Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide

Recent changes

Definitions

Academic calendar differences: differences between the last available award start date or date by which the award must be reinstated, and the date by which the program of study or research begins at the host institution (e.g., tri-agency award start date of January 1, and program of study start date of February 15).

Agency: any of the three federal granting agencies—CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.

Award: funding offered or directly held (in the award holder’s name) from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC at the master’s, doctoral or postdoctoral level or equivalent.

Award holder: individual who has an active award from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.

Award recipient: individual who has been offered an award from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, but has not yet activated payment for that award.

CGS: Canada Graduate Scholarships.

CGS D: Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral.

CGS M: Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s.

CIHR: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Decision documents: the document package (including attachments) received by the applicants, informing them of their success in the funding opportunity competition. For CIHR, this may include the Authorization for Funding document, which is sent after the first instalment is requested.

Deferment: a delay in the start date of the award beyond the available start dates outlined in the available start dates table.

Degree completion: the point at which all the requirements of your degree have been met, including successful defence and submission of the corrected copy of your thesis (in accordance with your institution’s regulations); it is not the conferred or convocation date.

Force majeure: an unforeseeable and unavoidable catastrophic event that interrupts and prevents award holders from moving forward in their studies and/or research; the agencies reserve the right to determine the eligibility of an event to qualify for award deferment or interruption.

Full-time: established according to institutional regulations; full-time hours vary by province and country.

Interruption: a period of leave during the tenure of award.

Medical leave: a leave for reasons of illness, disability and/or injury.

NSERC: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Parent linked award: for CIHR Priority Announcements, the parent linked award is the primary competition (also referred to as the “open” competition) to which a candidate applied for funding; for example, at the doctoral level, CIHR applicants apply to the open doctoral competition and may also choose to apply to an additional Priority Announcement within the open competition. 

Parental leave: a leave of absence offered to parents who are caring for a newborn or newly adopted child; this leave may begin no later than six months after the birth or adoption of a child.

Part-time: constitutes any amount of time less than full-time hours established according to institutional regulations; this amount is based on the accommodation needs of the award holder.

PDF: Postdoctoral Fellowships.

PGS D: Postgraduate Scholarships - Doctoral.

Primary caregiver: the person primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of a child.

Relevant work experience: in the context of a deferment or interruption of an award, work that is relevant to the area of study/research and that provides an opportunity to develop professional and technical skills that will complement the award holder’s qualifications, beyond what can be acquired in the current program of study or research activity.

Research allowance: funds to offset cost of research (e.g., the purchase of research equipment and or/materials, travel to relevant events/conferences, etc.).

SSHRC: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Tri-agency: relating to the three federal granting agencies.

Research training programs covered

* These opportunities are covered by this guide and should follow the rules for their parent award (as applicable).

** The CGS M program is administered by Canadian institutions on behalf of the agencies; all inquiries regarding this program should be directed to the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the host institution.

Contact and general information

Consult the appropriate section of this guide to determine whether to use a program, awards administration or direct deposit contact.

General regulations

Award holders must:

• abide by the terms and conditions of the award as set out in this guide, the funding opportunity and the decision documents sent by the agency
• have met all the eligibility requirements as outlined in the funding opportunity and continue to meet these requirements throughout the duration of the award
• be engaged full-time in research or registered full-time in the program of study (unless the award is held part-time for the eligible reasons listed below) for which they were funded (up to the completion of degree requirements, at which point the award can be held until the end date of the academic term, whether registered or not)
• be engaged in eligible research under the mandate of the agency to which the application was submitted
• be progressing satisfactorily in the research or studies for which they were funded
• immediately inform the agency of any discontinuation of studies or research, temporary or permanent, during the tenure of the award
• not hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment, or be on leave from such an appointment, concurrent with an award
  • SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships only: With approval from SSHRC, award recipients may hold this award while on an approved leave of absence from a tenure or tenure-track position to undertake their first doctoral degree; concerned applicants should contact SSHRC as soon as possible to determine eligibility.
• not hold more than one scholarship (master’s or doctoral) or fellowship from either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC simultaneously

The agencies reserve the right to interpret these regulations and any conditions applied to individual awards.

