To note:

✅ General eligibility:
Applicants must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time equivalent study in the doctoral program you are requesting funding for and can find the eligibility criteria here. They can apply a maximum of three times to the external CGRS-D competition.

➡️ Submissions:
Applicants submit their application to the appropriate agency portal link above. Applicants can only submit a maximum of one CGRS-D, CGRS-M or CPRA application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC. If you submit more than one application, only the eligible application submitted first will be retained.

📄 Transcripts: Your application must include all current official transcripts, even if this semester’s grades aren’t available.  Each transcript should include one copy of the legend. For Brock students, you can order them through MyCreds (send them to yourself and download (or print) to remove password protection).

🌎 International students: Starting in the 2025 to 2026 cycle, international students enrolled in a doctoral program at the time of the internal deadline are eligible to apply for the CGRS-D competition. Up to 15 percent of awards will be eligible to international students, who must hold their CGRS-D award at a Canadian institution.

🗓️ Next steps: Brock University’s Internal Review Committee for each agency will determine which applications move forward for external review based on the quota provided by each agency (CIHR: 3, NSERC: 13 and SSHRC: 16).
Results will be announced by the agencies by April 30 (source).

Application Deadline: July 2025

Award Value: Doctoral (Stream A): maximum of $50,000 per year up to 1 year, Post-doctoral (Stream B): maximum of $155,000 total for 2 years.

The Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship provides an embedded research opportunity for highly-qualified PhD trainees and post-doctoral researchers studying health services and policy research (HSPR), or related fields. This is a unique opportunity for awardees to:

• apply their research and analytic talents to critical health system challenges that are being addressed by health system organizations (e.g., public, private for-profit, not-for-profit, and Indigenous health organizations) outside of the traditional university setting, and
• develop and expand professional experience, new skills, and networks.

Apply through ResearchNet

This is a National Scholarship for students accepted into a one, two, or three year doctoral program

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholarship

ABOUT THE AWARD

Our scholarship program is a gateway for courageous, bold, original thinkers who seek unconventional experiences beyond the halls of academia. Our Scholars are hungry to play a leadership role in their communities and help inspire positive change. This year’s recipients were chosen based on their compelling research that contributes to one or more of the Foundation’s four themes. They will embark on a three-year journey that will foster their development as leaders and offer critical reflection on the subject of Power & Knowledge.

Due Date

November 17, 2025 at 4:00pm ET.

Information Session hosted by the Foundation: October 8, 2025. Visit their website for more details.

PROCESS

Apply through their Application Portal 

ELIGIBILITY

More information can be found at their website 

TRANSCRIPTS

Submitted to their portal.

THIS IS A NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDED BY THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL

SSHRC Impact Awards recognize researchers and graduate students to celebrate funding achievement, either entirely or partially, by SSHRC. Brock University will hold an internal competition for Impact nominations.

SSHRC Impact Webinars: January 22, 2026. More information can be found here: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/impact_awards-prix_impacts-eng.aspx

The Talent Award: The Talent Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual who, on April 1, 2026, holds a SSHRC doctoral scholarship or fellowship or postdoctoral fellowship and who maintains academic excellence, has a talent for research and knowledge mobilization, and has demonstrated clear potential to be a future leader within and/or outside the academic sector.

Talent Award Value: $50,000
Internal Deadline: February 1, 2026 at 4 p.m.
Applicants submit applications to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at [email protected]

Talent Award application process:

The following nomination materials should be emailed to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, [email protected], as one document file by the internal deadline date of February 1, 2026:

• information supporting the nomination (if relevant, up to 2 pages);
• the nominee’s current CV;
• a list of the names and contact information of those who can provide letters of support (3 potential referees)

Selection of Brock Candidates: Mid-February 2026

FGSPA works with candidates over the remaining period. During this period, FGSPA will support candidates in completing and/or compiling the additional documents required for the nomination package due to SSHRC on April 1, 2026.

