UCalgary research receives $36.6M in federal funding

More than 200 UCalgary researchers received funding as part of a major federal investment announcement on July 9, 2025. Projects across campus were funded, with every UCalgary faculty represented in the $36.6M in grants, and 32 graduate scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships received. 

“With this support, we’re empowering the talent that will shape a more resilient, inclusive and globally competitive Canada,” says the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry. 

The funding, administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), included notable milestones for UCalgary:

• For the first time, Haskayne School of Business researchers were awarded eight SSHRC Insight Grants in one competition.
• Faculty of Social Work professor Dr. David Nicholas, PhD, received a $2.5M SSHRC Partnership grant, the second-ever of its kind for the Faculty of Social Work, for his project “Enhancing Service Navigation for Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disability: Towards an Accessible, Efficient and Sustainable Service Navigation Network”.
• For the last five years, UCalgary researchers have been steadily increasing total annual funding received in the NSERC Discovery Grants program. This funding cycle’s $23.9M total is a 225% increase since 2021.
• Over the last two years, UCalgary has seen a 260 per cent increase in major SSHRC funding programs: Partnership Grants, Partnership Development Grants and Insight Grants (2023 and 2024 competitions) with a total award value of $18.3M.

“I am tremendously proud of UCalgary researchers for their accomplishments in these funding competitions,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). 

“This support from the federal government will enable them to pursue breakthroughs and create new knowledge, helping to build a brighter future for Canadians.”

The results for UCalgary in these competitions are:

• 2025 Tri-agency fellowship programs: 23 postdoctoral fellowships
• NSERC Discovery Research Program (Fall 2024): 122 awards totaling $23.9M
• NSERC Research Tools and Instruments (Fall 2024): 13 awards totaling $1.8M
• SSHRC Insight Grants: 20 awards totaling $3.6M
• SSHRC Insight Development Grants: 22 awards totaling $1.4M
• SSHRC Partnership Grants ($2.5M): Dr. David Nicholas, PhD, Faculty of Social Work: Enhancing Service Navigation for Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disability: Towards an Accessible, Efficient and Sustainable Service Navigation Network
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grants: 2 awards totaling $399,797
• New Frontiers in Research Fund: Exploration Grants: 11 awards totaling $2.7M
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships: 6 UCalgary PhD students receive Vanier scholarships for 2025
• Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships:
  • Dr. Isabelle Poitras, PhD
  • Dr. Marissa Nivison, PhD
  • Dr. Sara Hassanpour Tamrin, PhD