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Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University

Graduate Studies Research Funding Opportunities

TRU Graduate Student Leaders – NEW

Deadline: October 2
Value: $6,000, multiple awards available

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies seeks applications from motivated and enthusiastic TRU graduate students who are eager to take on leadership roles within the graduate community. Participants in this program will have the opportunity to contribute to the enhancement of graduate studies at TRU by collaborating with the Research and Graduate Studies Office.

Download application

TRU Graduate Student Research Mentor Fellowship

Deadline: March 15 (annually)
Value: $7,000, multiple awards available

These awards will go to TRU graduate students, domestic and international, who are engaged in research and who wish to serve as mentors for undergraduate research, scholarship and creative enquiry. Mentors will volunteer with the Research Office on a variety of projects related to the enhancement of student research, and will have the opportunity to work as a team, mentoring students from a variety of majors and backgrounds, pooling resources and collaborating with faculty.

Note: All documents should be submitted electronically to graduate program coordinators. Faculty reference letters may be sent directly from the faculty member to the program coordinator.

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Students as Partners Research Fellowship

Deadline: March 13, 2024
Value: $3,000, multiple awards available

The Students as Partners Research Fellowship is an interdisciplinary fellowship open to both undergraduate and graduate students at TRU. Embedded in the philosophy of students as co-creators in research and knowledge, this fellowship will provide students with opportunities to amplify existing and new programming, enhance the quality and impact of research, and build capacity for student research by applying disciplinary methods and training to engagement initiatives across campus.

Please send completed application packet to [email protected] with the subject line “Students as Partners Research Fellow”. Notifications of results will be sent via email. The selected Student Research Fellows will report to the Office of the Vice-President Research.

Download Application

Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada's Graduate Student Award of Merit

Offered: Every four years. Next opportunity in 2028
Value: $3,500 (four available in Western Canada)

TRU is eligible to nominate ONE woman student for 4 awards available across the Western Provinces. This award is available to women Master’s students (all programs, all nationalities) who have demonstrated both outstanding academic performance and strong evidence of leadership in the community and/or university. Additional eligibility requirements and complete application instructions are described here. To apply to become TRU's nominee for an award, students should submit their application package to [email protected] by 4 pm on Nov. 21. As discussed in the application package, we will work with the selected nominee to obtain additional documentation needed for the national competition.

About the award

Canada Graduate Scholarship — Masters (CGS-M)

Competition opens: September; deadline: Dec. 1
Value: $27,000 for 12 months, non-renewable
Decision date: May (annually)
Comprehensive instructions and Terms of Reference

CGS-M program information (YouTube)
CGS-M – How to apply using the research portal (YouTube)

TRU offers four CGS-M entrance awards for domestic students, one each from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and two from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). These three granting agencies have harmonized the application process. There is now one application for all three councils. The application must be completed through the Research Portal. Students must create and attach a Canadian Common CV (CCV), and a version of the CCV has been modified specifically for the CGS-M. Applicants must also upload all necessary official transcripts, and an outline of their proposed research, and will be prompted in the application to invite two people to provide reference assessments.

It is recommended you:

  • Start your application early. Begin reading through instructions for the application and the modified CCV
  • Contact referees early
  • Order official transcripts early, to be mailed directly to you, and uploaded by you as part of your application. Do not have your transcripts sent to TRU
  • Applications missing transcripts or with unofficial transcripts uploaded will be eliminated from the competition. There will be no opportunity to resubmit transcripts after Dec. 1

Download application

CIHR Strategic Master's Award

Competition opens: October 4, 2023; deadline: December 14, 2023
Value: $17,500 for 12 months, non-renewable
Decision date: May (annually)
Comprehensive instructions and Terms of Reference

CIHR Strategic Master's Award Webinar
How To Apply


The purpose of the CIHR Strategic Master's Award program is to provide financial support to scholars who are engaged in an eligible master's program in Canada and that are relevant to specific CIHR priority research areas. This support allows these scholars to concentrate on their studies in their chosen fields.

The program will help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel (HQP) by supporting students who demonstrate potential in undergraduate and early graduate studies whose applications are relevant to any of the research areas.

Research Areas
This funding opportunity will support projects relevant to the following research areas:

CIHR – Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies:  The CRPPHE's mandate is to grow Canada's research leadership in preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery from pandemics and public health emergencies, including by building and supporting Canadian research capacity in these areas. CRPPHE encourages interdisciplinary applications, including (but not limited to) those  that are focused on questions requiring One Health approaches, more than one of the emergency management pillars (i.e., preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery), and/or spanning more than one pillar of health research, i.e. biomedical; clinical; health systems services; and population health.
CIHR – Institute of Genetics (IG): Applications must focus on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and Health Data Science in genetics and genomics. Applications that address health equity, sex and gender and/or Indigenous health and wellness issues are encouraged.
CIHR – Institute of Gender and Health (IGH): Applications must focus on Sex, Gender and Intersectionality in Health Research. The IGH mandate, includes but is not limited to 2S/LGBTQIA+ Health and Wellness and Women's Health through an intersectional lens as well as race, racism, gender and health.
CIHR – Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH): Applications must focus on First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health and Indigenous Health. IIPH fosters the advancement of a national health research agenda to improve and promote the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada, through research, knowledge translation and capacity building. The Institute's pursuit of research excellence is enhanced by respect for community research priorities and Indigenous knowledges, values and cultures.

Environmental Science and Natural Resource Science Fellowship Award

Deadline: Nov. 15

The fellowship was generously created by an anonymous donor for the development of two awards; one for Environmental Sciences and one for Natural Resource Sciences. Recipients — either senior undergraduate or graduate students, domestic and international — will be selected based on their scholarly achievements, their commitment to research and their demonstrated potential for future contributions to our understanding of the environment. The fellowship is a prestigious award with a value of $7,500 for each recipient.

Download application

Mitacs: Accelerate

Applications: Accepted year-round and projects may begin at any time.

This program allows graduate students and postdoctoral to apply their expertise to business-related research challenges. Interns spend approximately half of the time on-site with the industry partner; the remainder is spent at the university under the guidance of a faculty supervisor. This award is open to all disciplines and industry sectors, and can span a wide range of areas including: manufacturing, technical innovation, business processes, IT, social sciences, design and more. Each 4-month internship project receives $15,000 in direct funding with the partner organization and Mitacs each providing $7,500.

Download application

Mitacs: Globalink Research Award

Call for proposals: Occurs twice annually, in January and September

This award provides $5,000 in funding to support senior undergraduate and graduate student research project abroad. This is for joint research projects with academic collaborators for a minimum of 12 weeks to a maximum of 24 weeks abroad. Partner countries include Brazil, mainland China, India, Mexico and Vietnam.

Download application

Mitacs: Globalink Partnership Award

Applications: Accepted any time, year-round

This award offers graduate students at Mitacs full and association partner universities in Canada the opportunity to participate in a 16-to-24-week research project with an international industry partner located in: Brazil, mainland China, India, Mexico, France, and Vietnam. Mitacs will award successful applicants $15,000 to cover direct costs of research.

Download application

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