Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship

Eligibility

Fellows of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation:
• are senior academics in Canada who are leaders in their field. They are academics holding a full-time tenured appointment in a Canadian university at or near the rank of Full Professor with a national or international reputation;
• tackle important current issues in social sciences and humanities intersecting with one or more of the four themes of the Foundation;
• propose a research project that is innovative and socially significant, pushing research and thinking in new directions;
• have a demonstrated commitment to supporting graduate students;
• have a proven record of academic excellence, as established by their prior success in obtaining research grants;
• are effective communicators willing to engage with a range of actors in society.

Candidates’ research must be linked to one or several of the four Foundation themes (Human Rights and Dignity; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the world; People and their natural environment) and must integrate itself into the general field of humanities and social sciences.

Summary

The Foundation nominates up to four (4) Fellows per year, chosen among professors at Canadian universities, for a mandate of three (3) years. Candidates must be nominated by their home universities. Direct applications are not accepted.

The Fellowship is of a total value of $300,000 per Fellow:
• $70,000 as prize;
• $50,000 as research grant;
• Up to $100,000 as possible additional research grant;
• Up to one (1) year of teaching buy-out, with $80,000 in compensation paid to the university.

Fellowship requirements: The Foundation requires Fellows to participate in the Foundation’s annual summer schools and a second event organized by the Foundation each year. Before the end of their term, all Fellows give a presentation on their research.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

A nomination package for the Fellowship must include the following elements:

(1) a presentation letter from the candidate, explaining their interest in the Foundation’s Fellowship program;

(2) a letter of nomination from the candidate’s home university;

(3) a three- to five-page presentation of the proposed Fellowship research project, including links to previous or ongoing research and the expected impact of the Fellowship research funding;

(4) the candidate’s academic curriculum vitae (max. 20 pages);

(5) three recommendation letters.

Internal Selection (Mandatory):
Nominations must be endorsed by the University of Calgary. Universities may only endorse three nominations per year. Direct applications are not accepted.

Each Faculty seeking institutional endorsement(s) must submit the following documents to the Research Services Office, for review by the SUPPORT: Research Awards committee. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the Vice-President (Research) and President will select up to three candidates for institutional endorsement:

• A 1-2 page description of the proposed Fellowship research project, including links to previous or ongoing research and the expected impact of the Fellowship research funding;
• the candidate’s academic curriculum vitae

Note that selected candidates will be required to obtain approvals for the course release they will receive, should they be awarded a Trudeau Fellowship

The Dean or representative must submit these documents to researchawards@ucalgary.ca by September 15, 2025

1. A completed SUPPORT: Research Awards review form.
2. A brief statement from the Dean or representative outlining how the Faculty considered equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in its nomination process (only one statement is required from the Faculty for all candidates).

SUPPORT Review of Full Nomination:

SUPPORT is available for full review for the candidates selected in the first round of institutional selection. Details on the full SUPPORT review process will be shared with the selected candidates.

Submission Instructions:
Complete submission instructions will be provided to candidates who have been selected for institutional endorsement. RSO will make the final submission to the Trudeau Foundation. 
Note that the Trudeau Fellowship involves a research leave, which must be approved by the Faculty and Provost prior to submission of the nomination. RSO will provide more details to the selected candidates.