CIFAR Global Scholars Program for Early-Career Researchers 2026/2027

The CIFAR Global Scholars Program supports early-career researchers by giving them money they can spend as their work requires, rather than money tied to a predefined budget line. The programme is hosted in Canada and runs for two years.

Who can apply

The programme is open to applicants of all nationalities at PhD level, across the natural sciences, health and medicine, the social sciences and the humanities. Applicants must be fluent in spoken and written English. The interdisciplinary spread is the point: CIFAR builds research communities across fields rather than deepening a single one, and applications are read with that in mind.

What the award provides

Scholars receive $100,000 CAD in unrestricted research support. The word unrestricted carries the weight here: these funds can go to research expenses, to teaching release, to supporting a student or postdoc, to conference travel, and to other needs as they arise. For an early-career researcher, teaching release is often the most valuable of those, because time is usually the binding constraint rather than equipment. Travel is also covered.

Deadline and how to apply

Applications opened in September, and the deadline is November 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Note that it closes at midday rather than at end of day, which catches out applicants who plan to submit on the final morning from a different time zone.

Before you apply

Be concrete about what the unrestricted funds would unlock. An application that says the money would buy a year of protected research time, and explains what would be produced in it, reads far better than one that lists generic research costs. The two-year horizon should shape the proposal too: promise what two years can actually deliver.