Funding opportunities

Mitacs is a national not-for-profit organization that works with institutions, companies, and the federal and provincial governments to promote and support innovation.

Postdoctoral opportunities available through Mitacs include the following programs: Accelerate, Accelerate International, Elevate, and Globalink Research Award. For further information about these opportunities, you are encouraged to contact the Mitacs advisor(s) for the University of Waterloo. 

• Accelerate: The Accelerate program is open to postdocs in any discipline and allows for a scalable-in-duration internship opportunity for postdocs to apply their knowledge and expertise to real-world projects, diving their time between the academic institution and on-site research at the partner organization. Applications are accepted at any time. Visit the Mitacs Accelerate website for additional details.  

• Accelerate International: Accelerate International supports bilateral collaborations between interns, academic institutions, and partner organizations in Canada and abroad. Open to postdocs in any discipline, the program allows Canadian researchers to participate in projects in Mitac’s partner countries. Visit the Mitacs Accelerate International website for additional details. 
• Elevate: Specifically for postdocs, the Elevate program allows postdocs to enhance their skills, apply their knowledge and seize game-changing research opportunities. This is a one to two-year program for top-ranked postdocs in any discipline. Pared with a partner organization in need of high-level research expertise, postdocs receive a minimum $55,000 annual stipend, proposal assistance and feedback from Mitacs, and invaluable access to cross-disciplinary networking and peer-learning opportunities that might not otherwise be within reach. Visit the Mitacs Elevate website for additional details. 
• Globalink Research Award: The Mitacs Globalink Research Award supports research collaborations between Canada and select partner organizations and eligible countries and regions. Under the joint supervision of a home and host professor, postdocs will receive a $6,000 research award to conduct a 12- to 24-week research project in the other country. Visit the Mitacs Globalink Research Award website for additional details. 

The three national granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) now share the same Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program guide, eligibility, and selection criteria. However, each agency has maintained its own separate application portal and instructions. 

Valued at $70,000 per year for up to 24 months, the CPRA program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers, and researchers. The program provides funding and flexibility, empowering Canadian and international leaders in innovation and scholarship of tomorrow to develop the skills to build world-class research and drive Canadian prosperity and competitiveness. 

• CIHR: Applicants complete an application in the CIHR portal, ResearchNet. Once complete, the applicant submits the application online which is electronically directed to the proposed host institution for review and electronic approval. At the University of Waterloo, the Office of Research is responsible for this review and will ensure eligibility and compliance with guidelines before electronic approval and submission to CIHR. More information can be found on the CIHR website.
• NSERC: Applicants must complete an application available through NSERC’s online system by the advertised agency deadline. The application is submitted directly to NSERC; there is no institutional adjudication process or administrative involvement in the application process. More information can be found on NSERC’s website.  
• SSHRC: Applicants must complete an application available through SSHRC’s online system by the advertised agency deadline. The application is submitted directly to SSHRC. More information can be found on SSHRC’s website.  

There are many agencies and foundations that provide funding specifically for postdocs. International postdocs are also encouraged to explore agencies or foundations within their home countries, as they may allow for the postdoc position to be undertaken in Canada.

Lupina Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 

First established in 2021, these distinguished postdoctoral opportunities are available through a donation by the Lupina Foundation. Two fellowships will be awarded annually, each valued at $70,000 per year for two years, plus a research stipend totalling $5,000. Both internal and external funding models are available. Applications are encouraged from outstanding early-career scholars investigating the social determinants of health, particularly at the intersections of health, society, and technology. Lupina postdoctoral fellows will be supervised by any faculty member within Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts, with interdisciplinary collaboration potential across the University. 

• Value: $70,000 plus $5,000 research stipend 
• Duration: 2 years 
• Applications open: winter 

From 2020 to 2025, the University of Waterloo is pleased to have recruited several exceptional cohorts of external scholars through three centrally managed postdoctoral scholar funding opportunities: 

• Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars: By providing funding to emerging scholars who are prepared to engage in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research at the University of Waterloo, this program has grown the culture of interdisciplinary research at the University. Learn more about the exceptional interdisciplinary scholars recruited through this program. Please note, we are no longer accepting applications for this program. 

• Provost’s Program for Black and Indigenous Postdoctoral Scholars: Contributing to the reduction of barriers for Black and Indigenous scholars, this program directly supports Waterloo’s strategic plan to strengthen sustainable and diverse communities by recruiting three cohorts of scholars between 2023 and 2025. Learn more about the exceptional Black and Indigenous scholars. Please note, we are no longer accepting applications for this program. 

• AMTD Global Talent Fellowship: From 2020 to 2024, the AMTD program recruited five cohorts of exceptional scholars to Waterloo. Learn more about our AMTD scholars, and their disruptive research agendas. Please note, we are no longer recruiting for the AMTD program.