Program changes

September 27, 2019

In order to allow increased flexibility for the submission of new and renewal nominations, resubmissions, and nominations to help institutions address their equity targets, as of April 2020 the Canada Research Chairs Program will be introducing a three-cycle intake model. Three cycles will provide institutions with additional submission opportunities and will better align with participating agencies’ processes. They will also allow for more rapid decisions for each cycle, including for files that are sent to the Deferred Recommendation Process. An additional cycle will also help institutions address potential equity gaps more quickly and allow for better planning of future nomination submissions.

Nominations for Budget 2018 chairs, as well as nominations that will assist institutions in meeting their equity targets, will continue to be accepted off-cycle until the April 20, 2020, deadline. Subsequently, all nominations will need to be submitted to one of the three cycle deadlines. Foreign nominations can still be submitted off-cycle.

The required changes to information regarding the move to three cycles on the Canada Research Chairs website and that of our partner agency, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, are scheduled to take place shortly. In the coming weeks, institutions will also receive revised utilization spreadsheets with updated renewal dates for their current chairs. In the interim, and to help with your planning, we have outlined the new 2020 intake dates below:

Institutions will be advised once the websites and dates have been updated.

Should you have any questions, please contact your Program Officer.