Student Research Funding

Below is a table of internal student research funding opportunities offered at The University of Winnipeg.

If a deadline coincides with a weekend or a public holiday recognized in Manitoba, the deadline will be extended to the next business day. For instance, if March 15th falls on a Saturday, the deadline will be observed on March 17th.

Please be advised that all of the research awards listed below are available to both domestic and international students, unless otherwise specified.

Full application details are available in the Research Manual, and on WebGrants.

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are intended to:

• Stimulate student interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering;
• Encourage students to undertake graduate studies;
• Encourage students to consider a research career in natural sciences and engineering

Applications are evaluated based on students’ academic record, evidence of research potential
and interest in research, and evidence of the quality of research training provided by the
supervisor. Read the complete NSERC USRA Internal Guidelines and view this NSERC poster for further instructions on how to apply.

Find out all about this award with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council on the NSERC Website. 

Applications will have to be completed on the NSERC portal, and the NSERC Form 202 will have to be downloaded and combined with the student’s research statement, and an unofficial transcript. The student will send the completed form to the Research Office via email (researchoffice@uwinnipeg.ca) by the February 3, 2025 deadline. 

Combining the NSERC USRA with the Indigenous Summer Scholars Program (ISSP)

If you are an Indigenous student who has applied to the Indigenous Summer Scholars Program and are interested in transitioning your summer work from part-time to full-time for a duration of 14 to 16 weeks, we encourage you to consider applying for a NSERC USRA. This will allow you to participate in the Indigenous Summer Scholars Program while holding a NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA). The NSERC USRA award amount is what you are paid for holding the NSERC USRA while participating in ISSP and working on a research project with a supervisor. 

Step 1: Please apply to the ISSP by their DEADLINE. Application processes for the ISSP-NSERC USRA can begin once you are matched with a supervisor for the ISSP Program.

Step 2: For information regarding the ISSP/NSERC USRA application process, please view the 2025 ISSP/NSERC USRA Guidelines.

As part of Budget 2022, the federal government announced funding for the federal granting agencies to support targeted scholarships and fellowships for promising Black students. At present time, SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black students. Applicants are hereby disclosing that they self-identify as Black on the application and understand that this information will be shared with the institution to which they are applying and, if awarded, publicly. 

SSHRC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are intended to:

• Stimulate student interest in research in the social sciences and humanities;
• Encourage students to undertake graduate studies;
• Encourage students to consider a research career in social sciences and humanities.

Applications are evaluated based on students’ academic record, evidence of research potential
and interest in research, and evidence of the quality of research training provided by the
supervisor. 

For information regarding application procedures, student and supervisor eligibility: SSHRC USRA Guidelines.

The internal deadline for applications is 5pm March 14th 2025. Students and supervisors must submit their application by email to the Research Office (researchoffice@uwinnipeg.ca). 

As part of Budget 2022, the federal government announced funding for the federal granting agencies to support targeted scholarships and fellowships for promising Black students. At present time, CIHR USRAs are exclusively for Black students. Applicants are hereby disclosing that they self-identify as Black on the application and understand that this information will be shared with the institution to which they are applying, and if awarded, publicly. 

CIHR Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are intended to:

• Stimulate student interest in research in human health related research;
• Encourage students to undertake graduate studies;
• Encourage students to consider a research career in human health related research

Applications are evaluated based on students’ academic record, evidence of research potential
and interest in research, and evidence of the quality of research training provided by the
supervisor. 

For information regarding application procedures, student and supervisor eligibility: CIHR USRA Guidelines.

The internal deadline for applications is 5pm March 14th 2025. Students and supervisors must submit their application by email to the Research Office (researchoffice@uwinnipeg.ca). 

Pathway to Graduate Studies (P2GS) is open to Indigenous students who have declared a major in a natural science and engineering field and will be enrolled in UWinnipeg classes for the Fall 2024 term. There is no minimum GPA requirement, what is most important is an interest in science and learning about science-based research.

Learn more about the P2GS program

The Indigenous Summer Scholars Program (ISSP) is hosted by the UWinnipeg Faculty of Graduate Studies and invites senior undergraduate students and recent graduates of undergraduate programs who identify as Indigenous Peoples of Canada to explore the possibilities of graduate studies

Learn more about the ISSP.

The NSERC Indigenous Student Ambassadors (NISA) grant aims to engage Indigenous students and fellows in promoting interest and participation in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE) by visiting Indigenous communities and schools in Canada. Ambassadors could share their research and education experiences at an information booth at a community event or Powwow, or they could deliver hands-on science promotion activities at a workshop for youth in the community, among other possibilities.

For more information, please visit the NSERC Indigenous Student Ambassadors webpage.

Grant Assistant Prep (GAP) Program (EOI)

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM HAVE CLOSED

The aim of this opportunity is to train and fund graduate students and graduate student alumni, who are within 1 year of graduating from their graduate program, interested in assisting researchers with their Tri-Agency research grant applications throughout the grant writing process.

Graduate Students who submit this EOI will be invited to attend the Grant Assistant Prep (GAP) Training Program. When the training has been completed, participants meet with a Research Office Program Officer to demonstrate their understanding of the training curriculum. This program is mandatory and will need to be completed before a graduate student is matched with a researcher to support them in writing a grant. If selected, graduate students will begin assisting with the preparation of a grant application from late summer through early fall 2025, depending on the grant.

Graduate students will be paid up to $1,500 for up to 60 hours of work. This includes 15 - 20 hours of training.

Mitacs is a national not-for-profit that helps industry and non-profit partners solve strategic challenges by leveraging Canada's world-class post-secondary talent and a global network of industry, academic, and government partnerships. Through these collaborations, Mitacs helps business and community partners succeed, improves students' on-the-job skills development, and strengthens Canada's world-class innovation ecosystem.

We encourage interested partners, students, and faculty, to please contact Dr. Zsuzsa Papp zpapp@mitacs.ca for more information regarding any of the following Mitacs funding opportunities.

Mitacs Accelerate

Accelerate is the flagship program of Mitacs, and is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines. Accelerate interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with industry on research-focused projects. (Student entrepreneurs should contact Mitacs about a special opportunity to apply for funding for their own startups under this program.) Projects can range from four months up to 5 years in length, with funding starting at $10,000.  Applications are accepted throughout the year on a non-competitive basis.

Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI)

The Business Strategy Internship (BSI) program is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines. BSI interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with industry on innovation and development-focused projects. Innovation-based projects are those aimed at improving products and services, processes, or the organization as a whole. Projects can range from four months up to 5 years in length, with funding starting at $10,000.  Applications are accepted throughout the year on a non-competitive basis.

Indigenous Pathways - Accelerate and BSI

Mitacs is committed to working with indigenous peoples and creating equitable access to their Programs. This initiative aims to diminish the barriers of innovation, in any discipline, by reducing the cost of collaborations between partners and academia. Under the Indigenous Pathways program Mitacs Accelerate and Business Strategy Internship (BSI) provides 75%, while the partner organization only provides 25% of the project cost.

For a project to be qualified for Indigenous Pathways offering at Mitacs, at least one of the following three conditions should apply:

• Students, graduate students, recent graduates or postdoctoral fellows on the research project self-identify as Indigenous
• The partner organization is a for-profit organization with self-identifying Indigenous persons who hold 50% or greater ownership shares.
• The partner organization is a not-for-profit organization with board membership consisting of 50% or greater self-identifying Indigenous persons
• The partner organization is a not-for-profit organization whose core mandate includes Indigenous community impact or serving Indigenous communities

All other Accelerate and BSI rules apply.

Mitacs Globalink Research Award (GRA)

The Globalink Research Award provides $6,000 for senior undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in Canada to conduct 12–24-week research projects at universities overseas. (This award is also open to  students and postdoctoral fellows currently studying at international universities to conduct research in Canada.

Outbound UWinnipeg students will need to secure an academic supervisor at a host institution as well as one at UWinnipeg. The UWinnipeg supervisor will provide $2,000 CAD in co-funding to add to the Mitacs funding, for a total of $6,000 CAD. For projects involving Mitacs international partners or through the Quantum stream, the co-funding requirement for UWinnipeg supervisors is waived.

For a full list of Mitacs programs for students and postdocs, please visit here.

Student Research Committee Mandate

To support student research excellence and recognition at The University of Winnipeg through the review of student research award applications that focus on the merits of the student, supervisor, and project. The goal of this committee is to provide an open and transparent mechanism regarding student research award decision-making and procedures within the University.

The Committee will serve as a formal mechanism to promote research excellence and student success. The University of Winnipeg is committed to fostering an equitable research and learning environment that respects and values diversity.

Student Research Committee Members:

Jitendra Paliwal, Vice-President, Research and Innovation - (ex-officio, non-voting)

Will Burton, Department of Education - Faculty of Education

Jose Espinoza, Department of Business and Administration – Faculty of Business and Economics

Patricia Fitzpatrick, Department of Geography – Faculty of Science

Dennis Gupa, Department of Theatre and Film - Faculty of Arts

Yannick Molgat-Seon, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Health – Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health

Qian Liu, Department of Applied Computer – Faculty of Science

Stephen Smith, Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts

Camilo Valderrama, Department of Applied Computer Science – Faculty of Science

Doris Wolf, Department of English – Faculty of Arts

Dylan Jones, Program Officer, Canada Research Chair Coordinator and Special Initiatives - (non-voting)