The Highly Qualified Personnel Program, supported by OMAFRA and the Food from Thought program, thanks in part to funding from the Canada Research Excellence Fund, provides scholarships for Masters and Doctoral students working in program areas that relate to OMAFRA research priority areas. HQP students participate in specialized workplace-readiness training about business, commercialization and societal interactions with the agri-food system and will also gain practical workplace experience with a government, industry or community partner that connects with the student's research interests and future career goals. 

Industry partners are integral to the success of the HQP Scholarship Program. We value the role of our industry, government and community partners, who provide valuable experience for the students. Some partners who have hosted students include: Culinary Tourism Alliance, The SEED - GCHC, Semex, Oreka Solutions, Ripple Farms, 10C, Guelph Family Health Study, Guelph Food Waste Research Project, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, OMAFRA, DRDC-CRTI, Martin Mills, BIOMIN Canada, Nutreco, Wallenstein Feed and Supply, C&M Seeds, Pioneer Hi-bred, Rural Ontario Institute, Monsanto, Aqua-Cage Fisheries, Alltech Inc. and Kraft.

View posters depicting the 2020/2021 industry partner scholar projects. [2]

Townhall

An information session for the HQP Scholarship program was held on Thursday, November 25, 2021 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. The session took place online on Microsoft Teams.

Watch the HQP Townhall recording.  [3]

Call Status

CLOSED

Eligibility

The HQP Scholarship Program provides financial support for students entering or within their first year of an established graduate program at the University of Guelph. Academic studies will be governed by the guidelines and regulations of the student’s home department.

To be eligible for the HQP Scholarship Program you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant, or *studying under an international visa;
• have an A- (80%) average or better;
• be entering your first semester of a Masters (thesis-based) or Doctoral program at the University of Guelph OR **be in semesters 1, 2, or 3 of your graduate studies;
• have a confirmed University of Guelph faculty advisor;
• not be an OMAFRA employee;
• not concurrently hold other major awards such as NSERC, OGS, SSHRC, or CIHR.

*International students must have at least applied to a graduate program at the University of Guelph at the time of the scholarship application or be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of receiving the award. The student must have a study visa when holding the award.

**In-course applicants are eligible for up to three semesters of Masters funding or six semesters for Doctoral students. 

Applying to the Program

The student and their Faculty Advisor jointly complete an application form. Our web-based software does not allow the submission of an application that has not been completed by both student and Faculty Advisor.

To obtain a Faculty Advisor, you need to contact a graduate program offered at the University of Guelph or contact a faculty member directly in the department of the discipline which best represents your desired area of study.

View the list of graduate programs [4]. Click on the link for your desired program to see the graduate student contact.

International applicants [5], please read the information about applying to the University of Guelph. You’ll need to apply about 9 months in advance of your proposed semester start date.

Online Application System

The Alliance will use an online application system called Next Generation Research Management System (NG-RMS) for receiving and adjudicating HQP Scholarship applications. NG-RMS is available online [6].

Questions

General Inquiries:
Email: rescoord@uoguelph.ca [7]

About the  Program:
Keith Warriner
Professor and HQP Program Director
519.824.4120, Ext. 56072
kwarrine@uoguelph.ca [8]