The agencies reserve the right to cancel an award if any of these regulations are not followed or if the award holder does not maintain their eligibility. Payments made for a period during which the award holder is no longer eligible to receive funds must be reimbursed to the agency. Interest may be charged if the payment is not received by the due date.

Value and duration of award

The value and duration of the award, detailed in the decision documents sent by the agency, will be adjusted to take into account a change in status (for example, termination of graduate studies or discontinuation of full-time studies or research).

Acceptance or decline of award

The agency must be notified of the acceptance or decline of the award by the date indicated in the decision documents sent by the agency. An offer must be accepted even if the award recipient intends to defer the start date of the award.

CGS M

Offers must be accepted or declined through the Research Portal.

All CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF

Offers must be accepted or declined by completing the Response to Offer task in ResearchNet and other required steps, if applicable.

All NSERC and SSHRC awards

Award recipients must accept or decline by sending an email to the appropriate program contact, stating whether they accept or decline, and confirming the start date.

For awards held outside of Canada and for all PDF awards, one of the following documents must be uploaded to the appropriate secure submission site :

• Canadian citizens must provide a copy of an official document indicating their citizenship (for example, birth certificate, citizenship card or passport).
• Permanent residents of Canada must provide a copy of an official document indicating their landing date in Canada (for example, IMM 1442, IMM 5292, IMM 1000 or permanent resident card); if the landing date was after the application deadline, NSERC or SSHRC will cancel the offer of award.
• Protected Persons, as defined under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), must provide a copy of an official document verifying this status.

Confirmation of doctoral degree completion (postdoctoral only)

All postdoctoral award recipients who had not completed their degree at the time of application must provide proof of degree completion before commencing their award. They should complete the Degree completion form and submit it by the deadline indicated in the funding opportunity as follows:

• CIHR awards and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

Start date

The information in the table below shows the available starting months for the research training programs covered by this guide. If award recipients cannot fulfil the conditions for holding an award before the latest available start date and are not eligible for a deferment, they must decline the award.

Available start date

* CIHR Priority Announcements have the same allowable start dates as their parent linked awards.

** Available start dates must coincide with the institution’s academic calendar.

Change of start date

Before commencing the award, the award recipient may request to change the start date to any other start date available to award recipients for that funding opportunity. To request an available start date other than the one selected at the time of application, send an email to the appropriate program contact.

CGS M

To request a change in start date, award recipients must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they will hold the award; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

Deferment of start date

Before activating the payment of award, the start date may be deferred beyond the available start dates. A Request for deferment of start date or interruption of award form must be completed and submitted for approval as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS, and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

The following conditions apply to all requests and subsequent requests for deferments:

• If the award recipient is already affiliated with the host institution, deferments must be approved by the institution before being submitted to the agency.
• The award recipient must select the new start date from the available start dates table.
• No supporting documentation is necessary; however, the agencies reserve the right to request further information if needed.
• The award value and duration will not be affected by the deferment.
• Deferments may be taken in smaller increments provided the allowed maximum duration for each reason is not exceeded.
• An award recipient may apply for more than one type of deferment consecutively.

CGS M

Award recipients must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they will hold the award to request to defer the start date; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

Banting PDF

The award recipient can select a new start date from any month (not limited to the months proposed in the available start dates table).

Allowable reasons for deferment of start date

A deferment of start date may be requested for the following reasons:

• Parental or medical leave, and/or family-related responsibilities
  • The award start date may be deferred for up to three years
  • A deferment greater than one year must be confirmed by submitting a new Request for deferment of start date or interruption of award form on an annual basis
• Relevant work experience
  • The award start date may be deferred for up to one year
  • NSERC PDF only: The employment or internship opportunity cannot be an academic postdoctoral research position where the award holder would be eligible to receive their PDF award funds
• Relocation, visa application or academic calendar differences
  • The award start date may be deferred for up to two months, and an exception to the available start dates can be requested
• Administrative reasons
  • An award start date may be deferred in four-month increments to a maximum of 12 months for general institutional-administrative reasons
• Force majeure 
  • The award start date may be deferred in four-month increments to a maximum of 12 months
  • The agencies reserve the right to determine the eligibility of the event for this classification

Payment of award

To activate the award, all conditions for funding must be met.

Awards paid by Canadian institutions

For awards held at eligible Canadian institutions, award holders will be paid by the institution based on its own payment schedule.

