Funding and Scholarships

University of Waterloo President's Graduate Scholarship

The Vice-President, Academic and Provost and Dean's Council established an incentive award valued at up to $10,000/year for recipients of Tri-Council and Ontario Graduate Scholarships. Visit the President's Graduate Scholarship information page for more information.

All applications to all scholarship programs (unless indicated) must be ranked in the Department before submission to the Graduate Studies Office where they will be ranked before submission to the granting agency. Best of luck!

Contact your Graduate Coordinator for more information. 

Deep Tech PhD Scholarship

Entrepreneurial ventures requiring substantial scientific discovery or complex engineering innovation are classified as “deep-tech.”  Deep-tech ventures from all sectors collectively face similar barriers to commercialization: long development times, high capital costs, and a need for highly qualified personnel with deep knowledge. Translation of novel discoveries or technologies into economically viable products and processes has been an on-going challenge in Canada and abroad.

The Deep Tech PhD Scholarship is a first of its kind scholarship to support driven graduate students to pursue the development of a sufficiently complex and challenging technology during their PhD studies. With the time and flexibility to develop the technology to a higher technology readiness level, this program aims to help entrepreneurial students get their inventions ready for external investment by the end of their degree. Deep Tech covers many technologies from many industries including:

  • Cleantech
  • Biotech
  • Nanotech/Quantum
  • Advanced manufacturing

The scholarship covers the graduate student stipends required to be admitted to a PhD program in Engineering at the University of Waterloo. This program advisors work to match the student with a primary supervisor with relevant expertise for the project and other co-supervisors as needed, creating a very customized graduate student experience. As a student, many core facilities and specialized equipment is available to support the development of your new technology. With a 100% creator owned IP policy, Waterloo is a great place to start developing your own intellectual property.

Applications must include a cover letter describing your interest in the program (statement of interest, 3 pages), your potential deep tech business and why the University of Waterloo is a good fit. You must also submit your resume and self-report your incoming average. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by a panel.

Applications for the first round of the Deep Tech PhD Scholarship closed Dec 8th, 2023.

For more information about this scholarship please contact Professor Valerie Ward.

Congratulations to our first Deep Tech PhD Student: Drew Davidson. Read about Pyroguard and Drew’s work. 

Other Awards & Funding Websites

NOTE: Information on these websites are subject to change without notice.

Note: Confirmation of program of study/registration, degree completion/graduation, and/or other sources of funding such as GRS payments, scholarships and awards, must be ordered through the University Graduate Studies Office, Needles Hall Room 2072 by using the Enrolment Confirmation form.

Scholarship Competition Departmen​t Deadlines

The deadlines for applying for the Ontario Government Scholarship (OGS), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Doctoral scholarship and/or Tri-Council Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's (CGS-M) competitions are shown below.

These sessions are geared towards Master’s and Doctoral students who have a minimum 80% average in each of their last two academic years, and to undergraduate students in 3B-5B terms with a min. average of 80% in each of their last 2 years who are interested in applying for a tri-agency or OGS scholarship.

Further information on these scholarships can be found on the following websites:

NOTE: See websites for deadlines.