Spring 2026 VPR Postdoctoral Excellence Award

Eligibility

• By the proposed award start date, applicants must be eligible to hold an appointment as a new Postdoctoral Associate under the identified supervisor. Individuals must not hold a postdoctoral appointment on the application deadline and should not have held a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Calgary in the past.   
• Applicants must meet the window of eligibility to apply for the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) within the first year of the VPR Excellence Award period. It is presumed that most applicants to VPR Excellence will identify CPRA as one of their target external fellowships. Therefore, the window of eligibility for the VPR Excellence Award is now indexed to that of CPRA. Exceptions to the doctoral degree completion eligibility period may be granted for up to three years if the criteria outlined in the CPRA Eligibility Exceptions section are met. If requesting an exception, relevant circumstances should be described in the Special Circumstances Form of the application (see Application Items section).
• No restrictions on citizenship. 
• Applications from individuals who have already started their appointment as a University of Calgary postdoctoral scholar at the time of the application deadline will not be accepted; however, individuals who have received an offer letter with a start date after the application deadline will be eligible to apply for the award. 
• Funding will not be allocated to a postdoctoral scholar (PDS) who received their PhD from the University of Calgary, unless personal circumstances require them to remain in Calgary and/or there is a substantive change in research context (e.g., a new supervisor, institute, department, or faculty). In such cases, the Special Circumstances Form must be completed and submitted with the application, providing an explanation of the exceptional circumstances (see Application Items section).

Summary

The VPR Postdoctoral Excellence Award is designed to support UCalgary faculty to recruit and support outstanding postdoctoral scholars.  

This program will award partial salary support for postdoctoral associates who will be highly competitive for external fellowship awards and will help advance the University of Calgary’s strategic research and innovation plan. Awards are granted through a competitive process, with application deadlines on June 1 and December 1 each year.  

This  funding is intended to recruit new postdoctoral scholars to UCalgary.  

Applications are to be written and submitted by the individual applying to be a VPR Postdoctoral Excellence Award holder, and not by their faculty supervisor. 

Killam Awards

The Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship is now integrated into the VPR Excellence Awards. As such, it will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible postdoctoral applicant awarded through the VPR Excellence adjudication process, following the same eligibility criteria and review procedures, and is open only to new incoming postdoctoral scholars. 

Value: $30,000

VPR will pay $30,000 per year, to be matched ($30,000 minimum) by the postdoctoral associate's faculty supervisor. Supervisors must also provide employer-paid benefits (Plan C), CPP, EI, and WCB. Supervisors of International Postdocs are also responsible for paying the $230 Compliance Fee to support the work permit application process.

Duration: Up to 2 years

The award is granted for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year, subject to satisfactory performance and submission of the Annual Progress Report. Award holders must apply for all fellowship awards identified in their proposed external fellowship plan to qualify for renewal. 

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at fellowships@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Application Requirements

You must provide the following in your online application form: 

• Contact information 
• Ph.D. completion information 
• Contact information for 2 references 
  • Ensure that your referees submit letters of reference to fellowships@ucalgary.ca on or before the application deadline. We will not contact referees to request letters. 
  • Do not list your proposed UCalgary supervisor as a reference 
• Proposed research project title and lay abstract (150-300 words) 

Note: All documents in your application must be on 8.5x11 pages, single-spaced with minimum margins of 2 cm on all sides, and a minimum font size of 11 in Arial font. The PDF attachment MUST include your first and last name in the file name (e.g. "Last Name, First Name VPR Excellence.pdf")

Attach the following as a single PDF, in the order listed below:
 
1.  Research project proposal (2 pages maximum, plus 1 additional page for list of references)
Please be sure to write your proposal in clear, plain language and avoid jargon, keeping in mind that your application will be evaluated by a review committee covering a broad discipline category. 
Applicants must submit a well-structured proposal that addresses the following: 

• Background and Challenge: Provide relevant background information, explain the significance of the issue, and describe how your project addresses a challenge in academic, creative, or societal contexts. 
• Aims/Objectives: Clearly state the research, scholarly, and/or creative aims/objectives, or the scientific hypothesis that guides the study. It is highly recommended to pose a direct research question. 
• Methods and Activities: Outline the key activities, steps, and the approach or methodology you will use to meet the challenge or to investigate your question. Explain in a compelling manner how the proposed activities of the project will successfully achieve the aims/objectives and address the challenge identified. 
• Expected outcomes and impact: Describe the anticipated results and their potential contribution or application within the field and beyond. This may include transdisciplinary contributions, policy, industry, public health, or environmental sustainability.  

It is not necessary to use these exact headings, but these elements must be addressed in relation to the evaluation criteria. 

2. Narrative CV (3 pages maximum): Approach this item as an abridged version of the Tri-Agency CV (TCV). The adjudication committee will evaluate applications according to Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recommendations, which recognizes a wide and diverse range of scholarly outputs beyond such metrics as journal impact factors. For guidance on composing this item, please consult the TCV Guide maintained by the Knowledge to Impact team. 
 
3. Confirmation of Ph.D. degree completion (not required at time of application submission, if degree is pending) 
 
4. Supervisor's statement  (1 page maximum) 

• Confirmation of match-funding ($60,000) for full two-year tenure of award (i.e. Project Number or RMS record for pending funding requests) 
• Describe the quality of the research and training environment, including access to space, resources, funding, networks, and research opportunities; 
• Outline the supervisory commitment, including career development support and professional training. 
• Highlight the supervisor’s track record in training trainees and demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) and, where applicable, alignment with UCalgary’s Indigenous Strategy (ii’taa’poh’to’p).  

5. Detailed plan for external funding applications (1 page maximum) 

• List all external postdoctoral fellowships for which you are eligible and have applied, or plan to apply. Include confirmation of eligibility, application deadlines, funding amounts, and the anticipated start dates.

6. Special Circumstances (if applicable; 1 page maximum): Applicants should use the Special Circumstances page, where applicable, to explain any career interruptions, non-traditional career paths, or factors that may have influenced their academic trajectory. 

We must also receive 2 letters of reference from referees to fellowships@ucalgary.ca on or before the application deadline. These must be submitted by the referees, and not by the applicant. Letters of reference must be on institutional letterhead and include the name, title, and signature of the referee.