CGS M

Award recipients must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they will hold the award to request payment; the faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

All CIHR awards *, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF

To request the first instalment, award recipients must complete the Confirmation of Commencement form on ResearchNet and submit a signed copy to the program contact.

* Unused research allowance funds can be carried forward from one year to another for the duration of the award.

NSERC and SSHRC doctoral and postdoctoral * awards

To request the first instalment, a Request for first instalment or reinstatement of award paid by Canadian institution form must be completed and uploaded to the appropriate secure submission site.

The agencies can receive the form up to six weeks in advance of the start date of the award. Failure to submit the necessary documentation in a timely fashion will delay the payment of the award. A copy of this form must also be provided to the authorized institutional office responsible for administering the instalment.

* NSERC and SSHRC postdoctoral fellowships with a start date before April 1, 2022, are paid directly to the award holder. See the next section for details.

Awards paid directly to award holders

Awards held outside eligible Canadian institutions (that is, at foreign institutions) are paid directly by the agency.

All CIHR awards and Banting PDF

To request the first instalment, award recipients must complete the Confirmation of Commencement form on ResearchNet and submit to the appropriate program contact.

NSERC and SSHRC doctoral and postdoctoral * awards

Award holders must submit a new request for instalment every six months. The agencies can receive the forms up to six weeks in advance of the instalment date of the award. Funds will be released by the end of the scheduled instalment month. Failure to submit the necessary documentation in a timely fashion will delay the payment of the award.

To request an instalment, award recipients and holders must complete and upload the Request for instalment or reinstatement of award paid directly to award holder form to the appropriate secure submission site. Some programs also require the submission of an annual report; consult the Reporting section for more information.

Award holders will have their instalments converted to the currency of the bank account indicated on the Payee and direct deposit enrolment form.

* NSERC and SSHRC postdoctoral fellowships with a start date before April 1, 2022, are paid directly to the award holder.

Payment schedule for awards paid directly to award holders

NSERC and SSHRC payment schedule

CIHR * and Banting PDF payment schedule

Payment method

Direct deposit

Direct deposit is available to award holders hosted at foreign institutions.

To set up direct deposit, complete the Payee and direct deposit enrolment form and submit it to the appropriate direct deposit contact, or for NSERC and SSHRC only, upload it to the NSERC or SSHRC Financial documents secure upload site. For direct deposit to a bank account that is in a foreign country, or for any amount over $5,000, the Receiver General for Canada requires the agency to perform a due diligence process.

• The agency will send a test payment in the amount of $5 to the bank account; award recipients will receive an email advising them that there will be a deposit to their bank account within 72 hours
• Once the agency receives confirmation that the test payment was received, the agency will set up the transfer of the remainder of the current instalment and future instalments for payment via direct deposit
• Any change in banking information will result in a new due diligence process 

For payments to other countries, send a request to the appropriate awards administration contact.

Part-time support

Award holders may hold their awards part-time for parental or medical reasons or because of family – and community – related responsibilities. Requests which fall outside these areas will be reviewed by the agencies on a case-by-case basis. Award holders can work with their institutions to design the part-time arrangement that best accommodates their individual needs. These arrangements must be first approved by the institution and then submitted to the appropriate program contact via a brief email statement for approval.

The awarded amount will not be affected by the part-time support arrangement; however, the duration and value of the award may be prorated accordingly.

CGS M

Award holders must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they will hold the award to request part-time support; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

Interruption of award

An award may be interrupted after it has been activated. The following conditions apply to all requests and subsequent requests for interruptions. A Request for deferment of start date or interruption of award form must be completed and submitted for approval at least one month before the start of the interruption as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate awards administration contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

Additionally:

• All interruptions must be approved by the institution before being submitted to the agency.
• No supporting documentation is necessary; however, the agencies reserve the right to request further information, if needed.
• The end date of the award will be extended by the duration of the leave.
• Taking an interruption for one reason does not affect the period of time allowed for other interruptions.
• Interruptions may be taken in smaller increments provided the allowed maximum duration for each reason is not exceeded.

CGS M

Award holders must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they hold the award to request an interruption of award; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

Interruption requests will be considered only for the reasons outlined below.