External Letters of Reference: March 2026

ORS Signature Sheet: March 2026

More information on the Talent Award, including instructions to apply, can be found here: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/instructions/impact/applicant-candidat-eng.aspx

More information on SSHRC Impact awards can be found here: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/impact_awards-prix_impacts-eng.aspx

Talent Award- Selection criteria

1. Challenge—ambition and importance (25%):

• originality and significance of the body of work within the nominee’s fields of research.
  
  2. Achievements—impact and outcomes (75%):

• originality and significance of the nominee’s body of academic achievement and research, including quality of publications relative to stage of career;
• evidence of impact of the nominee’s work within their fields of research and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community;
• the nominee’s ability and commitment to communicate research results within and/or beyond the academic community;
• level of the nominee’s engagement with, and the quality of training and mentoring provided to, students, emerging scholars and participants relative to the nominee’s career level; and
• the nominee’s demonstrated potential for leadership and societal contributions within and/or beyond the academic community.

Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative: December 1, 2025. More information here.

The Tri-Agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR) established a “Harmonization Committee” to redesign the CGS Master’s programs. The aim was to create a harmonized, more flexible and effective system of application to fund students who demonstrate a high level of achievement in graduate studies.

Application Form: Research Portal on-line application. If you have selected Brock University as one of the three institutions where you are planning on holding your award, the university will be able to access your online application.

Please refer to the Tri-Agency website for:

• Eligibility
• Application Instructions
• Canadian Common CV (CCV) Instructions

Resources, information and updates to assist with your application.

Transcripts:

Your application must include a copy of all up-to-date official transcripts including a current transcript (even if you don’t have grades from this semester). Each transcript should include one copy of the legend.

For Brock students, you can order them through MyCreds.
Send them to yourself
Open the file and download (or print) to remove password protection
You can watch a video on how to do it here.

Note: If you have applied for an OGS award, you may include your official transcript(s) with your OGS application package.

Minimum Academic Requirements:
The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following eligibly requirements:

• Students must have achieved a first-class average: an overall average of at least A- (80%) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).

See the full list of Tri-agency eligibility requirements for the Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s program here.

Announcement of Results: Universities will post their competition results on the Research Portal no earlier than April 1, 2026.
Acceptance and Declines of Offers: Applicants will have three weeks to respond to offers of awards. Offers not accepted will be deemed to have been declined.

Please note, this information will pertain to the Brock University’s OGS application process. Each university will have its own application and deadline date.

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels. The value of an OGS award is $15,000 for one year ($5,000 per term). The majority of awards will be awarded for one year or three terms, though students may receive the award for two consecutive terms ($10,000). One-term awards are not granted.
Students must apply for the award at the university where they plan to attend graduate studies. The award is not transferable from University to University. This means that all undergraduate and graduate students wishing to apply for OGS, who plan to study at the graduate level at Brock, must apply and submit their OGS application to Brock.

Eligibility criteria:
In order to be considered for an OGS, students must be:

• A Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person [under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] at the time of the OGS application deadline date (International students must have a study permit).
• Enrolled in or applying for admission to a graduate program on a full-time basis at Brock at the time of holding the award.
• Taking an eligible research-based program on a full time basis.
• Students cannot hold the award beyond their program funding window. Master’s and PhD applicants must have a minimum of two (2) terms remaining within their defined length of their graduate program at the time the award is disbursed.
• International students who are studying in Ontario under a temporary resident visa – student study permit, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) are eligible for the allotted visa student awards (Brock’s allocation is 3).

An eligible program is defined as a full-time program of study of two or three terms at an eligible institution leading to a graduate degree. Find official Provincial guidelines here.

Transcripts:

Applicants are required to submit official, up-to-date transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. An up-to-date transcript is defined as a transcript dated or issued in the fall session of the year of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered). An official transcript is defined as a transcript that has been issued by the institution’s registrar office; transcripts from other sources (e.g., course grades printed from a student’s account) are not considered official. Applications that fail to upload official, up-to-date transcripts could be rejected from the competition.

Applicants who have multiple transcripts must combine them into one PDF file. If your file is larger than the 5 MB maximum allowed in Brock University’s OGS/QEII application portal, you may send your file directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs ([email protected]) with the Subject Header “Official transcripts for OGS/QEII 2025-26 competition: [Last name], [Given name(s)].”

