The Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative is a new federal program announced by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada that commits up to $1.7 billion over 12 years to attract leading international and expatriate researchers to Canada. The initiative is structured to support senior researchers, early career researchers, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows across priority research areas tied to economic, societal, and health outcomes.
The Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative combines recruitment funding with research infrastructure funding, including capital, operating, and maintenance costs. This integrated structure connects research staffing growth with sustained facility and equipment support, shaping how institutions plan capacity, resources, and long-term research operations.
How the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative is structured
The initiative is delivered through four funding streams that support researchers, infrastructure, and training.
Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program
The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program allocates $1 billion over 12 years to help institutions recruit world-leading researchers and their teams. Chairs receive either $8 million or $4 million over eight years, with a potential four-year extension at 50 percent of the initial award value. Funding includes researcher salaries and supporting infrastructure, linking research staffing directly to physical research capacity.
Programs of this scale often drive demand for advanced instrumentation, specialized research environments, and long-term operational support tied to high-impact research programs.
Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program
The Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program provides $120 million over 12 years to recruit international early-career researchers. Funding is awarded at $100,000 per year for six years, with a possible continuation for up to an additional six years.
Sustained early-career recruitment expands research staffing levels over long time horizons, increasing activity across shared research environments and institutional support systems.
Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund
The Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund commits $400 million over six years to support infrastructure associated with recruited researchers. The fund covers capital costs as well as operating and maintenance expenses, with awards of up to $6 million per research chair. Administration is handled by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
By including operating and maintenance costs, the program supports long-term use of research infrastructure rather than one-time capital investment, influencing equipment lifecycle planning and service support strategies.
Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards
The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards invest $133.6 million over three years to support international doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers relocating to Canada. Awards include up to 600 doctoral scholarships valued at $40,000 per year for three years and up to 400 postdoctoral awards valued at $70,000 per year for two years.
Training awards increase research staffing density and expand the scale of research teams, often elevating requirements for standardized onboarding, documentation, and supervision.
Research areas tied to infrastructure demand
Recruitment under the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative will prioritize advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cybersecurity, as well as biotechnology and life sciences, clean technologies, environment and climate resilience, manufacturing and advanced materials, and defense and dual-use technologies. Research spanning multiple priority areas is also eligible.
These fields frequently depend on high-cost instrumentation, controlled environments, and shared technical platforms, reinforcing the link between research staffing growth and research infrastructure funding.
What this signals for research operations
The Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative reflects a policy approach that aligns long-term researcher recruitment with sustained infrastructure investment. Institutions pursuing these awards may coordinate staffing growth with facility readiness, equipment planning, and ongoing operational support as research teams scale over multiyear timelines.
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This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.
