Advance your research career in Canada with the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA), a prestigious new opportunity designed to support outstanding PhD students working or studying around the world.
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. Read the full announcement from the tri-agencies to learn more about these awards.
The University of Waterloo deadline to apply for phase one of CIRTA closed on February 17, 2026. Review additional timeline details below if you applied for CIRTA as part of phase one.
Details on Waterloo’s phase two of CIRTA have not yet been provided by the funding agencies. Information for the next phase will be shared (and posted on this page) as soon as it becomes available, likely in spring 2026 term (May – August 2026).
Timeline for CIRTA nominees and nominators
March 4, 2026: Deadline for the University of Waterloo to forward successful nominations to the agencies, to support the allocations set out by the tri-agencies. GSPA will convey the outcomes of the institutional review to nominators (faculty member at Waterloo) and nominees (PhD student applicant).
April 1, 2026: Results of CIRTA are released by tri-agencies; nominees (PhD student applicant to Waterloo) will be directly notified by the agencies; you will have 21 days to accept the CIRTA award offer, and your offer of admission (if not yet accepted).