For Brock students, you can order them through MyCreds.
Send them to yourself; Open the file and download (or print) to remove password protection.

Canadian Common CV (CCV)

This link (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/CCV_CGSM-CVC_BESCM_eng.asp) will provide instructions on how to complete the Canadian Common CV (CCV). Make sure you select “CGRS-M” for both Funding and CV type. The Draft version of your CCV is what you will upload for Brock University’s OGS/QEII competition; once you complete your CCV, you will click “Preview” and download the Draft version (PDF format). There is no page limit for those who upload a CCV for their OGS/QEII application.

Formatting for PDF attachments:

Please pay close attention to the following formatting guidelines for the attachments of your research proposal, bibliography/citations, and (optional) special circumstances document:

1. Spell out all acronyms and abbreviations the first time they appear.
2. Use either letter-size pages (8.5 x 11 inches or 216 x 279 mm) or A4 pages (8.3 x 11.7 inches or 210 x 297 mm).
3. Use single spacing.
4. Use 12-point Times New Roman font for all text.*
5. Do not use condensed fonts; they will not be accepted.
6. Use black text only. Colour images are acceptable.**
7. Set all margins to at least ¾ inch (1.87 cm).
8. Do not include hyperlinks or bookmarks in your documents.

Failure to adhere to the formatting guidelines listed above could result in your application being rejected from the competition.

Research Proposal and Citations/Bibliography:

• Prospective and current master’s students have one page for their research proposal and one page for their bibliography and citations.
  • Using plain language and being as specific as possible, describe your planned research/project, stating its significance and impact on the field of study.
• Prospective and current doctoral students have two pages for their research proposal and two pages for their bibliography/citations.
  • Prospective doctoral students: Provide the title and brief description of your master’s thesis (if applicable). Identify the field of concentration of your proposed doctoral studies; outline the experimental or theoretical approach to be taken; state the methods and procedures that will be used; explain the significance and impact of your research.
  • Current doctoral students: Clearly state at what stage of your thesis you are in; outline your thesis and explain how it will build on existing research; outline what you plan to accomplish during your award tenure; explain the significance and impact of your research.

Minimum Academic Requirements:
The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following OGS academic requirements:

• Students entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved a first-class average (A- or 80%) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Students entering the third year or beyond of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved an overall, first-class average (A- or 80%) on all graduate courses completed.

Eligibility Conditions:
Master’s students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years and doctoral students for a maximum of four years, subject to a lifetime maximum of six years per student.

In addition, a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student awards must have not have been exceeded by the applicant. Awards under the following programs will be counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Applicants cannot hold an OGS scholarship and an award from any of the following programs, concurrently:

• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Recipients must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program. Recipients who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, or fail to complete the term, will be required to repay the award.

OSAP Restrictions

Students who have an OSAP restriction on their file are ineligible from receiving their scholarship until the restriction has been cleared. At the time of disbursement, if the Faculty of Graduate Studies finds a restriction on the student’s file, the student will be contacted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and advised of a deadline by which they must clear the restriction or forfeit their award.

Evaluation Criteria:
Academic Excellence 50%
Research Potential 30%
Communications, Interpersonal and Leadership Abilities 20%

You can read more about the evaluation criteria weighting here 

Deadline Date:  Monday, December 15, 2025 by 4:00 pm ET. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Academic Assessments & Letter of Support:   

• Academic Assessment Report – two required for each applicant (to be submitted by referee through this link)
• Submission of the Academic Assessment Report must be submitted by the deadline date set above.

Announcement of results: March – April 2026 (Only successful applicants will be notified).

