External funding
This page provides summary information only. To ensure that individual applications conform with specific and current rules, all candidates are strongly advised to consult agency and program websites directly.
Provincial Government - Fonds de recherche du Québec
The Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ) promotes and provides financial support through scholarships for graduate and postdoctoral researchers in Québec. Their major funding programs are open to Quebec residents or any other research trainees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents with a Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) valid at the competition deadline. International students may apply if they can provide a card issued by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) valid at the competition deadline, or proof of admission to a program of study eligible for this scholarship program at a Québec university.
The three agencies under the FRQ are:
The FRQ – Société et culture (FRQSC)
The FRQSC provides financial support for research and training in the fields of social science, humanities, education, management, arts and literature. FRQSC funding programs for graduate students include:
Awards and scholarships for master's students
Awards and scholarships for doctoral students
The FRQ – Nature et technologies (FRQNT)
The FRQNT promotes and provides financial support for research in the fields of natural sciences, mathematical sciences and engineering. FRQNT funding programs for graduate students include:
Awards and scholarships for master's students
Awards and scholarships for doctoral students
The FRQ – Santé (FRQS)
The FRQS promotes and provides financial support for research in the fields of health (including basic, clinical and epidemiological research), public health and health services. FRQS funding programs for graduate students include:
Awards and scholarships for master's students
Awards and scholarships for doctoral students
For international students or researchers only
The Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE) aims to support the internationalization of research activities in Québec's institutions of higher education, and to attract the best foreign researchers and students to Québec. This program has a component open to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers of all countries as well as six specific components reserved for students from Brazil, China, India, Israel, and Wallonia from any research sector. Please note this competition requires institutional pre-selection/nomination, and as such, all candidates interested in applying to this program (for research activities at Concordia University) must participate and be selected through the Concordia/internal PBEEE selection process.
Payment information (FRQ)
Students receiving offers from the FRQ will be paid directly by the Fonds once Concordia University has confirmed full time registration status to the relevant agency. The confirmation of registration will be made by the DNE deadline date, however should there be a change to the registration status after the DNE deadline date, FRQ recipients will need to inform SGS and FRQ immediately of this change. For further information, please refer to the FRQ scholarship holder’s guide or contact the agency (relevant program manager) directly.
Federal Government: Canadian Tri-Agency
The Canadian Tri-Agency is a major source of research funding for graduate students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and is made up by The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC):
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CIHR supports excellence across all four pillars of health research: biomedical, clinical, health systems services and population health. In the context of graduate-level scholarship, some key funding programs include:
Awards and scholarships for master's students
Awards and scholarships for doctoral students
* Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Protected Persons only.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
NSERC provides funding for research in the fields of natural sciences and engineering. In the context of graduate-level scholarship, some key funding programs include:
* Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Protected Persons only.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
SSHRC supports postsecondary-based research and research training in the humanities and social sciences. In the context of graduate-level scholarship, some key funding programs include:
* Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Protected Persons only.
Payment information
The Tri-Agency Award Holder’s Guide requires that students remain registered and in good academic standing within their graduate program. Once this is confirmed, recipients of Tri-agency scholarships and awards have payments deposited to their student account 5 working days after DNE deadline date each term.
Special entrance award
Concordia offers these prestigious entrance awards to students who begin their degree program with a full external scholarship from one of the designated provincial and federal granting agencies or recognized foundations (i.e., Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship). Note, students awarded scholarships after they have already begun the degree program are not eligible for this entrance award.
Once the student submits a copy of the Notice of Award (generated by the relevant funding agency) to the School of Graduate Studies Graduate Awards, recipients will receive a Special Entrance Award valued at $10,000 for PhD students and $6,000 for Master’s students in the first year of their scholarship/program. Recipients will have their award payments deposited to their student account 5 working days after the DNE deadline date for each term during the award tenure.
Foundation scholarships
The Mackenzie King Scholarship
The Mackenzie King Scholarships include the Open Scholarship, available to applicants that hold a degree from a Canadian university who pursue graduate studies in any discipline in Canada or elsewhere, and the Travelling Scholarship available to applicants that hold a degree from a Canadian university who pursue graduate studies in the United States or the United Kingdom in the areas of international relations or industrial relations (including the international or industrial relations aspects of law, history, politics and economics).
Fulbright Canada
The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program operates on the principle of reciprocal exchange and provides the opportunity for outstanding Canadian students to study and/or conduct research in the United States. Award recipients include Canadian citizens who are graduate students, prospective graduate students, or junior professionals.
Arbour Foundation Scholarships
The mission of the Arbour Foundation is to grant scholarships to deserving students in financial need at the Master’s and Doctoral levels in three disciplines having been identified as most likely to foster economic growth: Engineering, Computer Science and Business Administration..
Other Research Opportunities
The Mitacs Accelerate program is Canada’s premiere research internship program. The program connects companies with research-based universities through graduate students who apply their specialized expertise to business challenges. Interns transfer their skills from theory to real-world application, while the companies gain a competitive advantage by accessing high-quality research expertise. Should you have any questions about the funding opportunities, please contact the MITACS Concordia Business Development team (Natalie Rachel or Oliverio Velazquez Salazar).
