Banting Fellowship 2026 Deadline: Now the CPRA ($70,000/yr)

Last updated: November 5, 2026

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship has ended. Its final competition results were released in February 2025, and there is no 2026 or 2027 Banting call. Canada replaced it with the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA), worth $70,000 a year for two years, the same value Banting offered. International researchers can apply if they have a connection to a Canadian institution.

Key facts: CPRA (replaces Banting)

Value: $70,000 per year
Duration: 24 months
Who: researchers who finished their PhD (or health professional degree) no more than three years before 1 September of the year they apply
International applicants: eligible with a Canadian connection (see below). Up to 20% of awards go to international applicants.
Agency deadlines (each year): SSHRC 10 September, CIHR 16 September, NSERC 17 October
Official page: CPRA program

Last checked: November 2026. The 2026 deadlines have passed; the next round opens in 2027.

Contents

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 deadline: is there one?

No. There is no Banting deadline in 2026 or 2027, because the program has closed. If you were planning a Banting application, apply for the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award instead. Its deadlines are 10 September (SSHRC), 16 September (CIHR) and 17 October (NSERC) each year.

What happened to the Banting Fellowship?

Banting was created in 2010 to attract top postdoctoral researchers to Canada. In 2025 Canada’s three research funding agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, merged their training awards into one system, the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS). Banting and the separate agency postdoctoral fellowships were replaced by the CPRA. McGill University confirms the change.

Banting vs CPRA

	Banting (ended)	CPRA (current)
Value	$70,000 per year	$70,000 per year
Duration	2 years	24 months
Applied through	Central Banting secretariat	CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, by research field
International applicants	Eligible	Eligible with a Canadian connection; up to 20% of awards
Status	No longer accepting applications	Open every year

CPRA eligibility, including international applicants

You must hold, or expect to hold, a doctorate or health professional degree before the award starts, completed no more than three years before 1 September of the year you apply. Extensions are possible for parental or medical leave.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons can apply. Those who did their doctorate in Canada can also hold the award abroad (up to 30% of awards).
International applicants must, by the deadline, either be registered in a doctorate at a Canadian institution, have completed a doctorate at a Canadian institution, or be doing postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution. International award holders must hold the award in Canada.
You can apply up to three times, and only to one CRTAS program per academic year.
You cannot apply if you already received a postdoctoral award from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, including a Banting.

This is the biggest change from Banting: an international researcher with no Canadian degree or position cannot apply from abroad. If that is you, a common route is to first take a funded postdoc position in Canada, then apply for the CPRA from there.

How to apply for the CPRA

Pick the right agency for your research: CIHR for health, NSERC for natural sciences and engineering, SSHRC for social sciences and humanities.
Find a supervisor and host institution. Your research plan should show why this host and this supervisor fit your work.
Prepare your application: research proposal, CV, transcripts, supervisor’s statement and references.
Read the agency’s instructions. NSERC and SSHRC accept applications directly from applicants. CIHR applicants should check whether their host institution needs to sign off first.
Submit before the agency deadline: 10 September (SSHRC), 16 September (CIHR) or 17 October (NSERC).

Tips for a strong CPRA application

Start talking to potential supervisors 6 to 9 months before the deadline.
Show a clear research plan for the two years, with outputs you can realistically deliver.
Explain how the postdoc builds your path to an independent research career.
Ask for reference letters early, and give referees your proposal and CV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Banting Fellowship open in 2026 or 2027?
No. The program ended after the 2024 to 2025 competition. Apply for the CPRA instead.

How much does the CPRA pay?
$70,000 per year for 24 months, so $140,000 in total.

Can international researchers apply for the CPRA?
Yes, if they are registered in, have completed, or are doing postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution by the deadline. Up to 20% of awards go to international applicants.

When is the next CPRA deadline?
The 2026 round closed in September and October 2026. Expect the 2027 deadlines around the same dates: 10 September (SSHRC), 16 September (CIHR) and 17 October (NSERC). Confirm on the official page.

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026: Discontinued, Apply for the CPRA Instead