Advance your research career in Canada with the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA), a prestigious new opportunity designed to support outstanding postdoctoral scholars working or studying around the world.
Launch of the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards
On December 9, 2025, the tri-agencies announced the launch of the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA), which will provide 400 postdoctoral research awards across Canada valued at $70,000 per year for two years. To demonstrate our commitment to these scholars, all CIRTA postdocs will be eligible for the University extended health plan, with benefits costs covered by the institution.
Read the full announcement from the tri-agencies to learn more about these awards.
Program description
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.
Critical steps
Step 1: Confirm eligibility
All candidates must meet the eligibility requirements for the CIRTA program, as well as be eligible for a postdoctoral appointment under the University of Waterloo postdoctoral guidelines.
CIRTA program requirements include:
- Nominees can be of any citizenship, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected people
- Nominees cannot have a current affiliation with a Canadian institution
- Nominees must be currently studying or working abroad
- Proposed research must fall into one of the eight priority research areas:
- Advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum, cybersecurity)
- Health, including biotechnology
- Clean technology and resource value chains
- Environment, climate resilience, and the Arctic
- Food and water security
- Democratic and community resilience
- Manufacturing and advanced materials
- Defence and dual-use technologies
- Nominees must be able to begin their postdoctoral appointment no later than March 31, 2027
Review full eligibility requirements as listed on the CIRTA Q&A page, as well as the postdoc guidelines.
Step 2: Identify a potential supervisor
Any University of Waterloo faculty member who is the primary grant holder (PI) on an active (April 2025-March 2027) tri-agency grant, as listed on the CIRTA Q&A page, is eligible to nominate one postdoc nominee through the CIRTA program.
Prospective postdocs interested in receiving nomination from a faculty member are encouraged to reach out to faculty members conducting research aligned with their interests. All University of Waterloo departments and schools have a list of their current faculty members, which typically includes their research interests and current projects. We recommend reviewing the listing of departments, schools, research centres, and institutes to find those that align with your research area. From there, review the faculty member profiles and identify a list of faculty members with whom you have related research interests.
When reaching out to a faculty member, ensure you reference your interest in being endorsed for the CIRTA award. It is recommended you provide information on eligibility criteria, so the faculty member can confirm if they are eligible to act as a CIRTA nominator. Feel free to share a link to this page as a reference. For more tips, review our information on contacting a prospective supervisor.
Step 3: Obtain a supervisor endorsement
All eligible faculty members will be allowed to endorse one prospective postdoc, whose nomination package will then be reviewed by an internal University of Waterloo adjudication committee.
Endorsements are due February 17, 2026, 9:00 am, EST. Please note that endorsed candidates who do not also submit a completed nomination package will not be considered by the adjudication committee.
Specific requirements and an endorsement form will be available in the coming weeks. To be notified when this information is available, please complete our CIRTA postdoc updates mailing list form.
Step 4: Obtain a supervisor endorsement
Nominees (prospective postdocs) and nominators (eligible faculty members) will work together to complete a nomination/application package.
Completed nomination packages are due February 17, 2026, 9:00 am, EST. Please note that candidates with completed nomination packages must also have a supervisor endorsement to be considered by the adjudication committee.
Requirements for the nomination package and submission details will be available in the coming weeks. To be notified when this information is available, please complete our CIRTA postdoc updates mailing list form.
University of Waterloo nomination process and timelines
December 2025 to February 16, 2026
Faculty members (nominators) and prospective candidates (nominee) confirm eligibility for CIRTA, complete an endorsement form (supervisor) and submit a full nomination package (nominee).
- All faculty members eligible as nominators are encouraged to promote this opportunity through their networks to attract and recruit candidates.
- Prospective postdocs are encouraged to reach out to faculty members directly to inquire about their eligibility as a nominator, and express interest in being nominated.
- Faculty members and prospective candidates must both confirm their eligibility to be a nominator or nominee, respectively.
February 17, 2026, 9:00 am, EST
Deadline for endorsement forms and nomination package to be submitted to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).
- Eligible faculty members are limited to one postdoc endorsement (faculty members may also nominate one PhD student through the CIRTA program).
- Only candidates with both a completed endorsement form and complete nomination package will be considered by the adjudication committee.
Information on requirements for the nomination package, endorsement form, and how to submit, will be available in the coming weeks. Fill out our mailing list form to receive updates when this information becomes available.
February 18, 2026 to March 3, 2026
Adjudication committee, chaired by GSPA, reviews completed and endorsed nominations packages and selects those to be forwarded to the tri-agencies.
- Adjudication will be based on:
- The strength of the research proposal
- Representation across the eight priority research areas
- Representation across a wide range of disciplines
- Representation across the three funding agencies
March 4, 2026
Selected University of Waterloo postdoc nominee packages forwarded to the tri-agencies by GSPA
- Nominees and nominators will be informed if their nomination has been selected to move forward.
Spring 2026
Official announcement of award winners is made by the tri-agencies.
Spring 2026 to March 31, 2027
Award nominees begin their postdoc appointments
- Administrative staff at the university will support faculty members and award winners in completing all required paperwork to support immigration and hiring
- All award winners must begin their appointment by March 31, 2027
Results
GSPA will inform successful nominees and nominators that their nomination will be forwarded to the tri-agency following the institutional adjudication.
Final results will be announced by the tri-agencies in spring 2026.
Post-results
More information regarding the administration of the awards will be provided in spring 2026, once award winners are announced.
Contact us
Questions about the CPRA program may be directed to the GSPA postdoc team.