Skip to Site Navigation Skip to main content

Canadian Research Data Centre Network

CRDCN Emerging Scholars Award

At the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN), we are pleased to continue supporting the next generation of highly qualified personnel through the CRDCN Emerging Scholars Award (ESA). The ESA is a one-time, $1,200 award to Ph.D. students who are undertaking thesis-related research in one of the 33 Research Data Centres (RDCs) at universities across the country. Please note that this is not a recurrent award, and past recipients are not eligible to apply. 

The award is designed to support the development of emerging scholars’ skills and expertise in data analysis and research, and to strengthen the career pathways for the next generation of highly qualified personnel. Training has been central to CRDCN’s mission for more than 20 years and we aim to create a greater sense of belonging and community among emerging scholars across a broad range of disciplines in order to promote career-long engagement with the RDCs and the CRDCN research community.  

Award recipients will be recognized as CRDCN Emerging Scholars and will present their research results at the semiannual CRDCN Emerging Scholars webinar to be held in April and October.  

Eligibility criteria and applicant requirements 

To be eligible, the applicant must be a Ph.D. student enrolled full-time at a Canadian university. The applicant must submit the following: 

  1. A complete application, online, through the CRDCN website; and 
  2. A letter from the Ph.D. supervisor that uses the CRDCN template and confirms that: 
  • the applicant is enrolled in a Ph.D. program in a Canadian university;   
  • the applicant has successfully completed all comprehensive examinations;  
  • the applicant’s thesis proposal has been approved and at least one chapter will use RDC data; and 
  • the applicant has received an approval from Statistics Canada for access to the RDC data.  

Selection process 

Up to 10 applicants will be awarded the Emerging Scholars Award per award cycle, totaling 20 recipients per year. If there are more than 10 eligible applicants in a given cycle, awards will be distributed across institutions. 

Award requirements 

CRDCN Emerging Scholars Award recipients agree to: 

  1. present at the next CRDCN Emerging Scholars webinar, in April and October each year (funds will be released following successful presentation at the CRDCN Emerging Scholars webinar); 
  2. acknowledge the use of the RDC and the support of the CRDCN in their thesis and other outputs related to the research conducted in the RDC (e.g. conference presentations, scientific publications, etc.); and 
  3. inform the CRDCN when their thesis is successfully submitted by completing the CRDCN Annual Activity Report. 

Application process 

Click here to apply to the CRDCN Emerging Scholars Award.  

Candidates can apply online any time during the year, provided they meet the criteria and applicant requirements described above. The applications will be processed two times per year according to the following schedule:  

Applications received from January 1 to June 30: the CRDCN Emerging Scholars webinar will be held in October and awards will be disbursed in November.  

Applications received from July 1 to December 31: the CRDCN Emerging Scholars webinar will be held in April and awards will be disbursed in May.  

For more information about this award, contact tess.hudson@crdcn.ca.