Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship

Eligibility

If you are an early-stage academic researcher, meaning that you have held an independent academic position for 10 years or less as of December 14 of the competition year and currently hold a grant from NSERC, you can prepare a nomination for this award. 

An independent academic position is a position that

• is a university faculty appointment (adjunct, non-tenured or tenured)
• requires that the researcher engage in research that is not under the direction of another individual
• authorizes the researcher to supervise or co-supervise the research of students registered in an undergraduate or graduate degree program, or postdoctoral fellows

For example, to be eligible, a candidate submitting a nomination in December 2026 would need to have started their appointment on or after December 14, 2016.

The ten-year eligibility window is adjusted to consider instances where a researcher has had an eligible delay in research. For all eligible leaves of absence (e.g., maternity and parental leave, personal illness, chronic illness, mental illness, or disability associated with reduced research activity, leave taken for family-related illness, bereavement, extraordinary administrative duties, delays related to COVID-19), NSERC will credit eligible delays double their total duration. For example, a candidate who took a 7-month parental leave after starting their appointment would have their eligibility window extended by 14 months. Professional leaves (e.g., training, sabbatical, administrative) are not credited.

The proposed research must be primarily within the natural sciences and engineering. The application may be rejected if NSERC determines, at any time during the review cycle, that the subject matter is outside of its mandate. See Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency  and the Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health for more information on subject matter eligibility.

Summary

Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships recognize early stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering and support them to enhance their research capacity, so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others.
McDonald Fellowships are held for a two-year period. Successful fellows are relieved of teaching and administrative duties, so that they can devote all their time and energy to research. The Fellowships are held at a Canadian university or affiliated research institution.
 

If your application is successful, you will receive a research grant of $250,000 over two years. The grant must be held at a Canadian university or affiliated research institution. You will also be relieved from teaching and administrative duties so that you can focus on your research.

In addition, NSERC normally contributes up to $180,000 over two years to the university toward your salary. As part of the McDonald Fellowship agreement, NSERC expects the university to fund a replacement for your teaching and administrative responsibilities. NSERC reduces the contribution to the university if the McDonald award recipient already holds another federal award with a salary component, such as a Canada Research Chair or an Industrial Research Chair.

The McDonald Fellowship must start on the first day of any month between April 2027 and March 2028, inclusive.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Internal Selection (Mandatory):
Nominations must be endorsed by the President of the University of Calgary, who may only endorse six nominations per year. Each Faculty seeking institutional endorsement(s) must submit the following documents for up to six candidates 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 six candidates for institutional endorsement. Research Services will then invite selected candidates to complete a full nomination package for submission to NSERC. Note that selected candidates will be required to obtain internal approvals for the research leave they will receive should they win a NSERC McDonald Fellowship.

The Dean or representative must submit these documents to researchawards@ucalgary.ca by September 17, 2026.

1. A 2-page abstract addressing the major elements of the "Future Directions" section of the nomination as requested by NSERC:
   • Research vision; proposed research; training of HQP; and the proposed outreach, mentorship, and leadership activities
   • NOTE: in the case of renominations, the 6-page nomination letter may be submitted instead, but please note that the format has changed for 2026.
2. The nominee's CV (ideally in the Tri-agency CV format, but other formats are acceptable if the nominee does not yet have a TCV)

SUPPORT Review of Full Nomination:

SUPPORT is available for full review for the candidates selected in the first round of institutional selection. The Dean or representative must submit these documents to researchawards@ucalgary.ca by [TBD, anticipated late October].

1. A completed SUPPORT: Research Awards review form.
2. A draft of the Future Directions 4 page document
3. The candidate's TCV using the tri-agency CV template  and follow the tri-agency CV instructions (see the tri-agency CV landing page for more information and a list of resources).
4. 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).
   1. This statement will inform the university's EDI statement to be included in the final nominations submitted to NSERC.

Submission Instructions:
Complete submission instructions will be provided to candidates who have been selected for institutional endorsement. RSO will make the final submission to NSERC.
Note that the Arthur B. McDonald 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.

Read NSERC's nomination guidelines. Note - the nomination requirements for 2026 have changed from previous years.
Required Documents:

You must include the following documents in your application:

1. Tri-agency CV: You must use the tri-agency CV template  and follow the tri-agency CV instructions (see the tri-agency CV landing page for more information and a list of resources). The selection committee will use information from the tri-agency CV and tri-agency CV appendix to assess your research achievements and impacts, as well as your past activities related to outreach, mentorship and leadership.
2. Future directions (maximum 4 pages if written in English or 5 pages if written in French) 
3. McDonald tri-agency CV appendix   
4. Application for a grant (Form 101)  Note that signatures on Form 101 are not required.
5. Impact Assessment form (Appendix A) , if required 
6. External reviewer suggestions form 
7. Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas , if required
8. Terms and conditions form for applicants - Please do not use the encrypted digital signature function.

9. McDonald Fellowship institution certification of application form 

   Your institution must certify its support for your application by completing the McDonald Fellowship institution certification of application form . This form is mandatory. The certification form will not be shown to the selection committee. Institutions may certify up to six applications.

   The certification form must include the following information:

   • Eligibility: the date, position and institution of your first independent academic appointment, as well as the total length of eligible delays in research or periods of inactivity since starting the position (for part-time delays, please state the full-time equivalent length of the delay)
   • Teaching and administrative relief: a description of how the institution will relieve you of these responsibilities while you hold the award
   • Application selection: a description of the process the institution used to identify and select applications overall, not just the process used for your application
     • this process should consider best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion 
     • for institutions with multiple submissions, this section can be reused for all applications, if appropriate
   • Certification by the executive head of the institution confirming your eligibility and institutional support for your application

   NSERC is acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. NSERC strongly encourages university officials to address barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion in their institutional selection processes.

   To promote equity, diversity and inclusion, institutions should ensure that all eligible candidates are considered and given the opportunity to apply. The Canada Research Chairs web page, Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention , describes how an institution can identify and select applicants to achieve these aims. Your institution must summarize the process it used to identify and select applicants, as well as how it applied best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion.