External Opportunities

 external opps

Funding must be in place before the fellowship begins. Postdoctoral scholars can secure funding from external granting agencies or fellowship programs or may be offered funding from their faculty mentors’ grant or research resources. The rates of compensation and applicable policies vary depending upon the funding agency.

For postdoctoral opportunities at Western, please visit SGPS' Postdoctoral Opportunities site.

Fellowship Programs

There exist several fellowship programs offered to prospective and current postdoctoral scholars each year. Interested applicants are encouraged to review all application information to confirm their eligibility.

When applying to any of the external fundings, and to obtain an institutional signature on a grant submission, please remember to:

  • Research On-line Administration (ROLA): Ensure your supervisor has created and submitted a corresponding ROLA proposal for the application. If the opportunity is not listed on the ROLA funding opportunity page HERE, please send an email with the guidelines and deadline date to rolahelp@uwo.ca requesting it.
  • Full Application: Send a PDF of your full application to the Office of Research Services (ORS) researchoffice@uwo.ca at least five business days before the deadline of the competition. All documents that make up the application should be in the pdf; alternatively attach them in the email.
  • Institutional Signature: Please ensure that all required signatures as requested from the Sponsor have been completed (Trainee, Supervisor, Head of Department/ Dean confirmation, etc) as part of your application package to ORS.
    • Once the application has been reviewed and approvals collected through the ROLA grants management system, the signature page with the institutional signature will be returned to you for your full application submission.

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

Sunsetting of the Banting program
The current Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (results released in mid-February 2025) will be the final competition for this program.

Background

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is jointly administered by Canada's three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Value:  $70,000/year | Two-year duration

Number of Awards:  70 fellowships awarded each year

Field(s):  Most fields of study

Contact:  Mihaela Harmos

MITACS Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

MITACS has issued a call for proposals to the MITACS Elevate postdoctoral fellowship program.  MITACS Elevate is a pilot fellowship program for postdoctoral fellows (PDFs) at Ontario universities to develop collaborations with local industry.

Value:  $55,000/year with $10,000 for research support | Two-year duration

Number of Awards:  Varies each year

Field(s):  Varies each year

Application Details:  Program Description

Contact:  Mihaela Harmos

Ontario Women's Health Scholars Award

Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, a Scholar Awards Program in Women's Health has been established to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent women's health scholars.

Value:  $40,000/year with $5,000 for research support | One-year duration

Number of Awards:  One

Field(s):  Women's health

Application Details:  Program Description

Contact:  Mihaela Harmos

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

The objective of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. Postdoctoral Fellowships help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

Value:  Living allowance, a mobility allowance if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities management and indirect costs for 1-3 years.

Application Details: Program Description

Contact:  Mihaela Harmos

Agencies

Below are some external agencies that offer funding for postdoctoral appointments, however several other sources of funding are available. Postdoctoral scholars are encouraged to seek out all potential avenues of funding.

Tri-Agency Fellowships | Government of Canada

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship
Value $70,000/yr $70,000/yr + $5,000/yr research allowance $70,000/yr
Duration 2 years Up to 5 years 2 years
Eligibility criteria and instructions Click here Click here Click here
Application Portal Online Form ResearchNet Research Portal
Western/ROLA deadline (MANDATORY) September 5, 2024 September 23, 2024 October 10, 2024
Agency deadline (MANDATORY) September 12, 2024 October 2, 2024 October 16, 2024
Results announced February 2025 April 2025 February 2025

