CGRS-D Agencies | CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC Mandates

Quick eligibility checker

Agency-choice filters. Yes means you are not dual-filing “just in case.”

1. Have you read Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency before you open a portal?

2. If the project touches health and NSE, have you read NSERC’s addendum on health-related applications?

3. If the project sits near SSHRC’s edge, have you read SSHRC subject-matter eligibility (and emailed them if still unsure)?

4. Will you submit to only one of CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC this year (plus no second CRTAS program)?

You meet these published cutoffs

Your subject-matter path is deliberate. Open that agency’s instructions next.

You may not be eligible on these rules

Do not open two portals. The first eligible CRTAS application is retained.

This is a planning tool, not an official CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC decision. Confirm the current wording on the agency sites.

Tracker

Agency-prep tracker

Each agency has its own quota list, portal, and attachments.

Opened the tri-agency subject-matter page Opened CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC instructions — only one Checked that campus has a quota for that agency — lists are separate Saved the correct contact email — CIHR support, NSERC scholarships, SSHRC fellowships Ignored Vanier leadership essays — that program is closed

This is a planning tool, not an official agency decision. Combine it with the full checklist.

Who owns which field

CIHR

Health research. ResearchNet, Common CV, sponsor assessments, signature pages, confirmation of scientific area. French page limits are longer.

CIHR instructions →

NSERC

Natural sciences and engineering. Form 201. Health-adjacent files must read the addendum. Research subject code assigns the committee.

NSERC CGRS-D →

SSHRC

Social sciences and humanities, including research-creation. Web CV and Letters of Appraisal. October 2026 direct close is 19 October 2026, 8:00 p.m. eastern.

SSHRC CGRS-D →

Start here if the project sits on a border: Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency.

The rest of the suite

CGRS-M is the master’s award: $27,000 for 12 months, Research Portal, 1 December close, offers from 1 April, tenable only at eligible Canadian institutions, and limited to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons. You may name up to three institutions. That is a different contest.

CPRA is the postdoctoral award: $70,000 per year for 24 months, with agency-specific September/October closes. If you already hold a doctorate and want a postdoc, that is the CRTAS door — not CGRS-D, and not the closed Vanier program.

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC