Each federal granting agency (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR) recognizes research excellence and achievement annually through a number of competitive national awards that are accompanied by significant funding. The nomination deadlines for NSERC and SSHRC awards are typically in April. The CIHR nomination deadlines are typically October. The internal deadline for VPR nomination precedes the external deadline by approximately five months.
This award is NSERC’s highest honour and is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated sustained excellence and influence in research for a body of work conducted in Canada that has substantially advanced the fields of natural sciences or engineering.
Value: The winner is awarded a grant of up to $1 million over five years to use for personal university-based research or to direct in some related way, such as the establishment of scholarships or research Chairs in his or her name at Canadian universities. If the winner already has an NSERC Discovery Grant, that grant is increased up to a maximum of $200,000 for each of the five years.
Evaluation Criteria: The nominee's work must demonstrate a high degree of expertise, creativity, imagination, leadership, perseverance, and dedication.
Components: The nomination package includes a nomination letter, a description of the nominator, a CV, and the names of potential reviewers.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC Gerhard Herzberg program past winners website.
See the NSERC Gerhard Hertzberg program website for more information.
The Brockhouse Canada Prize recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who produce a record of excellent achievements through collaboration in the last six years.
Value: The prize is accompanied by a team research grant of up to $250,000, which may be used to support the direct costs of university-based research and/or the enhancement of research facilities.
Evaluation Criteria: Significance, novelty, and impact of the achievements; excellence of the interdisciplinary team, including the complementariness of the members’ expertise; quality of the contribution to the training of HQP in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting, including considering of EDI in their training.
Components: The nomination package includes a nomination letter, a description of the team’s five most significant contributions over the past six years, a description of future research plans, CV for each team member, names of potential reviewers, a letter from the team identifying the person who will act as the spokesperson, and a description of the nominator.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC Brockhouse program past winners website.
See the NSERC Brockhouse program website for more information.
The NSERC John C. Polanyi Award is given to an individual or team whose research, conducted in Canada, has led to a recent outstanding advance in any NSERC-supported field of the natural sciences or engineering. The research leading to the advance must have been funded at least partially by an NSERC grant. The award is open to all researchers, regardless of their career stage.
Value: The winning individual or team will receive a research grant of up to $250,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominations are judged on the significance and impact of the advance. Stature of the candidates is not an evaluation criterion for this award.
Components: The nomination package includes a nomination letter, a description of the nominator, up to four documents relating to the recent, outstanding advance that provide evidence of recognition by the scientific and engineering community (one must be a peer-reviewed article), CV, names of potential reviewers, a letter identifying one team member as the spokesperson.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC Polanyi program past winners website.
See the NSERC Polanyi program website for more information.
The NSERC Synergy Awards recognize partnerships in natural sciences and engineering research and development (R&D) between universities and Canadian industry. They honour the most outstanding achievements of these collaborations in the natural sciences and engineering. There are three categories for universities: small and medium sized companies, large companies, two or more companies.
Value: The winner (principal nominee) in each category will receive a $200,000 NSERC research grant. Industrial partners will each receive a $30,000 voucher valid toward the cash portion of their required contribution in a new Alliance grant.
Evaluation Criteria: The nominations are judged on the partnership, effective use of resources, and tangible benefits.
Components: Nomination packages include a signed nomination form, nomination letter, letters of support from senior executives of all the other partners listed on the nomination, a concise company profile for each industry partner, and a nomination statement.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC Synergy program past winners website.
See the NSERC Synergy program website for more information.
The NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research is awarded annually to an individual or team whose outstanding research, conducted in Canada in the natural sciences and engineering, has led to exceptional benefits for Canadian society, environment and/or economy. These benefits can include improvements to specific procedures in society (e.g., laws, regulations, protocols); stimulation of new approaches to social issues; improvements to quality of life; informing public debate; improvements to policy making; reduction of waste and pollution; protection of species; reduction of the impact of pollutants on ecosystems and humans; improvements in the sustainable use of resources; protection of ecosystems; reduction in the impacts of climate change; contributions to economic growth and wealth creation; introduction of a disruptive technology or creation of a new industrial sector.
