APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS for each agency and complete the application process:
- CIHR: ResearchNET and instructions
- NSERC: Online system and instructions
- SSHRC: Registration and login and instructions
For more information on application procedure, eligibility and selection criteria, visit the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships - Doctoral Program site.
Official Transcripts:
- Up-to-date official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies must be included in the application, including transcripts for the fall term of the year of application, whether they contain grades or not. Transcripts serve to confirm the number of months of graduate studies completed, determine your first-class average, and confirm your current registration. If your transcripts include transfer credits from another institution, the original transcript with the grades shown should be included, or your application will be deemed ineligible.
- Up-to-date official transcripts are defined as transcripts issued by the Registrar's Office and dated or issued in the fall term of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered).
- To learn how to obtain your official Ontario Tech transcript(s), visit the Registrar's Office webpage.
Resources and questions
- To access tips for preparing scholarships applications and samples of winning research proposals, visit Ontario Tech's tips and tricks webpage.
- If you have any questions about this or any other scholarship competition, contact gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca
Tri-Agency contacts
Learn More about Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral Program)
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Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's Program
The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s (CGS M) program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.
- $27,000 for 12 months, non-renewable
- Eligible to apply: master's students
Learn More about Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master's Program)
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Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Students in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels can apply for a merit-based scholarship through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program.
Awards are available to graduate students for all disciplines of academic study at participating schools in Ontario.
- $15,000 annually or $5,000 per term for a minimum of two terms and a maximum of three terms.
- Eligible to apply: master's and doctoral students
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IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme
The IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) seeks to inspire and support young women to pursue a career in the nuclear field.
- Female candidates
- Accepted by or enrolled in an accredited university in Master's programme
- In relevant fields of study
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IBET Momentum Fellowship
The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS) is committed to increasing the diversity of the Canadian workforce in the engineering and technology sector, especially, the participation of Indigenous and Black communities.
Partnering with the Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology Ph.D. Project (IBET), the Faculty will provide financial support, mentorship, training and networking opportunities to foster a robust professional community for participating Ph.D. candidates through the IBET Momentum Fellowship.
The Fellowship recipient will receive $25,000 per year for four years to pursue a doctorate degree and specialized engineering research; in addition, the recipient will also receive a minimum GRA of $5,000 per year from the supervisor and a full TAship commitment from the Faculty.
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Canada Impact and Research Award - Doctoral Program
The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards recognize and support international researchers at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. By providing high‑quality training opportunities in priority fields, the program strives to attract global talent and strengthen Canada's research ecosystem.
- Doctoral awards are $40,000/year for up to three years.
These awards are a one-time initiative designed to recruit international or returning Canadian doctoral students to Canada in eight priority research areas, helping build capacity, strengthen the research ecosystem, and enhance Canada’s global competitiveness.
Nomination Quota: Ontario Tech has received an allocation of two at the doctoral level.
Application dates: Interested students who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to contact their proposed doctoral supervisor or faculty member to express their interest in being nominated by February 20.
Value and duration: Doctoral Awards: $40,000 for three years
Required legal status: Domestic / International
Nominator:
A nominator must be a faculty member at an eligible institution and be the primary grant holder on an active grant from an eligible funding opportunity from one of the three federal funding agencies at the time of nomination. Refer to the list of agency-specific eligible funding opportunities. For the purposes of this initiative, eligible active grants are those that received a payment or have a planned payment in the 2025-26 or 2026–27 fiscal year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027).
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A Nominator should be conducting research within one of the eight priority research areas.
As per the nominating institution’s policies, nominators must be eligible to supervise doctoral students and/or postdoctoral researchers. Nominators must not be currently deemed ineligible to hold and/or apply for funds by CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, for reasons of breach of policies on responsible conduct of research, such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies. Nominators must have accounts in good standing with CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
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 and supervise the nominee conducting research in one of the identified areas.
Doctoral nominees
- Have applied for admission to a funded doctoral program to start in September 2026 or January 2027
- Must not be affiliated with a Canadian institution at the time of nomination;
- Must be currently studying or working abroad
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 from the three agencies or be currently benefiting from tri-agency funds from a supervisor’s grant.
- Doctoral: Cannot have previously held doctoral-level scholarship from one of the three agencies.
Research program eligibility
- An eligible doctoral degree research program must be predominantly research oriented.
Nomination process
Interested students and postdoctoral researchers who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to contact their proposed doctoral supervisor or faculty member to express their interest in being nominated.
Conditions of the award
Award holders must comply with the policies and guidelines set out in the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide and in any other documents related to these nominations and awards.
The agencies reserve the right to interpret and enforce the policies and guidelines for their funding opportunities set out in their published materials.
For more information, see the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA) Q&A site.
External awards for international graduate students
-
Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence
The Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence supports the recruitment of top students to AI-related master’s programs in Ontario.
- $17,500 for one year
- Candidates applying for entrance into a full-time master’s program in an AI-related field at Ontario Tech University.