Eligible Disciplines For QEII-GSST Purposes

The QEII-GSST program supports graduate students enrolled in research master’s and doctoral programs in science and technology disciplines. Collaboration, inter-disciplinary study, and innovation are encouraged. The following are the eligible disciplines:

• Applied Sciences:
• Aerospace (may include Aeronautical Engineering)
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering and Architecture (may include Landscape Architecture)
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Science (may include Engineering, Engineering Physics, and
• Nuclear Engineering)
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mining, Metallurgy, and Materials Science (may include Metallurgical Engineering)
• Systems and Industrial Engineering (may include Systems/Design Engineering and Operational Research)
• Biological and Life Sciences:
• Biochemistry and Biophysics (may include Medical Biophysics)
• Environmental Sciences (may include Agriculture, Ecology, Forestry, and Toxicology)
• General Biological Sciences (may include Biology, Botany, Entomology, Microbiology, Mycology, Plant and Animal Biology, and Zoology)
• Genetics, Cell, and Molecular Biology
• General Health Science (may include research-oriented programs in Epidemiology, Human Kinetics, Hygiene, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation disciplines such as Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Audiology, and Speech Pathology)
• Human Biology (may include Anatomy, Biomedical Sciences, Food Science, Immunology, Neuroscience, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology)
• Medical and Veterinary Sciences (may include research-oriented programs in Dentistry, Medical Sciences, Nursing, Optometry, and Pharmacy)
• Physical Sciences:
• Chemistry
• Computer Science (may include Information/Systems Science)
• Earth Sciences (may include Geology and Geophysics)
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physics (may include Astronomy, Meteorology, and Space Science)

QEII-GSST Application

Application Deadline Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 by 4:00 p.m. ET

Eligibility Criteria:

In order to be considered for a QEII-GSST award, students must be:

• a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protect Person [under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] at the time of the QEII-GSST application deadline date
• enrolled in or applying for admission to a graduate program on a full-time basis at Brock University at the time of holding the award
• taking an eligible program on a full-time basis
• students cannot hold the award beyond their program funding window. Master’s and PhD applicants must have a minimum of two (2) terms remaining within their defined length of their graduate program at the time the award is disbursed.

Find official Provincial guidelines here.

Transcripts:

Applicants are required to submit official, up-to-date transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. An up-to-date transcript is defined as a transcript dated or issued in the fall session of the year of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered). An official transcript is defined as a transcript that has been issued by the institution’s registrar office; transcripts from other sources (e.g., course grades printed from a student’s account) are not considered official. Applications that fail to upload official, up-to-date transcripts could be rejected from the competition.

Applicants who have multiple transcripts must combine them into one PDF file. If your file is larger than the 5 MB maximum allowed in Brock University’s OGS/QEII application portal, you may send your file directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs ([email protected]) with the Subject Header “Official transcripts for OGS/QEII 2025-26 competition: [Last name], [Given name(s)].”

For Brock students, you can order them through MyCreds.
Send them to yourself; Open the file and download (or print) to remove password protection.

Canadian Common CV (CCV)

This link (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/CCV_CGSM-CVC_BESCM_eng.asp) will provide instructions on how to complete the Canadian Common CV (CCV). Make sure you select “CGRS-M” for both Funding and CV type. The Draft version of your CCV is what you will upload for Brock University’s OGS/QEII competition; once you complete your CCV, you will click “Preview” and download the Draft version (PDF format). There is no page limit for those who upload a CCV for their OGS/QEII application.

Formatting for PDF attachments:

Please pay close attention to the following formatting guidelines for the attachments of your research proposal, bibliography/citations, and (optional) special circumstances document:

1. Spell out all acronyms and abbreviations the first time they appear.
2. Use either letter-size pages (8.5 x 11 inches or 216 x 279 mm) or A4 pages (8.3 x 11.7 inches or 210 x 297 mm).
3. Use single spacing.
4. Use 12-point Times New Roman font for all text.*
5. Do not use condensed fonts; they will not be accepted.
6. Use black text only. Colour images are acceptable.**
7. Set all margins to at least ¾ inch (1.87 cm).
8. Do not include hyperlinks or bookmarks in your documents.

Failure to adhere to the formatting guidelines listed above could result in your application being rejected from the competition.

