Award Overview

• Award Category

  Doctoral Awards, In-Course Awards, Master's Awards, Travel & Conference Awards

• Student Deadline

  June 10 (Should additional funding be available, the agencies may announce a second intake with a deadline of October 10)

• Value & Duration

  $9,000 to fund 2 to 6 months of travel (non-renewable)

• Level of Study

  Doctoral, Master’s

• Required Legal Status

  Domestic

• Results

  The agencies will send results within two months of the application deadline directly to students by the granting agency.​

Purpose

The Canada Research Training Awards Suite – Research Travel Supplements (CRTAS-RTS) provide additional funding to active master’s and doctoral award holders to help offset the costs of undertaking research travel within Canada or outside Canada for a defined period.

The CRTAS is administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), NSERC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.

A total of 250 awards are available Canada-wide each year. The current distribution of supplements among the three agencies is: 125 for SSHRC, 80 for NSERC, and 45 for CIHR.​

Note: CRTAS-RTS has replaced the former Michael Smith Study Supplements (CGS-MSFSS).

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this supplement, you must:

1. Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) by the application deadline.
2. Have accepted or currently hold a master’s or doctoral award from CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC. Eligible awards include:
   • Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral program
   • Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s program
   • Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral program
   • Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s program
   • Indigenous Scholars Award (ISAS)
   • CIHR Doctoral Foreign Study Award
   • NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral program
   • SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships program
   • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program
3. Begin your proposed research travel on or after the application deadline date.
4. Not have held or be currently holding a Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (CGS-MSFSS).
5. Not hold a CRTAS-RTS more than once. (You may apply more than once for a CRTAS-RTS if you were unsuccessful in previous competitions or you declined a previous CRTAS-RTS offer.)

For complete eligibility requirements, please see the CRTAS-RTS website.

Application Process

Full application procedures and guidelines can be found through the new Tri-agency CRTAS-RTS website. Applications must be submitted electronically through the tri-agency’s secure submission site.

Note: For the CRTAS-RTS application form, Part 6 (“Confirmation of institutional approval (to be completed by the award holder’s authorized institutional official)”) should be completed and signed by your department’s Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Administrator. This step should be done after you complete the rest of the application.

Results

Decisions regarding the national competition are usually released two months after the competition deadline directly to students by the granting agency. If your master’s or doctoral award is held at the University of Toronto or an affiliated hospital, the agencies will also notify the appropriate institution.

Additional Info

Safety Abroad

Review the Learning & Safety Abroad – Students website for University pre-travel requirements and complete all required steps.

Safety Abroad procedures are mandatory for all U of T students travelling internationally, including to the U.S.A., and must be completed before the travel occurs (regardless of whether a student receives funding). Students residing in the same location as their research activity are not exempt from Safety Abroad requirements. Research travel that is conducted without prior completion of all Safety Abroad requirements may render students ineligible to receive their funding.

For travel to higher risk locations, see the Travel Advisories section of the Learning & Safety Abroad website.

Note: For students who are interested in engaging in research collaborations with third parties, please have an eligible faculty member submit a request through the My Research Non-Funded or My Research Application portal to initiate the process.

Award Holder Information

Acceptance/Refusal

Successful applicants must notify the granting agency of their acceptance or refusal of the offer via email (as well as CC’ing debbie.chau@utoronto.ca) with “CRTAS-RTS” in the subject line.

For more information, awardees should consult the new Tri-agency CRTAS-RTS website.

Travel Plan Changes

To propose changes to travel plans, an email must be submitted directly to your granting agency CC’ing debbie.chau@utoronto.ca for approval at least four weeks prior to the date of departure. Be sure to provide a brief rationale for the proposed changes, as well as a letter or email from your current and host supervisors showing support for the change.  For more information, awardees should consult the new Tri-agency CRTAS-RTS website.

P​ayment Activation

Upon confirmation of acceptance, the transfer of funds from the associated agency to the University, and completion of U of T’s safety abroad proc​edures and completion of the CRTAS-RTS Payment Activation Form (PAF)​:

• CRTAS-RTS payment will be set up on ACORN and typically issued one month prior to the date of the award holder’s departure.
• ​The full value of the travel supplement will be distributed in a single payment and refunded to the award holder.

Contacts & Resources