Government of Canada Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF)

NOTE: This competition is closed. A new competition will be announced September 7th.

Award

• Award Types
• Award Value
• Duration
• Background

Student

• Eligibility
• Conditions
• Obligations

Application Process

• How to Apply
• Required documentation:
• Selection

Award

Award Types

Post-doctoral research fellowships are offered in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. Fellowships are not offered to professional artists nor to those wishing to do clinical research and training involving patient-care.

Award Value

• Total value of the fellowship is CAN $32,000 and it is not taxable in Canada.
• As no dependant allowance is payable, it is essential that fellows who plan to bring their family to Canada have sufficient financial resources for their support.

Duration

A fellowship is for 12 months and is not renewable.

Background

The Government of Canada Awards are based on reciprocal agreements between Canada and Foreign governments and are designed to provide research opportunities to promising recent doctoral graduates in the form of Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF) to non Canadian researchers tenable at recognized public Canadian universities and affiliated research institutes.

The Government of Canada’s objective in establishing the post-doctoral research fellowships is to attract recent PhD graduates to do research in Canada. Within that, the Government wishes to support research that clearly advances the scholar's own career and that is useful to Canada or to the research team within which the scholar proposes to work.

Student

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• be citizens of one of the following countries: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Russia, Switzerland. Applicants who have obtained Canadian citizenship or applied for permanent residency in Canada are not eligible for an award.
• have completed a Ph.D. degree within the last 4 years or have completed the Ph.D. degree requirements before the beginning of the award (evidence of submission of dissertation for defence provided by the responsible department head).
• be accepted into a post-doctoral position at a recognized public Canadian university or affiliated research institute of their choice.

Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously studied in Canada under a Canadian government scholarship.

Conditions

• Fellowships are tenable in Canada only at recognized public universities and affiliated research institutes.
• Fellowship must commence no later than 30 September 2010.

Obligations

• Fellows are required to stay in Canada during the tenure of the award, but if necessary, on the recommendation/approval of the supervisor, may travel outside of Canada (not to their country of origin) to undertake research-related activities up to a maximum of two (2) months.
• Fellows must engage in full-time research. A fellow may not hold other full-time employment during any period of time in which he/she holds an award from the Government of Canada. The number of hours of other employment per twelve-month period is limited to 450 hours. The acceptance of other employment is subject to the approval of the research supervisor. Fellows should note that the remuneration of other employment is taxable.
• A fellow may not concurrently hold another award from DFAIT or from another Canadian federal granting agency (e.g., NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC) but may accept awards from other sources --- maximum $20,000 CAD (e.g., foreign sources, provincial awards, private organizations, your institution, etc).
• The fellow must provide the Canadian Bureau for International Education with a mid-term report six months following the beginning of the fellowship as well as a final report upon completion of the fellowship. Both reports must be signed by the supervisor (500-1000 words). In the final report, a PDF file of any publication which is a result of this fellowship must be included.
• The Government of Canada is to be acknowledged as supporting the fellow in any publication generated during the post-doctoral fellowship period or using research undertaken during the fellowship period.
• A proof of medical coverage in Canada (equivalent to provincial coverage) must be submitted upon arrival. Neither the Government of Canada nor CBIE can assume liability for accidents, illnesses, or losses that may occur during the tenure of an award. Fellows are responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate insurance coverage and should consult their host university or institute for any assistance needed.
• The Canadian Bureau for International Education must be advised within 7 days of any incident or mishap, professional or personal, which would impede the completion of the post-doctoral position in which the fellow is involved. The Fellow understands that failure to report the above may result in the cancellation of the award and that he/she may be held personally liable for the repayment in full or in part of monies advanced under the Fellowship.
• A fellow is entitled to one month of annual vacation.
• A fellow may not serve on the staff of the official representative of his/her home country in Canada.

Application Process

How to Apply

To obtain an application form and deadline information, please contact the Embassy of Canada or the designated agency of your country: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Russia, Switzerland.

Required documentation:

• Application Form
• Copy of all degree certificates/diplomas (undergraduate and graduate). If PhD is in progress please provide proof on enrolment in the program.
• Research proposal - maximum 2000 words (8 typed pages 1.5 spacing, 12 point font).
• Letter of intent outlining how the fellowship in Canada will further the applicant's career path - maximum 1,000 words (4 typed pages, as above).
• Curriculum vitae not exceeding 10 pages.
• Three letters of recommendation
• one from a supervisor at the Master’s level, if applicable
• one from a supervisor at the Ph.D. level
• one from an employer (related to the candidate’s career path); alternatively, a third academic reference may be provided
• The letters should comment on the candidate’s work ethic, research ability and personal attributes. The referee should comment specifically on the candidate’s potential in the chosen field.
• A maximum of three (3) PDF files of selected publications in English or French. If publication is in a language other than English or French, please submit an English or French abstract of the publication.
• Proof of citizenship.

Note: Incomplete files will not be reviewed.

Selection

Applications are screened by the Embassy of Canada or designated agency which coordinates the competition in the home country. All applications are judged on a competitive basis. Those which pass this review are sent by the Embassy or agency to the program administrators in Canada, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).

The final selection is made on the advice of the Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee based on the following criteria:

1. Proposed research: evaluation based on quality and methodology of proposed research, relevance of doing research in Canada and how the research will enhance your future career.
2. Candidate's aptitude: evaluation based on your letters of reference and your CV.
3. Interpersonal and leadership abilities: evaluation based on all your documents.