- Quotas:
- Open competition: no quota
-
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) program is a federal program of scholarships awarded through national competitions by the granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
- $40,000 per year, up to 36 months
- Eligible to apply: doctoral students
Learn More about Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral Program)
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Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Students in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels can apply for a merit-based scholarship through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program.
Awards are available to graduate students for all disciplines of academic study at participating schools in Ontario.
- $15,000 annually or $5,000 per term for a minimum of two terms and a maximum of three terms.
- Eligible to apply: master's and doctoral students
-
IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme
The IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) seeks to inspire and support young women to pursue a career in the nuclear field.
- Female candidates
- Accepted by or enrolled in an accredited university in Master's programme
- In relevant fields of study
-
Canada Impact and Research Award - Doctoral Program
The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards recognize and support international researchers at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. By providing high‑quality training opportunities in priority fields, the program strives to attract global talent and strengthen Canada's research ecosystem.
- Doctoral awards are $40,000/year for up to three years.
These awards are a one-time initiative designed to recruit international or returning Canadian doctoral students to Canada in eight priority research areas, helping build capacity, strengthen the research ecosystem, and enhance Canada’s global competitiveness.
Nomination Quota: Ontario Tech has received an allocation of two at the doctoral level.
Application dates: Interested students who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to contact their proposed doctoral supervisor or faculty member to express their interest in being nominated by February 20.
Value and duration: Doctoral Awards: $40,000 for three years
Required legal status: Domestic / International
Nominator:
A nominator must be a faculty member at an eligible institution and be the primary grant holder on an active grant from an eligible funding opportunity from one of the three federal funding agencies at the time of nomination. Refer to the list of agency-specific eligible funding opportunities. For the purposes of this initiative, eligible active grants are those that received a payment or have a planned payment in the 2025-26 or 2026–27 fiscal year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027).
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A Nominator should be conducting research within one of the eight priority research areas.
As per the nominating institution’s policies, nominators must be eligible to supervise doctoral students and/or postdoctoral researchers. Nominators must not be currently deemed ineligible to hold and/or apply for funds by CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, for reasons of breach of policies on responsible conduct of research, such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies. Nominators must have accounts in good standing with CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
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 and supervise the nominee conducting research in one of the identified areas.
Doctoral nominees
- Have applied for admission to a funded doctoral program to start in September 2026 or January 2027
- Must not be affiliated with a Canadian institution at the time of nomination;
- Must be currently studying or working abroad
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 from the three agencies or be currently benefiting from tri-agency funds from a supervisor’s grant.
- Doctoral: Cannot have previously held doctoral-level scholarship from one of the three agencies.
Research program eligibility
- An eligible doctoral degree research program must be predominantly research oriented.
Nomination process
Interested students and postdoctoral researchers who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to contact their proposed doctoral supervisor or faculty member to express their interest in being nominated.
Conditions of the award
Award holders must comply with the policies and guidelines set out in the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide and in any other documents related to these nominations and awards.
The agencies reserve the right to interpret and enforce the policies and guidelines for their funding opportunities set out in their published materials.
For more information, see the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA) Q&A site.
Other external awards
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Autism Scholars Award
The Autism Scholars Awards Program was established with the support of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent scholars studying autism.
Internal deadline: December 1
For the academic year 2026-27, the program offers up to:
- Two one-year awards of $18,000 at the master’s level; and
- Up to three one-year awards of $20,000 at the doctoral level.
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DAAD - Research Grants in Germany
This research grant provides an opportunity for PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers to pursue an independent research project in Germany.
Eligibility:
- Must be a current PhD candidate or postdoctoral researcher
- Must have a well-defined research project to be conducted at a German institution
- Open to applicants in all academic disciplines
Application deadline: October 31
For any questions, please email ip.toronto@daad-net.de
VISIT DAAD RESEARCH GRANTS WEBSITE
Note: University policy states that all Ontario Tech students travelling outside of Canada for university activities, including conducting research abroad, must register their travel with the university prior to departure. Details can be found on the International Office website and inquiries can be sent to internationalexchange@ontariotechu.ca.
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Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate Scholarship
In Ms. Lassonde’s memory, one $15,000 award is granted to a woman studying engineering full-time at the PhD level.
This is an ambassadorial award and applicants must demonstrate they are leaders, ambassadors for the profession and serve as role models for other women who dream of becoming engineers.
Eligibility:
- Must self-identify as a female
- Possess Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residency Status
- Be currently enrolled full-time at a PhD level in an accredited Engineering Program within Canada
- Must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited Canadian engineering program, or have a P. Eng. designation or be a recognized E.I.T. in their province of residence.
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John Charles Polanyi Prizes for postdoctoral research
To honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government established a fund to award John Charles Polanyi Prizes annually to up to five outstanding researchers or scholars who are in the early stages of their careers and at Ontario universities.