Research Proposal and Citations/Bibliography:

• Prospective and current master’s students have one page for their research proposal and one page for their bibliography and citations.
  • Using plain language and being as specific as possible, describe your planned research/project, stating its significance and impact on the field of study.
• Prospective and current doctoral students have two pages for their research proposal and two pages for their bibliography/citations.
  • Prospective doctoral students: Provide the title and brief description of your master’s thesis (if applicable). Identify the field of concentration of your proposed doctoral studies; outline the experimental or theoretical approach to be taken; state the methods and procedures that will be used; explain the significance and impact of your research.
  • Current doctoral students: Clearly state at what stage of your thesis you are in; outline your thesis and explain how it will build on existing research; outline what you plan to accomplish during your award tenure; explain the significance and impact of your research.

Minimum Academic Requirements:
The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following OGS academic requirements:

• Students entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved a first-class average (A- or 80%) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Students entering the third year or beyond of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved an overall, first-class average (A- or 80%) on all graduate courses completed.

Eligibility Conditions:

Master’s students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two (2) years and doctoral students for a maximum of four (4) years, subject to a lifetime maximum of six (6) years per student.

In addition, a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student awards must not have been exceeded by the applicant.  Awards under the following programs will be counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Applicants cannot hold a QEII-GSST scholarship and an award from any of the following program, concurrently:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Recipients must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program.  Recipients who withdraw, transfer to part-time status or fail to complete the term, will be required to repay the award.

OSAP Restrictions

Students who have an OSAP restriction on their file are ineligible from receiving their scholarship until the restriction has been cleared.  At the time of disbursements, if the Faculty of Graduate Studies finds a restriction on the student’s file, the student will be contacted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and advised of a deadline by which they must clear the restriction or forfeit their award.

Evaluation Criteria:
Academic Excellence 50%
Research Potential 30%
Communications, Interpersonal and Leadership Abilities 20%

You can read more about the weighting here 

Deadline Date:  Monday, December 15, 2025 by 4:00 pm ET. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Academic Assessments & Letter of Support:   

• Academic Assessment Report – two required for each applicant (to be submitted by referee through this link)
• Submission of the Academic Assessment Report must be submitted by the deadline date set above.

Announcement of results: March – April 2026 (Only successful applicants will be notified).

The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements (CGS-MSFSS) are available to Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada or Protected Persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) who hold a Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) at the master’s or doctoral level, or a Vanier CGS at the doctoral level.

The program description, application form and instructions for each agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) are available on the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements Program website, here.

Referee reports are due the same date and time as your scholarship application. Referees submit their report through https://brocku.ca/graduate-studies/award-reference-report/

Develop your career through new research connections, experience, and professional skills training. Mitacs programs are available for all disciplines.

• Mitacs Accelerate: Put your talent to work with a paid internship at an organization that needs your expertise. Funding starts at $15,000, and your partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $7,500.
• Open Projects: If you are a student (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral fellows or a recent graduate from a Canadian institution), explore the available projects using the filters below, and apply using the link at the end of the project description.
• Mitacs Elevate: Build your career through this competitive annual fellowship for up to two years. Elevate includes a research management training program and a postdoctoral fellowship. Your partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $30,000 per year.
• Mitacs Globalink: Take your research abroad with Mitacs Globalink. Globalink offers travel funding between Canada and several international partners.
• Mitacs Entrepreneur International: Offers travel grants to Canadian start-ups housed in an incubator linked to an academic institution. The grant enables start-ups to connect with international incubators allowing you to explore new business development opportunities in global markets.
• Mitacs Business Strategy Internship: Put your skills to work through a paid internship and help Canadian businesses on the road to innovation! Provides $10,000 or $15,000 to students who develop innovative projects designed to help an organization thrive.

Eligibility criteria:
In order to be considered for an OGS, students must be:

• Students studying in Ontario under a study permit or visa.
• Enrolled in or applying for admission to a research-based graduate program on a full-time basis at Brock at the time of holding the award.
• Taking an eligible program on a full time basis.
• Students cannot hold the award beyond their program funding window. Master’s and PhD applicants must have a minimum of two (2) terms remaining within their defined length of their graduate program at the time the award is disbursed.

An eligible program is defined as a full-time program of study of two or three terms at an eligible institution leading to a graduate degree.

Find official Provincial guidelines here.

Visa Students:
International students who are studying in Ontario under a temporary resident visa – student study permit, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) are eligible for the allotted visa student awards (Brock’s allocation is 2).