Other Agency Funding

Agency Value Field(s) Deadlines
Sigma Delta Epsilon Graduate Women in Science Research Fellowships Variable Natural Sciences Jan. 15
Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program Variable Variable Jan. 15
Savoy Foundation Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellowships $30,000 Variable Jan. 15
Action Canada Fellows $20,000 Leadership Development, Public Policy Jan. 26
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Ecopolis Postdoctoral Awards in Urban Agriculture $40,000 - $50,000 Urban Agriculture Jan. 30
National Research Council of Canada H.L. Holmes Awards for Postdoctoral Studies Up to $100,000 Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics Jan. 31
Azrieli Fellows Program $35,000 Variable Feb. 1
Educational Testing Services Postdoctorate Fellowship Program $50,000 Educational Measurement Feb. 1
National Cancer Institute of Canada Post PhD and Post MD Research Fellowships $35,000 - $47,500 Behavioural Research and Cancer Control Feb. 1
Materials and Manufacturing Ontario Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technological Entrepreneurship $50,000 Technological Entrepreneurship Feb. 14
E.B. Eastburn Postdoctoral Fellowship $80,000 Engineering or Science Feb. 28
Resources for the Future (RFF) Gilbert F. White Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Variable Natural Resources, Energy, or the Environment Feb. 28
Parkinson Society Canada Fellowships & Grants $40,000 - $50,000 Parkinson's Disease  Mar. 1
Canadian Arthritis Network Training Programs $40,000 - $50,000 Arthritis May 15
Sheldon M. Chumir Foundation Internship in Ethics in Leadership $32,500 Ethics in Leadership and Public Life Mar. 19
University of North Carolina and the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund Marilyn Gentry $100,000 Cancer and Nutrition Mar. 30
Davies Charitable Foundation Fellowship $10,000 Variable Apr. 15
International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications Welch Scholarship $15,000 Vacuum Science Techniques or their Applications Apr. 15
Strategic Training Program in Cancer Reseach and Technology Transfer (CaRTT) $36,750 Cancer May 30
Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellowships $24,000 Variable Jun.
Translational Breast Cancer Research Traineeship Program $36,750 Breast Cancer Jun. 25
William T. Grant Scholars Program $350,000 Interdisciplinary; Youth Development Jul. 1
Open Society Foundations Human Rights Internship Variable Human Rights Jul. 1
Canadian Blood Services Postdoctoral Fellowships Variable Transfusion Science in Canada Jul. 5
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Postdoctoral Scholarships and Study Programs Variable Variable Aug. 1
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Manfred Wörner Essay Award Variable NATO Issues Aug. 31
CIFAR - Junior Fellow Academy $65,000 Variable Sep. 1
Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Fellowship in Animal Policy Development $40,000 Genetically Modified Animals in Canadian Science Sep. 30
Mellon/ACLS Recent Doctoral Recipients Fellowships $35,000 Variable Sep. 28
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships $38,000 - $47,500 Cystic Fibrosis Oct. 1
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowships $38,000 Humanities and Social Science Oct.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Fellowships $26,000 - $85,000 Humanities, Social Science, and Public Policy Oct. 1
Health Canada Postdoctoral Fellowships $43,000 Science Oct. 11
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Sloan Industry Center Fellowships $45,000 Industries Oct. 15
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships $40,000 Science and Engineering Oct. 15
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship Program $75,000 Variable Oct. 15
Alzheimer Society of Canada $40,500 Alzheimer's Disease Oct. 29
Getty Grant Program Postdoctoral Fellowships $22,000 Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences Nov. 1
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program $70,000 Variable Nov. 3
Canada-US Fulbright Program Fulbright Awards $25,000 Variable Nov. 15
Canadian Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF) $36,500 Variable Nov. 15
Killam Laureates Postdoctoral Fellowships $10,000 Variable Nov. 17
E.A. Baker Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness - CNIB Research Fund $40,000 Vision Loss Dec. 1
Osyp and Josaphat Neporany Educational Fund New Investigator Award $15,000 - $30,000 Science, Architecture, Engineering Dec. 1
International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS) Postdoctoral Fellowships $10,000 Canadian Studies Dec. 31
Lady Davis Fellowship Trust Variable Variable Dec. 31
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Variable Health Research Variable
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) Organization of American States (OAS) Fellowship Programs Variable Variable Variable
Indigenous Health Research Development Program Postdoctoral Awards $20,000 Aboriginal Health Variable
International Union Against Cancer Fellowships Variable Cancer Variable
National Research Council of Canada Research Associate Program $57,000 Science and Engineering Variable
Social Science Research Council (US) Postdoctoral Fellowships Variable Variable Variable
FAPESP Sao Paulo Foundation Variable Variable Variable
International Max Planck Research School on Moduli Spaces Variable Variable Variable
DFG: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Funding Programs Variable Science Variable
Doctoral Student Research Award (DSRA) Variable Variable Variable
Asia Pacific Foundations of Canada: Post-Graduate Research Fellowships Variable Variable Variable
Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowships in East European Studies $25,000 Eastern European Studies Variable