Budget 2024 provided $825 million over 5 years starting in fiscal year 2024–25—with $199.8 million per year ongoing—to increase the value and number of scholarships and fellowships for master’s and doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This funding will increase the value of master’s scholarships, doctoral scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships to $27,000, $40,000 and $70,000, respectively. It will be delivered through the agencies’ enhanced suite of scholarships and fellowships programs.
In accordance with the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (SEEA), the three federal research funding agencies completed a detailed strategic environmental and economic assessment for this investment.
Based on the assessment criteria outlined in the SEEA directive, it was determined that the proposal for funding to increase support to scholarships and fellowships was unlikely to result in significant environmental effects. Consequently, no strategic environmental analysis was undertaken.
A strategic economic analysis completed using the SEEA directive’s criteria determined that the proposal would have no significant local economic impact. Impacts on the education sector were assessed as medium in the short term, and the extent of the proposal’s effects in the long term was assessed as uncertain. At the national level, the scope of the proposal’s short-term economic impacts was assessed as low, while the extent of its long-term impacts was assessed as uncertain.
The programs through which this new funding will be delivered support training and skills development, including in sustainable development fields. They also contribute to Indigenous self-determination, enhance leadership and capacity in research and research training, and promote respect for Indigenous Knowledge systems. As such, the proposal aligns with other federal initiatives that champion sustainable development, including the
The new investments announced in Budget 2024 reflect the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting the next generation of researchers. They will enhance the agencies' capacity to support a diverse population of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in careers that require strong research skills in all sectors of society. While this funding does not contribute directly to federal targets related to climate, nature or the economy, research related to climate change may be funded. As a result, this investment has the potential to enhance our understanding of climate change and its effects on people in Canada. It also offers opportunities for economic growth in the short term and has the potential to spark positive developments with respect to Indigenous Peoples’ rights and Indigenous climate leadership.