Transcripts:

Applicants are required to submit official, up-to-date transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. An up-to-date transcript is defined as a transcript dated or issued in the fall session of the year of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered). An official transcript is defined as a transcript that has been issued by the institution’s registrar office; transcripts from other sources (e.g., course grades printed from a student’s account) are not considered official. Applications that fail to upload official, up-to-date transcripts could be rejected from the competition.

Applicants who have multiple transcripts must combine them into one PDF file. If your file is larger than the 5 MB maximum allowed in Brock University’s OGS/QEII application portal, you may send your file directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs ([email protected]) with the Subject Header “Official transcripts for OGS/QEII 2025-26 competition: [Last name], [Given name(s)].”

For Brock students, you can order them through MyCreds.
Send them to yourself; Open the file and download (or print) to remove password protection.

Canadian Common CV (CCV)

This link (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/CCV_CGSM-CVC_BESCM_eng.asp) will provide instructions on how to complete the Canadian Common CV (CCV). Make sure you select “CGRS-M” for both Funding and CV type. The Draft version of your CCV is what you will upload for Brock University’s OGS/QEII competition; once you complete your CCV, you will click “Preview” and download the Draft version (PDF format). There is no page limit for those who upload a CCV for their OGS/QEII application.

Formatting for PDF attachments:

Please pay close attention to the following formatting guidelines for the attachments of your research proposal, bibliography/citations, and (optional) special circumstances document:

1. Spell out all acronyms and abbreviations the first time they appear.
2. Use either letter-size pages (8.5 x 11 inches or 216 x 279 mm) or A4 pages (8.3 x 11.7 inches or 210 x 297 mm).
3. Use single spacing.
4. Use 12-point Times New Roman font for all text.*
5. Do not use condensed fonts; they will not be accepted.
6. Use black text only. Colour images are acceptable.**
7. Set all margins to at least ¾ inch (1.87 cm).
8. Do not include hyperlinks or bookmarks in your documents.

Failure to adhere to the formatting guidelines listed above could result in your application being rejected from the competition.

Research Proposal and Citations/Bibliography:

• Prospective and current master’s students have one page for their research proposal and one page for their bibliography and citations.
  • Using plain language and being as specific as possible, describe your planned research/project, stating its significance and impact on the field of study.
• Prospective and current doctoral students have two pages for their research proposal and two pages for their bibliography/citations.
  • Prospective doctoral students: Provide the title and brief description of your master’s thesis (if applicable). Identify the field of concentration of your proposed doctoral studies; outline the experimental or theoretical approach to be taken; state the methods and procedures that will be used; explain the significance and impact of your research.
  • Current doctoral students: Clearly state at what stage of your thesis you are in; outline your thesis and explain how it will build on existing research; outline what you plan to accomplish during your award tenure; explain the significance and impact of your research.

Minimum Academic Requirements:
The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following OGS academic requirements:

• Students entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved a first-class average (A- or 80%) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Students entering the third year or beyond of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline must have achieved an overall, first-class average (A- or 80%) on all graduate courses completed.

Eligibility Conditions:
Master’s students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years and doctoral students for a maximum of four years, subject to a lifetime maximum of six years per student.

In addition, a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student awards must have not have been exceeded by the applicant. Awards under the following programs will be counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Applicants cannot hold an OGS scholarship and an award from any of the following programs, concurrently:

• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

Recipients must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program. Recipients who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, or fail to complete the term, will be required to repay the award.

OSAP Restrictions

Students who have an OSAP restriction on their file are ineligible from receiving their scholarship until the restriction has been cleared. At the time of disbursement, if the Faculty of Graduate Studies finds a restriction on the student’s file, the student will be contacted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and advised of a deadline by which they must clear the restriction or forfeit their award.

Evaluation Criteria:
Academic Excellence 50%
Research Potential 30%
Communications, Interpersonal and Leadership Abilities 20%

You can read more about the weighting here 

Deadline Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 by 4:00 pm ET. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Academic Assessments & Letter of Support:   

• Academic Assessment Report – two required for each applicant (to be submitted by referee through this link)
• Submission of the Academic Assessment Report must be submitted by the deadline date set above.

