Application/nomination instructions

Those wishing to apply for a Vanier CGS should verify that the institution to which they are applying for doctoral studies has a Vanier CGS quota.

Candidates must be nominated by the institution at which they want to study. Candidates cannot apply directly to the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program. Vanier CGS application packages submitted through ResearchNet will first be submitted to the Canadian institution that will be putting forward their nomination.

Candidates should verify institutional internal deadlines with the administrator at the nominating institution.

Information provided in the application package must be self-contained. Links to external websites or documents hosted on a drive should not be included in the application.

Candidates should read the Selection Committee Guide prior to commencing their application. This guide lists the three evaluation criteria and has useful information on how the criteria are evaluated. Vanier CGS selection committees are multidisciplinary, and applications should therefore be written with a non-specialist research audience in mind.

You must also review the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page before beginning the preparation of an application.

To be considered eligible for funding, candidates must attain an average score of at least 3.1 in each of the three criteria.

DORA: The agencies have signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), a global initiative whose purpose is to support the development and promotion of best practices in the assessment of scholarly research. As signatories of DORA, the three federal granting councils recognize that research contribution are not limited to published journal articles but can include a broader range of contributions.

Tips for applicants new to the Canadian academic system

Step 1: Begin your application by researching Canadian institutions through the Universities Canada website. We recommend browsing each university’s respective website and thoroughly researching the program of interest in which you would like to complete your doctorate degree, as well as supervisors for your proposed research.

Step 2: Consult the Vanier CGS quota page in order to ensure that your institution of interest has a quota for the year in which you are applying.

Competition process

  1. Applications are initiated in one of two ways. Either:
    1. the student informs the faculty of graduate studies at the selected institution of their intent to apply to the Vanier CGS program; or
    2. the institution initiates the nomination process by contacting the desired candidate.
  2. Applications are prepared by the student and submitted to the nominating institution by their internal deadline (set in ResearchNet by the nominating institution) using the ResearchNet application system.
  3. The nominating institution performs the internal candidate selection process.
  4. The nominating institution forwards recommended nominations to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) by November 1, 2023 (20:00 Eastern Time).
  5. The Secretariat coordinates the review process.
  6. The Secretariat presents the recommendations to the Tri-agency Programs (TAP) Steering Committee.
  7. The TAP Steering Committee endorses and approves final decisions for the Vanier CGS program.
  8. Nominated candidates are notified of the competition results in April 2024.

Important notes:

Application/nomination instructions

Individual application documents can be submitted in either English or French. If another language is required to express a particular idea (e.g., specialized concept), be sure to provide an explanation in French or English.

A complete Vanier CGS application package includes:

Important note: Applications submitted in French are now allowed an additional half a page for the Personal Leadership Statement and the Research Proposal.

This provision will ensure an equitable amount of space for Personal Leadership Statement and the Research Proposal written in either official language, as evidence demonstrates that documents written in French require approximately 20% more space than similar documents in English.

Any pages over the allotted page limit for the Personal Leadership Statement and the Research Proposal (maximum of 2 pages for English applications and maximum of 2.5 pages for French applications) will be removed with no further notification to the Applicant.

General application process

  1. Applications must be prepared, finalized and submitted by applicants using ResearchNet.
  2. Any information that is not required or exceeds the page/character limits will be removed from the application prior to the review without notification.
  3. Applicants must preview all components of their application to ensure its completeness.
  4. Applicants who wish to self-identify as an Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis) applicant to their Canadian institution may do so by completing the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships ( Vanier CGS) : Voluntary Self-Identification Form for Indigenous Applicants [ PDF (409 KB) ] and uploading it to their application. Please note that selection committee members will not be made aware of which applicants have self-identified as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis).
  5. The Vanier-Banting Secretariat cannot legally accept an application until the "Consent and Submit" task is completed on ResearchNet.
  6. These pages provide general instructions, but do not necessarily represent an exhaustive list of all information required to complete an application.
  7. Format of documents: Refer to "Presentation standards for documents" for the required format. All attachments to your application must be prepared according to the standards provided. Applications submitted that are not prepared according to the instructions provided may be deemed ineligible.
  8. For technical help, call 1-888-603-4178 or 613-954-1968 or email support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
  9. For program-related help, contact vanier@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Deadlines

There are two deadlines pertaining to the 2023–2024 competition:

  1. Institution internal deadline: Following the student's identification in ResearchNet of the institution proposed for doctoral study (see Task 10), an additional deadline date and time will appear at the top of each page. This is the deadline by which your application must be submitted to the institution through ResearchNet. This deadline is set and controlled by each institution. You will not be able to submit your application past this precise date and time.
  2. Program deadline: Institutions must forward their selected nominations to the Vanier CGS program by November 1, 2023 (20:00 Eastern Time).

Completing a Vanier CGS application

Task 15. Presentation standards for attached documents

Documents prepared by the nominee that do not follow the instructions provided may render a nomination package ineligible.

If you have supporting documents written in a language other than English or French, you are required to submit a certified translation of these documents.

Formatting instructions to prepare your documents:

Post-application

After you have submitted your application to the nominating institution, the activity will move to your "Completed Activities" tab.

The nominating institution will review your application and either return it to you with comments, approve the application or not approve the application. Note that it will not yet have been forwarded to the Vanier CGS program. Only authorized representatives can view submitted applications. Faculties of graduate studies have read-only access and cannot make any changes to your application.

If application is returned to you by the institution

If the faculty of graduate studies returns the application to you, you will receive an email from ResearchNet containing their comments. You will be given a revised institution deadline date by which you must re-submit your application. Your application will move back to the "Current Activities" tab so that you can modify your application and re-submit it to the faculty of graduate studies. The institution will not be able to view your application while you are editing it.

Once you have completed all changes, you must resubmit your application to the faculty of graduate studies for review before the institutional internal deadline.

If application is selected to be nominated

If the nominating institution nominates your application, institutional officials will electronically approve and submit your nomination to the Vanier CGS competition. You will receive an automated email from ResearchNet acknowledging receipt shortly after the nominating institutions deadline date. If you do not receive this confirmation email, you should contact the faculty of graduate studies to determine the status of your application/nomination.

If application is not selected to be nominated

If the nominating institution does not nominate your application, institutional official will electronically not approve your application and they will inform you of the decision. You will not receive an automated email from Research Net informing you of the not approved status.

Date modified: