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The CGS-D is valued at $40,000/year (tenable only in Canada), for three years.

*Applications are no longer accepted for the CIHR CGS-D program. Please refer to the web page and GPS webpage for information regarding the new harmonized program.

Applicants are evaluated and selected according to criteria in the following categories:

• Research ability and potential - 50%
• Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia - 50%

Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement: Active CGS-D holders who wish to undertake research outside of Canada for a defined period of time may consider applying for this supplement.

Note: Applicants who are successful in receiving a Doctoral Priority Announcement award are NOT eligible to apply for a MSFSS award as these are not considered CGS level awards.

The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) is the primary contact and administrator for the CIHR Doctoral award and its regulations for the term the student holds the award. 2025/26 recipients planning to accept the award at the U of A (activate ) are to proceed with the following steps:

1) Log in to and follow the instructions to accept the award offer. If applicable, consider other sources of funding that will be held or currently hold (ex. other awards, department funding) to ensure there are no conflicts.  

2) Submit the following two documents to grad.awards@ualberta.ca to be signed:

• Copy of Offer of an Award
  • This document contains the financial information of the award.
• Response to an Offer of Award
  • A pdf version of this form will become available to the student's ResearchNet account after answering a few questions online regarding the proposed start date and the person and/or institution that will be administering the funds. The form must be signed by the student and the authorized institution official (GPS Awards Services) (Note: the Dean's signature is not required on this form).

 3) An official confirmation of registration is required to activate the award. Students are to ensure they are registered in the terms in which the award starts:

• Enrolment Verification:
  • GPS will provide an Enrolment Verification document confirming students' full time registration.
  • The Enrolment Verification and the signed Response to an Offer of Award form will be returned to the student. Students will then need to submit them directly to CIHR (via email indicated on the form).
  • If the award start date needs to change from what was initially sent to CIHR, students are to let both CIHR and GPS know.

4) Send the following Tri-Agency documents to grad.awards@ualberta.ca; GPS uses the Tri-Agency documents to accept the award offer at the university: 

• Confirmation of Commencement (CFC) 
  • This form will become available in the recipients ResearchNet account 2 months prior to the start date indicated on the Response to an Offer of Award form (for example, if the start date of September 1st was chosen, it will appear on July 1st). If the start date is within 2 months of the current date, then the form will appear within a few hours of completing the Response to an Offer of Award. If it does not, it is because the information filled in the Response to an Offer of Award form (Institution, Faculty and/or Department) does not match the information provided on the original application. In this case, students are to email CIHR for further information.
  • This form must be signed by the student and their current program supervisor only, and must be submitted directly to CIHR via email indicated on the form.

• Authorization for Funding Form
  • CIHR sends this document to the recipient upon receiving the Confirmation of Commencement Form from the student

5) Award payments will be processed according to the start date, and will be paid out in semi-monthly instalments over 12 months following the university's payroll schedule. Recipients are to refer to the Tri-Agency’s  and GPS’s Scholarships and Awards Manual for all regulations and requirements relating to the award(s), including information on payment schedules, direct deposit, and renewal years (if applicable).

Students’ renewable award (2025/26 recipients and prior) will be viewable in the GSMS Awards under “My Awards” with the status of "Awaiting Renewal". GPS will notify students approximately 2 months prior to the renewal start date when it will be viewable in GSMS.

It is the student’s responsibility to send the renewal request to GPS via GSMS approximately 4 weeks before the start of the renewal year. Requests for renewals are subject to review by GPS Awards Staff. Note that the value and specifics of the award may be adjusted. Renewal request requirements:

1) Student supervisor's authorization via GSMS 

To request the supervisor's authorization and to renew the award, follow the complete instructions (also available on GPS’s website under Awards and Funding/Award Resources/Student Resources/Renew my Award). 

Enter a due-date for the supervisor sign-off that is as late as possible before the renewal deadline. Ensure the request is properly submitted; incomplete submission requests may result in delayed payments. 

2) Required form for all Tri-Council (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) Doctoral award holders: the completed Tri-Agency Doctoral Awards Progress Report (also available in the Forms Cabinet (under Awards\Awards Management)):

• the Progress Report must be signed by the Department's Graduate Coordinator/Chair (not the student’s program supervisor); students are responsible for securing the appropriate signature from their Department.
• the Progress Report is required to initiate payments; it is students’ responsibility to ensure that the Progress Report is complete in every respect, once uploaded. If incomplete, including missing signature(s) and/or unmarked checkbox (Student Progress), delays in processing will occur and may result in delayed payments

3) Award requirements: students must meet the eligibility requirements of their award set out within the Graduate Scholarship Committee Scholarships and Awards Manual (SAM). 

• the SAM is located in GPS's.
• the award is also subject to the regulations outlined in the

4) Full-time registration: students are to ensure they are full-time registered in their program during the tenure of the award. Students are to contact their home department if assistance with registration is required.