Award Overview

• Award Category

  International Awards, Postdoctoral Awards

• Student Deadline

  Determined by academic division

• Application Dates

  Dates may vary across academic divisions - see divisional website for further details and specific dates

• Value & Duration

  $10,000 or $30,000 for the term of a postdoctoral engagement

• Level of Study

  Doctoral

• Required Legal Status

  Domestic / International

• Results

  Dates may vary by academic division

Value & Duration

Commencing 2025–2026, each award will provide $10,000 or $30,000 in independent research funding to a postdoctoral researcher for the duration of their postdoctoral engagement, e.g. up to two years or longer where applicable.

The structure of the award is as follows:

• The postdoctoral employee or trainee receives an annual salary and / or fellowship as per the terms of the postdoctoral engagement, supported by the PI / division and / or the external award.
• In addition to their annual salary and / or fellowship, the postdoctoral employee or trainee receives the competitive research award of $10,000 or $30,000 disbursed through an expensed reimbursement process managed by their budgetary graduate unit.

Purpose

The Postdoctoral Competitive Research Award at the University of Toronto is a prestigious opportunity to support early-career scholars to develop and expand their research expertise at one of the world’s most distinguished public research universities. The program will empower postdoctoral scholars with the autonomy to pursue an ambitious research program, while benefiting from close collaboration with leading faculty and access to tailored professional and career development supports. The program is designed for exceptional postdoctoral scholars eager to contribute to an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community. This program specifically seeks to bridge the critical gap between doctoral training and independent academic careers by providing postdoctoral fellows with the resources and autonomy necessary to establish themselves as independent researchers. Recipients are expected to develop and lead their own research agenda, distinct from but complementary to their supervisor’s work, positioning them for future faculty appointments or leadership roles in research-intensive environments.

Eligibility

This award is open to both domestic and international candidates. The following criteria are the minimum institutional eligibility requirements for applicants and successful recipients. Faculties may impose additional division- or discipline-specific requirements.

Applicants must:

• Be engaged, or expect to be engaged as a postdoctoral fellow (employee or trainee) of the University of Toronto (teaching hospital postdocs are not employees of the university);
• Have demonstrated academic excellence, proven capacity to conceptualize and execute independent research beyond their doctoral work, and evidence of intellectual leadership in their chosen field (as defined by the division);
• Complete all doctoral degree requirements by the time the award commences and normally be within five years from the completion of their degree; and

Award recipients must:

• Be engaged as a postdoctoral employee / trainee of the University of Toronto with an engagement end date of no less than 12 months from the award start (teaching hospital postdocs are not employees of the university);
• Be hired by a U of T supervisor appointed to a budgetary unit;
• Register and remain registered with the Postdoctoral Office at the School of Graduate Studies (SGS);
• Not hold a faculty position or be on leave from such position; and

Please consult the academic division to determine if there are any additional division- or discipline-specific eligibility requirements

Application Process

Candidates interested in the Postdoctoral Competitive Research Award Program should contact the current or prospective supervisor(s) and co-supervisor(s). Supervisors wishing to support a candidate’s application must contact their appropriate academic divisional office to inquire about local processes and internal deadlines. Please refer to the relevant divisional website for more information (see contact list below).

Application Requirements

As the award is adjudicated at the divisional level, criteria will be discipline- or division-specific. Please review the divisional websites for more information.

Results

Results will be communicated to applicants in accordance with divisional practices.

Contacts & Resources