Postdoctoral Fellowships Program in Canada 2024

To be considered eligible for support, as of the deadline date of the year in which you apply, you must

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada or a protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the application deadline
• hold or expect to hold a doctorate in one of the fields of research that NSERC supports

In addition

• you can submit a maximum of one scholarship (Master’s or Doctoral) or fellowship application per academic year to either NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC
• you must not have already received a postdoctoral award (including a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship) from NSERC, CIHR, or SSHRC
• You must have completed all requirements for your doctoral degree no more than two years before September 1 of the year you apply. This is not the conferred or convocation date indicated on your transcript but, instead, the date on which all your degree requirements were met, including the successful defense and submission of the corrected copy of your thesis. If you have more than one doctoral degree, the completion date of your most recent doctoral degree will be used to determine your eligibility.  Exceptions to the doctoral degree completion eligibility period are granted only if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• If you have acquired at least six months of full-time relevant employment in industry or government (experience in an academic institution or its affiliated hospitals, research institutions, and other laboratories will not be considered) after you receive your doctorate, NSERC will extend the eligibility period to three years.
• If you have completed a non-research-based clinical residency program after you received your doctorate, NSERC will extend the eligibility period to three years.
• If, within two years following your Ph.D.’s completion date, your career was significantly interrupted due to parental, medical, and/or family-related responsibilities, NSERC will extend the eligibility period to three years.
• If, within two years before or after the date of completion of your PhD, you become the primary caregiver following the birth or adoption of a child, NSERC will extend the eligibility period to six years.
• If you are subject to an extended eligibility period, NSERC may ask you to provide additional information and/or supporting documentation. Any such submission to NSERC will only be used by staff to assess your eligibility for the program. If you wish to inform the review committee of delays and/or circumstances that may have affected your performance and/or productivity, then you may do so in the Special Circumstances section of the application.