Value: The winner receives a $250,000 research grant.
Evaluation Criteria: The nomination will be evaluated according to the impact of the research in its field (30%); the involvement of the nominees in the mobilization of research knowledge, resulting in the benefits described in the nomination (20%); and the significance of the benefits to Canadian society (50%).
Components: The nomination package includes a nomination letter, a description of the nominee’s involvement in the research and knowledge mobilization, a description of the nominator, up to four documents that show evidence of knowledge mobilization and societal impact, a CV, names of potential reviewers, and a letter identifying the spokesperson (for teams).
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC Strickland program past winners website.
See the NSERC Strickland program website for more information.
Arthur B. MacDonald Fellowships recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering and support them to enhance their research capacity, so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others. NSERC awards up to six MacDonald Fellowships each year.
Value: $250,000 over two years.
Evaluation Criteria: The nomination is evaluated according to the nominee’s research achievements and impacts (40%: originality and quality of achievements; impact of contributions); outreach, mentorship, and leadership (30%: public outreach and communication, training, leadership activities); future directions of their research (30%: research is original/innovative, will significantly advance the research area or have broader impact; is likely to succeed; has an appropriate approach to mentorship, and considers EDI in research and training).
Components: While this is technically a self-nomination (there is no nomination letter), the nomination must be endorsed by the university. At the University of Guelph, interested nominees must submit an EOI to the Honours and Awards Committee and, if selected to move forward, RSO will support the development of the nomination. The nomination package includes two statements (description of the nomination and future directions), NSERC personal data form, page 1 of the grant application form, and a list of external reviewers.
Note: The external deadline for the Fellowship is typically early June.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the NSERC MacDonald program past winners website.
See the NSERC MacDonald program website for more information.
The Gold Medal is SSHRC’s highest research honour and is awarded to an individual whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired students and colleagues. The recipient’s achievements in research must have significantly advanced understanding in their respective fields of research in the social sciences and humanities. The exceptional quality and impact of the recipient’s research, and their ongoing efforts to share the results of this work, must have greatly enriched Canadian society, and contributed to social, cultural, economic, and intellectual life in Canada and/or internationally.
Value: The winner receives a $100,000 research grant.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominations are evaluated according to impact and outcomes (75%: evidence of sustained quality, impact, and influence; training and mentorship; national and international stature; creativity and success in knowledge mobilization and overall contribution to knowledge) and ambition and importance (25%: originality and significance of the body of work within the nominee’s field).
Components: Nomination packages include the institutional nomination process page, institutional nomination letter, information supporting the nomination, SSHRC CVs and consent forms, and three letters of support.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the SSHRC Impact Awards past winners website.
See the SSHRC Impact Awards program website - Gold Medal for more information.
The Insight Award recognizes outstanding achievement arising from a single or multiple SSHRC-funded initiatives. It is given to an individual or a team of six people maximum (including the nominee) whose initiative(s) has significantly contributed to knowledge and understanding about people, societies, and the world. The research outcomes must have led to demonstrable impact within the nominee’s fields of research and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
Value: The winner receives $50,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominations are evaluated according to impact and outcomes (75%: evidence of contributions within the field (scholarly and non-scholarly; training and mentorship; evidence of influence and impact) and ambition and importance (25%: originality and significance of the body of work within the nominee’s field).
Components: Nomination packages include the institutional nomination process page, institutional nomination letter, information supporting the nomination, SSHRC CVs and consent forms, and three letters of support.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the SSHRC Impact Awards past winners website.
See the SSHRC Impact Awards program website - Insight Award for more information.
The Connection Award recognizes an outstanding SSHRC-funded initiative that facilitates the flow and exchange of research knowledge within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community. It is given to an individual or team whose initiative has engaged the campus and/or wider community, and has generated intellectual, cultural, social and/or economic impacts.
Value: The winner receives $50,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominations are evaluated according to impact and outcomes (75%: effectiveness of knowledge mobilization; evidence of scholarly and non-scholarly contributions; training and mentorship; evidence of influence and impact) and ambition and importance (25%: originality and significance of the initiative within the nominee’s field).