- Resident of Ontario
- Have received their doctoral degree from any recognized university in the world on or after September 1, 2020, or, if the doctoral degree has not yet been awarded, be confident that they will have completed all degree requirements by May 31, 2024 (an applicant who was on parental leave between the time of completion of the doctorate and the time of application may have their period of eligibility extended by six months);
- Either be planning to continue to post-doctoral studies, or hold a faculty appointment, in a recognized publicly assisted university in Ontario.
- $20,000
- Internal deadline: December 1
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Ontario Women's Health Scholars Awards
The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards Program was established with the support of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent scholars studying women’s health.
Internal deadline: December 1
For the academic year 2026-27, the program offers up to:
- two one-year awards of $25,000 (plus a research allowance of $1,000) at the master’s level;
- three renewable one-year awards of $35,000 (plus a research allowance of $2,000) at the doctoral level; and
- two one-year awards of $50,000 (plus a research allowance of $5,000) at the postdoctoral level.
Donor awards
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Hubert H. Harshman Award
The Hubert H. Harshman Award will be awarded to a full-time graduate student in the Faculty of Education.
Value:
- One award of $3,500 is available to an eligible student.
Quota:
- one per year
Eligible candidates must:
- Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
- Be enrolled in the field of Education and Digital Technologies within the Master of Arts, Master of Education or the Graduate Diploma program to build on the institutional strengths of information and communication technologies
- Demonstrate good citizenship, good social responsibility and leadership in society
- Demonstrate community involvement
Requirements:
The student must submit two letters of reference (faculty member and a community contact) with at least one of them highlighting the candidate’s citizenship qualities.
- The letters of reference must be submitted to Student Awards and Financial Aid or by email to connect@ontariotechu.ca.
- Please advise your references that their letter must be received by the application deadline date or your application will be incomplete and will not be reviewed.
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Nathan and Marvin Goldman Durham Homes Graduate Award
The Nathan and Marvin Goldman/Durham Homes Graduate Award will be awarded to a full-time graduate student in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Eligible candidates must:
- Be studying at the graduate level in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
- Demonstrate financial need.
- Meet the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) residency requirements (i.e. Ontario resident and Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Preference will be given to students who:
- Have achieved excellence at the undergraduate level.
- Plan to carry out studies that apply to one or more of the following areas:
- Reducing the environmental impact of residential construction/maintenance.
- Improving building energy systems or energy technologies that are relevant to the residential housing sector.
- Improving construction methods for buildings.
Please email your completed application letter directly to connect@ontariotechu.ca.
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Power Workers’ Union Transportation Electrification and Smart Grid Research Graduate Award
The Power Workers’ Union Transportation Electrification and Smart Grid Research Graduate Award will be offered to full-time graduate students in entering or enrolled in the MASc or PhD program in Electrical and Computer Engineering specializing in Smart Grid research.
Value:
- $5,000
Quota:
- three awards available per academic year
Eligible candidates must:
- Be entering or enrolled in the MASc or PhD program in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in Smart Grid research.
- Have achieved a first-class average, i.e. 3.70 (A-) in the last two years of completed study.
- Be within their standard program length (i.e. two years for master’s; four years for doctoral).
- Whose research area is most closely related to transportation electrification and smart grid.
- Who demonstrate Leadership experience.
- Who demonstrate volunteerism and community outreach.
Requirements:
The student must submit two letters of reference.
- The letters of reference must be submitted by email to gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca.
- Please advise your references that their letter must be received by the application deadline date or your application will be incomplete and will not be reviewed.
Deadline:
Deadline to apply for 2025-2026 is Friday, October 24, 2025.
Grad Conference Travel Awards
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Overview
The Graduate Student Research Travel Award provides financial support to graduate students in thesis-based programs who are attending and presenting research at academic or professional conferences.
Receiving your award (OGS, OGSST, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, donor and other)
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Acceptance and activation
Accept the offer of award from the agency following the instructions provided in the offer letter, and then activate it for payment by completing the required agency forms.
Review the harmonized Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder's Guide.
Initiate the payment process at Ontario Tech University by completing the Graduate Award Activation Form. -
Annual progress reports (doctoral students)
Any student who holds a NSERC multi-year award at the doctoral level must fill out an annual progress report in order to receive the next three terms of the award.
These reports need to be submitted each year as per the following schedule:
- April 1 – May anniversaries
- July 1 – September anniversaries
- December 1 – January anniversaries
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Revised funding
Recipients of external scholarships and fellowships may have their funding package reviewed. Revised funding may be issued for the duration of the award.
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Method of payment
At Ontario Tech University the annual value of an award is divided into three equal installments and each is pre-paid to the award holder’s tuition account at the beginning of every term (September, January and May), unless otherwise specified by the agency. Payments are made before the tuition payment deadline and until the award has expired or until the student no longer meets the eligibility requirements outlined by the scholarship program(s).
These external organizations may require students who are completing their degree early to repay a portion of the scholarship.
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Income tax reporting
T4A slips for scholarships and bursaries are issued by the finance department and can be viewed by signing in to MyOntarioTech. For questions or concerns, please contact studentar@ontariotechu.ca.
Questions can be directed to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (905.721.8668 ext. 6209 or gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca).