Canada Excellence Research Chairs

(Full details on CERC website)

Nominees must be full professors or associate professors expected to be promoted to full professor within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels. The nominee must hold a full-time academic appointment at the nominating institution as of the start date of the Chair award. Awardees will have up to 12 months to take up the award after the notice of award and acceptance has been signed by all parties.

The program imposes no restrictions on nominees regarding nationality or country of residence and there are established procedures to allow non-Canadian chairholders to work in Canada. Members of the Chair's team may also be eligible for an expedited work permit. 

Researchers who hold a full-time academic appointment at a Canadian institution are eligible to be nominated; however, they may not be nominated by the institution at which they currently hold their appointment. If an institution nominates a researcher who is currently at a Canadian institution, the institution must demonstrate the net benefit to the country in moving the researcher from one Canadian institution to another.

EDI is as a foundational principle in the CERC’s objectives, expected outcomes and application and reporting requirements. The program requires the participation and contributions of students, trainees and researchers from underrepresented groups. These groups include, but are not limited to, racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women, and individuals from LGBTQ2+ communities. Chairs and CERC-funded institutions are expected to implement measures that specifically support early career researchers. If applicable, applications should include Indigenous research components that are co-created and co-led with Indigenous Peoples.  

EDI considerations must also be embedded into the recruitment process. The recruitment process must identify and address systemic barriers, attract a diverse pool of applicants and be open, fair, transparent and equitable. 

The CERC program requires a two staged application process where interested applicants must first apply to an open job posting at the university and then applicants who are successful through the internal selection process will apply to the program.  The U of L will provide substantial support in the preparation and development of the program application including budget planning, proposal development and editing.

Details for 2025 competition

Nominees for the CERC program will be selected in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Research/academic merit and leadership skills of the candidate

   • The candidate is a top-tier researcher whose accomplishments have made a major societal impact (as appropriate based on career stage) and who is recognized internationally as a leader. In cases where the nominee is a Canadian Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) researcher based in Canada, the impact can be at the international level and/or at the community, regional or national level. Quality and impact of the nominee’s research track record, including their record of service to the research community (e.g., service on peer review committees, faculty recruitment committees, advisory committees).

   • The candidate’s record of attracting and mentoring a diverse group of students, trainees and research personnel, and establishing an equitable and inclusive research environment.

   • The candidate’s plan for establishing and maintaining a diverse core team (at the student, trainee, personnel and early career researcher levels), and an environment that is safe and inclusive and allows all team members to reach their full research potential (e.g., through the recruitment and outreach strategy, equitable training opportunities, professional development and mentoring).

2. Quality of the research program

   • Extent to which the proposed research program aligns with one or more of the Government of Canada’s ST&I priorities for the CERC and CFREF programs.

   • Extent to which the proposed research program promises to be world-leading in the field.

   • Extent to which the proposed research program enhances knowledge mobilization and translation so that all sectors of society (industry, government, academia, not-for-profit, etc.) benefit from the research and data generated.

   • Quality of the proposed research program in terms of how it has embedded EDI considerations (i.e., GBA+ or SGBA+) at each stage of the research process (research questions, design, methodology, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of results), as applicable.

   • Quality of the proposed research program in terms of how research is co-created and co-led by and with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, as investigators, trainees, partners and collaborators, and its recognition of Indigenous ways of knowing (as applicable).

3. Potential contribution to the excellence of the Canadian and international research ecosystem

   • Likelihood that the work associated with the proposed research program will be recognized as globally relevant and will advance the frontiers of research in the field on a global scale.

   • Opportunities for collaboration with other researchers working in the same or related areas at the nominating institution, in the same region, within Canada and abroad.

   • Likelihood that the work of the proposed Chair will advance Canada’s reputation as a global centre for science, research and innovation excellence.

   • Plan of the Chair and core team members to communicate the research results and their impacts to the world and a variety of audiences.

   • Potential to apply the research results from the Chair to advance public policy and/or the potential to commercialize research discoveries from the Chair in order to create social and economic advantages for Canada.