Components: Nomination packages include the institutional nomination process page, institutional nomination letter, information supporting the nomination, SSHRC CVs and consent forms, and three letters of support.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the SSHRC Impact Awards past winners website.
See the SSHRC Impact Awards program website - Connection Award for more information.
The Partnership Award recognizes a SSHRC‑funded formal partnership for its outstanding achievement in advancing research, research training or knowledge mobilization, or developing a new partnership approach to research and/or related activities. It is awarded to a formal partnership that, through mutual co-operation and shared intellectual leadership and resources, has demonstrated impact and influence within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
Value: The winner receives $50,000.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominations are evaluated according to impact and outcomes (75%: evidence of mutual cooperation and sharing of intellectual leadership and resources; quality of partnership, including shard engagement and ownership; evidence of scholarly and non-scholarly contributions; training and mentorship; evidence of influence and impact) and ambition and importance (25%: originality and significance of the partnership within the nominee’s field).
Components: Nomination packages include the institutional nomination process page, institutional nomination letter, information supporting the nomination, SSHRC CVs and consent forms, and three letters of support.
To view a comprehensive list of past winners and their profiles, see the SSHRC Impact Awards past winners website.
See the SSHRC Impact Awards program website - Partnership Award for more information.
CIHR's Gold Leaf Prize for Impact is one of the highest honours that can be accorded to an individual or team by CIHR for health research in the Canadian context with a proven impact on health outcomes, practices, or policies and/or on the health system.
Value: The winner receives $100,000.
Evaluation Criteria: The nomination is evaluated according to evidence of translating health research for significant health, social and/or economic impacts or evidence of translating research to substantially change health practices, policies, or products that could lead to improvement in health or health systems.
Components: Nomination packages include the nomination form, three attachments that substantial the nomination (could include letters of support, list of research contributions), and consent forms.
Note: The prize is awarded every two years.
For previous winners, see the CIHR Gold Leaf 2018 prize winners webpage.
See the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Impact program website for more information.
CIHR's Gold Leaf Prize for Discovery is awarded to individuals or teams whose research findings are unique, innovative and represent a ground-breaking discovery in any pillar of health research that has been seen to significantly influence knowledge in the field.
Value: The winner receives $100,000.
Evaluation Criteria: The nomination is evaluated according to evidence of an outstanding discovery or breakthrough in any of CIHR’s four health pillars which will have a major influence on future research and evidence that the discovery has significantly influenced knowledge in the field of health research.
Components: Nomination packages include the nomination form, three attachments that substantial the nomination (could include letters of support, list of research contributions), and consent forms.
Note: The prize is awarded every two years.
For previous winners, see the CIHR Gold Leaf 2018 prize winners webpage.
See the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Discovery program website for more information.
CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Outstanding Achievements by an Early Career Investigator recognizes outstanding early career investigators in order to support excellence in the next generation. It provides prestigious recognition to an exceptional health researcher who is expected to continue to produce research of exceptional merit.
Value: Winners are awarded $100,000.
Evaluation Criteria: The nominations are evaluated according to a demonstrated track record of outstanding achievements, potential to develop research of exceptional merit, and demonstrated potential for leadership.
Components: Nomination packages include the nomination form, three attachments that substantial the nomination (could include letters of support, list of research contributions), and consent forms.
Note: The prize is awarded every two years.
For previous winners, see the CIHR Gold Leaf 2018 prize winners webpage.
See the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Early Career Investigators program website for more information.
CIHR's Gold Leaf Prize for Transformation recognizes that transformation is an essential element to building a strong Canadian health research enterprise. A different focus area is chosen for each year the award is given (which determines the evaluation criteria).
Value: Winners are awarded $100,000.
Components: Nomination packages include the nomination form, three attachments that substantial the nomination (could include letters of support, list of research contributions), and consent forms. There may be additional requirements depending on the focus area.
Note: The prize is awarded every two years.
For previous winners, see the CIHR Gold Leaf 2018 prize winners webpage.
See the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Transformation program website for more information.