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Feds launch $1.7 billion international talent attraction program

The program will provide funding to bring 100 top-tier international research chairs and their teams to Canada.

Hannah Liddle

December 11, 2025

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The Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative, announced Tuesday by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, will support universities to attract 100 new research chairs, plus hundreds of early career researchers, doctoral students and postdocs from abroad.

The suite of programs is backed by $1.7 billion over 12 years and aims to bring 1,000 researchers to Canada as part of the federal government’s international talent attraction strategy, first announced in Budget 2025.

Its centrepiece is the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program, which will provide $1 billion to Canadian universities over 12 years to recruit 100 new chairs. The program will target leading internationally based researchers, including Canadian scholars working abroad, whose work addresses national and global challenges.

“We will be attracting a thousand new researchers, the best and the brightest in the world, and we will have the biggest budget on Earth to do that,” said Minister Joly at a press conference in Montreal.

While Minister Joly did not name U.S. president Donald Trump directly, the launch comes as his administration seeks to impose its political agenda on universities south of the border while continuing to slash funding for fundamental research.

“While certain countries are turning their back on academic freedom and cutting research and weakening science… we are doubling down,” said Minister Joly. She also made a direct appeal to expatriate Canadian researchers, “My message to Canadians out there: It’s time to come back home.”

The funding will be distributed by Canada’s Tri-Council agencies and will award universities who submit successful applications to select and recruit Impact+ Research Chairs.

Chairholders will receive one of two awards, valued at either $1 million or $500,000 per year for eight years. Chairs can then apply for four-year funded extensions at 50 per cent of the award value.

Focus on priority research areas

The 100 new chairs will be selected in part for their potential contribution to Canada’s economy in the government’s priority areas, including advanced technologies (such as quantum and artificial intelligence), clean technology, defence, democracy, health and biotechnology and climate resilience.

Of the $1 billion, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) will grant the largest share, up to $530 million, while $340 million will be granted by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and $198.5 million by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

University leaders are roundly applauding the program’s launch. Gabriel Miller, president and CEO of Universities Canada (publisher of University Affairs), wrote that “Canada’s universities are ready to work with the federal government to turn these commitments into long-term impact for communities nationwide.”

Robert Asselin, chief executive officer of U15, an association of Canada’s leading research universities, celebrated the announcement and called on prospective researchers.

“To international researchers considering whether to come to Canada to build their careers and advance their ideas, our message is clear: Canada is a supportive and welcoming destination, with world-class research universities to partner with your work,” he stated in a press release, adding, “Our universities remain steadfast in defending academic freedom, advancing scientific excellence and investing in the success of Canada’s research community.”

Application deadlines next spring

Eighty-two universities will be eligible to recruit Impact+ chairholders and will be expected to support their research endeavors throughout their time in Canada. Degree-granting universities must have previously received an annual average of $100,000 or more from the Tri-Agencies to qualify.

Universities can apply for any combination of $500,000 or $1 million per year award values up to a yearly, institution-specific dollar limit determined by the government. Canada’s largest universities were allocated the highest ceilings, with the University of Toronto capped at $35 million and the University of British Columbia and McGill University at $25 million each. The bulk of universities were limited to either $3 million (32 institutions) or $2 million (23 institutions).

Universities must make their Impact+ Research Chairs applications by March 2026 for the first intake and June 2026 for the second intake.

Targeting early-career researchers, PhD students and post-docs

A complementary initiative is aimed at early-career researchers (ECRs). Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders is a $120 million fund over 12 years to bring more internationally based ECRs to Canada. Universities that are nominating an Impact+ Research Chair can request an additional $100,000 per year over six years to recruit an ECR.

The ECR must be working in the same strategic priority area as the Impact+ Research Chair but doesn’t necessarily need to be in the same research field or discipline. Emerging Leaders will be eligible for a six-year extension, at the same amount, if their research “has been transformational, translational and has garnered partners,” and they’ve made progress in their academic careers.

The suite of funding also includes $133.6 million over three years to help top international doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers relocate to Canada. The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards will provide 600 doctoral scholarships valued at $40,000 per year and 400 postdoctoral research awards at $70,000 per year to international talent working in the government’s priority research areas.

Fahim Quadir, vice-provost and dean of graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs at Queen’s University, said the new Impact+ Research Training Awards represent an important step towards strengthening Canada’s talent pipeline. “This initiative positions us more competitively in the global search for the next generation of researchers, innovators and leaders,” said Dr. Quadir, who is also president of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.

“I see this to be Canada’s long overdue commitment to talent development, which is central to Canada’s sovereignty, competitiveness and global leadership.”

Universities will be given a set number of Impact+ Research Training Awards and can distribute them to researchers holding an active grant from one of the three funding agencies. Successful researchers can then nominate and recruit candidates, including Canadian citizens, currently abroad. Universities will then submit an application on behalf of the nominator to the appropriate Tri-Agency who will then review the candidate’s eligibility. More information about the process will be shared directly with universities in the coming weeks, according to an NSERC press release.

The Impact+ Research Training Awards program is designed for “rapid delivery.” The first nominations must be submitted in early 2026 and a second phase will begin in April 2026.

Infrastructure funding to support new chairs

In addition to the award announcements, the government will be providing funding to universities through the Canada Foundation for Innovation for research-enabling infrastructure.

The Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund will provide $400 million over six years to support the work of newly recruited research chairs, and, where applicable, early career researchers. The funding will cover both capital costs and operating and maintenance costs, with totals varying depending on the needs of the chairholders. The maximum award value is $6 million.