Announcement of results: March – April 2026 (Only successful applicants will be notified).

International Students have the option to apply for funding opportunities through Brock International.

You can see them here at their website. 

Questions and Answer Sessions

The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding researchers by providing $70,000 per year for two years.

Applicants must hold (or expect to hold) a doctorate within three years of the award start date, not be in a tenure-track faculty position, and meet Canadian citizenship/permanent residency requirements (with up to 20% of awards open to international candidates).

Internal Feedback Review (optional)

There is no internal nomination process for this competition because there is no limit to the number of candidates from each institution. However, we are piloting an optional feedback review system to better support our candidates and increase their chances of success. The committee members are faculty members who have recently won a Tri-Agency grant, postdoctoral fellows who have recently won a Tri-Agency Postdoctoral Fellowship, and/or Research Officers from the Office of Research Services. For more details, see below.

Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award

This award aims to draw outstanding international researcher talent and Canadians currently studying abroad to industrial research projects in partnership with leading Canadian researchers — enabled by a competitive funding package of $170,000 over two years.

Projects are between a postdoctoral fellow, a partner organization, and an academic supervisor.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Mitacs Accelerate

This program fosters dynamic collaborations between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in Canada and Canada’s brightest academic minds. The Postdoctoral funding model requires a partner contribution of $10,000 per 4-month internship, resulting in a $20,000 research award ($15,000 stipend + $5,000 research funds). Postdoctoral researchers can participate in up to nine internships, leading to a minimum salary stipend of $60,000 per year for up to three years. Interns will work collaboratively with their academic supervisor and partner organization on a research project.

Interns can be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or international postdoctoral fellows with valid work permits. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible if their PhD graduation date is less than five years before the project’s start date. Additionally, fellows must not have been employed full-time at the partner organization before applying.

In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government has established a fund to provide annually up to five $20,000 prizes to outstanding researchers or scholars who are in the early stages of their careers and at an Ontario university.

Prizes are available in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science.

The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards Program aims to establish a research community that meets or exceeds internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence in its creation of new knowledge about women’s health and its translation into improved health for women, more effective health services and products for women, and a strengthened health care system.

This program offers up to two one-year awards of $50,000 (plus a research allowance of $5,000) at the postdoctoral level.

Application Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Your application must include a copy of all up-to-date official transcripts including a current transcript (even if you don’t have grades from this semester). Each transcript should include one copy of the legend.

Up-to-date transcripts – official transcripts that are dated or issued in the fall session of the application year (for current registration) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered). 

Official transcripts – transcripts issued by the registrar’s office. Transcripts from other sources (e.g., printed from the student’s account/portal) are not official and will not be accepted. Opening and/or scanning a paper transcript will not render the transcript unofficial.

Transfer credits – If a transcript includes transfer credits from another institution, then the grades for these credits must be shown. If the grades are not shown, then the original transcript from the other institution must be included.

Every possible effort should be made to get your official transcripts. If you are having challenges getting previous transcripts, please contact us at [email protected].

For Brock university students, please order your transcripts via your student portal.  Even if you began your graduate program in this Fall intake, you must submit a current transcript to show that you are registered in your program. There may be no marks but we need to see that you are registered in a program

For students who have applied to a Tri-agency competition, please feel free to use those transcripts for your OGS application.

For international transcripts, please contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies at [email protected] if you are having difficulty obtaining your transcripts.

Most funding agencies require you to provide references or sponsors who can provide information about the type of student you are. When you are selecting your references, make sure you:

Ask early!! Ensure they can complete the reference well before your deadline.

Ask people who know you well. This also means you have to find ways to get to know them – networking with them, volunteering with them, etc.

Provide information about you. Your CV or resume.

Provide details about the requirements of the funding agency. Some need a letter of reference, some need references to submit via a website. Be sure to be able to tell your potential reference or sponsor that information. 

Some of our applications require that you submit through the Canadian Common CV. If you do not, you can use the template ideas below:

CV Requirements (maximum 4 pages, 12 pt. font, single-spaced)

Please provide your CV, including the following items:

• Education (Degrees)
• Academic and Non-Academic Work Experience including:
  • Position title
  • Start and End Date
  • Organization – Department (Academic only)
• List of Scholarships and Awards, including:
  • Type of award
  • Organization
  • Date / Amount / Award Name
• Research Funding History, including:
  • Funding Title / Status / Start and End Date
  • Funding Organization
  • Program Name
  • Total Funding Amount
• Activities including:
  • Advisory (e.g. Mentoring)
  • Event Participation (e.g. Workshops, Fundraisers, Clubs)
  • Community / Volunteer / Membership

Career Services provides templates and information on creating a Curriculum Vitae (CV). To access this information, please see the steps below. For more information on Career Services, click here.

Steps to Accessing CV Templates

1. Login to CareerZone using your campus ID and password: careerzone.brocku.ca
2. Click on the ‘Career Education’ menu item in the left-hand navigation
3. Click ‘Online Resource Centre’ and then ‘Cover Letters, Resumes, CVs & Letters of Intent’

Some applications require you to complete a Canadian Common CV  and you will not need these templates.

FGSPA offers writing supports tailored to graduate students, including one-on-one consults with our Graduate Academic Support Specialist. To learn more and book an appointment, check out the Academic Writings Supports page.

If you receive an external scholarship or funding, you are no longer eligible to receive Fellowships administered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In lieu of this, you will receive a Dean of Graduate Studies Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship will be offered for the time period that you hold the external scholarship award; however, the annual value will be determined each year and subject to budgetary approval.

Thank you for taking the time to support your student by writing a letter of reference for them.

Applying for scholarships and awards is an important part of the research process for many graduate students. Reference letters play an integral part in allowing the adjudication committee to understand the students’ strengths, and are critical in successful scholarship applications.

In order to write a strong and effective letter, we recommend that the letter writer consult with the student to get the needed information. We have resources for students, where we ask them to take the onus on themselves to provide you with as much information as possible, to make this as easy as possible for you.

This includes:

1. Link to the award, specifically to the evaluation criteria
2. Application draft
3. Details on what they want you to include – each award is different, and some have multiple referees. Some awards also have very limited space where students can write about their qualifications, so it is best to avoid too much duplication of comments.
4. Their CV

Our adjudication committees have highlighted effective letters of support.

These include:

• How this student will excel with this award. Most applicants to external awards will have excellent grades and a strong research record. A strong letter of support helps to distinguish the applicant. Support your assessment with specific examples.
• How is this project significant? Highlight the significance of the project, the feasibility in scope and methodology. Also, address why this student is qualified to complete the work.
• Describe the students’ work to date. This can include course preparation and other experiences the student may have taken on to help them excel. *This can include details on why the student may have fewer publications or presentations than similar students.
• Describe their research potential. This includes originality, judgement, written and oral skills, and research skills. Include concrete examples of these.
• Reinforce key components of the application – especially things they cannot do due to word length. For example, if the student has an exceptional publication, explain to adjudicators outside of your field why this is impressive.
• The application and reference letter will be read by people within and outside of the student’s discipline. You can provide feedback on outputs, such as whether it is not expected that a student would have a publication at the time of the application.
• Reinforce evaluation criteria. Each application has different criteria, so be sure to review them and put a similar emphasis on each area.

*If you are the supervisor,* Explain your training environment. Explain how you will facilitate the student

Additional Tips

• Follow evaluation guidelines, such as page limit and format
• Expect it to take you longer than expected, and expect tech issues when uploading, so upload in advance of the deadline.
• Use letterhead whenever possible, and upload in PDF format (you can print from MS Word to PDF)
• Support descriptors with evidence.
• Use the space thoughtfully. Well-received letters of reference are rich narratives about the student, outlining the student’s past experiences and skills in order to be successful if they receive the scholarship.
• If you cannot write a meaningful letter, you can tell the student that and suggest they find an alternate.
• The tri-agencies strongly encourage the use of inclusive language (for example, “the applicant” or “they” instead of “he/she”)