Unpaid interruptions

Relevant work experience

An interruption can be requested to gain relevant work experience through employment or an internship for a maximum period of one year.

• If the relevant work experience is a mandatory part of the program of study, no interruption is needed and payment of the award can continue.
• NSERC PDF only: The employment or internship opportunity cannot be an academic postdoctoral research position where the award holder would be eligible to receive their PDF award funds.

Parental, medical or family-related responsibilities

An award may be interrupted for a period of up to three years for each of the following reasons: parental, medical or family-related responsibilities.

• Interruptions greater than one year must be confirmed by submitting a new Request for deferment of start date or interruption of award form on an annual basis; however, no new supporting documents will be necessary.

Relocation, visa application and/or academic calendar differences

An award may be interrupted for a period of up to two months for relocation, visa application and/or academic calendar differences.

Administrative reasons

An award may be interrupted for a period of up to one year for general institutional-administrative reasons.

• Interruptions for this purpose must be requested in four-month increments.
• CGS M: An award may be interrupted between the completion of a master’s degree and the beginning of a doctoral program at the same institution provided the doctoral program is begun at the earliest possible date as determined by the institution.

Force majeure

An award may be interrupted for a period of up to one year for reasons related to a force majeure event.

• Interruptions for this purpose must be requested in four-month increments.
• The agencies reserve the right to determine the eligibility of an event for this classification.

Paid interruption

Parental leave

An award may be interrupted for a period of up to 12 months for paid parental leave.

• Interruptions for this purpose must be taken within six months following the birth or adoption of the child
• Award holders must be the primary caregivers for the duration of the interruption
• Award holders may request a separate parental leave for every eligible occasion of birth or adoption
• Multiple births upon the same occasion (for example, twins) do not increase the duration or the value of the leave
• Paid interruptions require supporting documentation such as proof of birth or adoption
• The supplement is equivalent to the value of the monthly stipend for up to 12 months
• If both parents hold a federal granting agency award and choose to request paid parental leave from their agencies, they must share the paid leave for a cumulative maximum of 12 months
• Paid parental leave does not apply to award holders acting as a surrogate or gestational carrier; these award holders may request unpaid leave for medical reasons
• Approval of paid parental leave is subject to the availability of agency funds
• If you encounter special circumstances during your paid parental leave that might require accommodation, submit an email to the appropriate program contact

Reinstatement of award

CGS M

Award holders must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they hold the award to request a change to the award; the faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

NSERC and SSHRC doctoral and postdoctoral * awards paid by Canadian institutions

* NSERC and SSHRC postdoctoral fellowships with a start date of April 1, 2022, or after are paid by Canadian institutions.

Institutions will confirm that the award holder has returned to their research or studies and will inform the agency.

All CIHR, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF awards paid by Canadian institutions

To reinstate an award, the appropriate awards administration contact must receive a Request for first instalment or reinstatement of award paid by Canadian institution form. Requests for reinstatement of award should be submitted up to six weeks in advance of the award holder returning to research or studies. Failure to submit the necessary documentation in a timely manner will delay the payment of the award. A copy of this form must also be provided to the authorized institutional office responsible for administering the instalment.

All awards paid directly to award holders

To reinstate an award, a Request for instalment or reinstatement of award paid directly to award holder form should be submitted up to six weeks in advance of the award holder returning to research or studies as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF: via email to the awards administration contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

Failure to submit the necessary documentation in a timely manner will delay the payment of the award.

Changes to the award

Award holders may request changes to the award. The following outlines allowable changes and requirements for requesting them.

CGS M

Changes to CGS M awards are approved at the institution. Award holders must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they hold the award to request a change to the award; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

Changes to personal and contact information

Changes to personal and contact information must be submitted as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS, and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: complete and upload the Changes to personal and contact information form to the appropriate secure submission site.

Change to institution or place of tenure

Changes of institution must be approved by the agency. In all cases, the eligibility rules laid out by the funding opportunity continue to apply.

NSERC and SSHRC doctoral awards

• To change the institution before activation of payment, award recipients must complete and upload the appropriate Request for instalment or reinstatement of award form to the appropriate secure submission site, indicating the new institution
• To change the institution after activation of payment, awards holders must complete and upload a Request for changes to award form to the appropriate secure submission site

All CIHR awards and NSERC and SSHRC PDFs

To request a change in the place of tenure, either before or after activation of payment, award recipients and award holders must submit a Request for changes to award form along with the following information:

• A one-page letter justifying the change of place of tenure
• CIHR only: recipients must indicate if the change applies to both the research institution and the administrating institution; if the research environment is not currently available in Canada, a one-page description of the unique aspects of the proposed research environment is required
• SSHRC only: a letter of support from the proposed institution demonstrating how it will support effective research training and career development based on SSHRC’s Guidelines for Effective Research Training

The form and supporting documents must be submitted as follows:

• CIHR awards: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

The submitted document(s) will be reviewed according to the evaluation criteria of the funding opportunity, and a decision will be rendered. Such an evaluation may require sharing the document(s) with members of the relevant selection committee/panel.

NSERC and SSHRC only: Award recipients/holders may transfer to a foreign institution only if they completed their doctorate at a Canadian institution.

CGS M, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF

No changes to institution are permitted for these programs.

Changes to department or faculty

Changes to department or faculty within the same institution are approved by the institution. If the change to the department results in a change in research, refer to the section Changes to the program of study, research project or degree for the appropriate steps.

Banting PDF

The official signatory will be asked to confirm (in the Request for changes to award form) that the institutional support will continue.

Change of supervisor(s)

All CIHR awards, NSERC and SSHRC PDFs, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF

Changes in supervisor(s) or co-supervisor(s) must first be approved by the institution and then submitted to the agency for final approval. Award holders must complete the Request for changes to award form and submit it as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

In addition:

• CIHR awards only: the proposed new supervisor must provide a copy of the Canadian Common CV (validated for CIHR)
• Banting PDF only: the official signatory will be asked to confirm (in the Request for changes to award form) that the institutional support and the synergy between the application and the strategic priorities of the host institution will continue
• NSERC PDF only: postdoctoral researchers may not hold their award with their PhD supervisor, even if the supervisor has changed research institution

CGS M awards and NSERC and SSHRC doctoral awards

Changes in supervisor(s) are approved by the institution; no documentation should be sent to the agencies.

Changes to the program of study, research project or degree

Award holders may request to make changes to their research projects. The research must remain eligible for funding under the mandate of the agency to which it was submitted; the individual agencies may cancel any award if the research subject matter no longer falls within their mandate. For more information on subject matter eligibility, see Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency.

Changes to research must first be approved by the institution. Some awards programs also require the proposed changes to be submitted to the agency for final approval. For new research that clearly remains within the mandate of the agency to which the application was submitted, the approval processes are outlined below.

All SSHRC awards

Changes to the program of study, research project or degree are approved by the institution. For awards held at foreign institutions, approval must also be obtained from the agency by submitting a Request for changes to award form along with a one-page summary of the proposed research to the appropriate secure submission site. 

CGS M

CGS M award holders may continue to hold the award if they transfer from a master’s program to an eligible doctoral program at the same institution, whether or not they have completed the master’s degree, provided there is no gap in registration and/or enrolment.

When there is a gap in registration, an award holder may be able to take an unpaid interruption for administrative reasons.

All CIHR , NSERC, Banting PDF and Vanier CGS awards

Approval must be obtained from the agency, by submitting a Request for changes to award form along with a one-page summary of the proposed research (including project title) as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate program contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC award holders: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

This summary should provide an outline of the research question, context, objectives, methodology, contribution to the advancement of knowledge and a short justification of why the proposed research remains eligible for funding at the agency. 

Other sources of income (employment and other awards)

The agencies do not place restrictions on outside sources of funding or employment that award holders may have while holding the award or taking an approved leave of absence, providing the following regulations are adhered to:

• When considering other sources of income, any institutional regulations must be followed
• Award holders, except for those holding their award part-time or those who have been granted approved leave, must devote full-time hours to the research or studies for which they were funded (full-time hours may vary depending on the institution at which award holders are completing their award)

Award holders who are uncertain about whether they would be required to request an interruption of award due to a new source of income (e.g., taking on teaching duties during their PDF award tenure) should reach out to the appropriate program contact to have their case assessed.

Reporting

Annual progress reports and final reports are required by most funding opportunities, as outlined in the table below. The agencies may cancel any award if the award holder fails to demonstrate satisfactory progress.

Annual progress report forms and a one-page summary of activities, if required by the agency (refer to the table below), should be submitted to the appropriate secure submission site. If the award holder is paid directly by the agency, a Request for instalment or reinstatement of award paid directly to award holder form must also be submitted on the anniversary of the start date of the award.

In addition, award holders will be invited to contribute to the review and evaluation of the funding opportunity, associated policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops and audits, and to provide data or reports as requested for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results.

Reporting requirements specific to each funding opportunity

Termination of award

Award holders who are no longer eligible to hold the award (for example, termination of graduate studies or discontinuation of full-time studies or research) must complete a Request for termination of award form and submit it as follows:

• CIHR awards, Vanier CGS and Banting PDF: via email to the appropriate awards administration contact.
• NSERC and SSHRC awards: upload it to the appropriate secure submission site.

Supporting documents may be required. To confirm continued eligibility, review the decision documents and the funding opportunity. Some programs require final reports; consult the Reporting section for more information.

For awards terminated due to degree completion, the end date of the award will become the end date of the academic term in which the degree requirements are completed, regardless of whether the award holder is registered during this academic term. If the degree requirements are completed in the same academic term as the end date of the award, then the end date of the award will not change.

The value of the award will be prorated to the end of the award. Any funds already paid that were intended for use beyond the revised end date must be returned to the agency. Interest may be charged if the payment is not received by the due date.

All CIHR awards

Expenses against unused research allowance funds may be incurred up to three months beyond the award termination date. After three months, all expenses must be reconciled and the account must be closed. Unused research allowance funds must be returned to the agency.

Award holders may submit a request to the agency for an extension to use their research allowance funds beyond the allotted three-month period. The request must be supported by a letter of justification signed by both the award holder and the supervisor. Extension requests must be submitted prior to the closing of the award account. Once the extension period has passed, all expenses must be reconciled and the account must be closed.

CGS M

Award holders must contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution where they hold the award to terminate their award; no documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will then inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

The completion of degree requirements does not necessitate the termination of the award in all circumstances; for more information, see Changes to the program of study, research project or degree.

Taxation and immigration

The agencies do not provide advice on taxation or immigration. Award recipients can contact the relevant government agencies for information on these topics and can seek the advice of professionals where appropriate.

No portion of scholarship and fellowship payments can be withheld by the host institution without the prior written consent of the award holder, except for taxation purposes where applicable. Questions about potential payment deductions should be directed to the institution.

Individual students may be exempted from federal and provincial income tax attributed to their award; see Line 323 – Your tuition, education, and textbook amounts on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website for the applicable conditions.

Award recipients receiving payments through Canadian institutions will be issued tax forms by the institution rather than by the agency.

The agency issues T4A slips in February to directly paid award holders.

Postdoctoral fellowship holders should plan for their award to be taxed as income in Canada, regardless of whether they are held inside or outside Canada.

Since no deductions are made at source by the agency, award recipients are responsible for determining the amount of tax they must pay and for arranging payment of this amount to the CRA.

Award recipients can obtain information about the amount and method of payment, the deductions allowed, and the receipts required from Tax services offices and tax centres of the CRA. Residents of Québec can obtain information from Revenu Québec.

If award holders hold or intend to hold their award at an institution outside Canada, they must contact the appropriate immigration and taxation offices. The agency cannot advise award holders on such matters.

Forms

All forms and attachments (copy of birth certificate, citizenship or passport) may be sent to the appropriate points of contact for the funding opportunities (programs) covered by this guide.

Post-award forms

CGS M award holders: No documentation should be sent to the agencies. The faculty of graduate studies will inform the agencies via the Financial and award report (FAR).

• Changes to personal and contact information
• Degree completion
• Request for changes to award
• Request for deferment of start date or interruption of award
• Request for first instalment or reinstatement of award paid by Canadian institution
• Request for instalment or reinstatement of award paid directly to award holder
• Request for termination of award

Direct deposit form

• Payee and direct deposit enrolment form

Reporting forms

NSERC

• Annual progress report

SSHRC

• Annual Progress Report (for doctoral award holders)
• Annual Progress Report (for postdoctoral award holders)
• Talent Achievement Report