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  5. 2026 RTA PhD

CCS Research Training Awards – PhD level

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. For researchers
  4. Current funding opportunities
  5. 2026 RTA PhD

Program summary

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Research Training Awards program aims to support growth and innovation in the next generation of diverse cancer researchers across Canada at the Master’s, Doctoral and Postdoctoral levels. This program seeks to build inclusive capacity in cancer research, while fostering interdisciplinary learning, knowledge translation, mentorship and patient and community engagement opportunities. By supporting a diverse pool of talented researchers, the program will contribute to re-shaping cancer research to be more equitable, inclusive and impactful.  

To address structural and systemic barriers to inclusion, and increase diverse representation in our cancer research ecosystem, CCS and its partners welcome applications from all eligible trainees and strongly encourage Black and Indigenous* trainees to apply.

*Note: The term "Black" refers to people of Black African descent, which includes those who identify as Black Africans, and those found worldwide who identify as descendants of Black African peoples in the Diaspora (1, 2, 3). The term “Indigenous” refers to people who identify as First Nations, Inuit, Innu or Métis in Canada (4, 5).

Important dates

Program launch:
April 27, 2026
EGrAMS launch:
May 13, 2026
Informational webinar:
June 1, 2026 (2:00 pm ET)
Abstract due (mandatory):
June 10, 2026 (5:00 pm ET)
Full application due date:
August 12, 2026 (5:00 pm ET)
Results announcement:
February 2027
Anticipated start date (retroactive):
January 1, 2027
Have a specific question you would like answered? Register to attend the webinar and submit questions below.
Click here to register (coming soon)

Program objectives

The Research Training Awards (RTA) program is designed to support the next generation of cancer researchers across Canada who play a role in driving growth and innovation in research, ultimately improving cancer care. The program focuses on three main goals:
  1. Building capacity in the cancer research ecosystem through an equity seeking lens by fostering a more inclusive research environment and increasing diverse representation.
  2. Funding a diverse group of trainees across a range of cancer research areas and fostering long-term connections within the cancer research ecosystem.
  3. Encouraging a comprehensive training experience in cancer research through exposure to other disciplines, mentorship, training, knowledge-sharing and engagement initiatives.

Eligibility

Applicants unsure of eligibility are encouraged to contact us to avoid unnecessary work.

The research training award will be delivered through 2 funding cycles that alternate with each program launch, each aligned with specific strategic priorities for capacity building.

Cycle 1
2026

Cycle 2
2027 (tentative)

Theme 1: 

  • Biology to prevention
  • New approaches to early detection and/or treatment of cancer

Theme 2: 

  •  Population-based cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship: implementation, health systems, and quality of life research

Specifically focused on low survival and high incidence cancers.

Cancer types: brain, esophageal, stomach, lung, liver, pancreatic, ovarian, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancer, cervical cancer*

* Cervical cancer site research is only eligible in the context of prevention research

More details in the next iteration of the program

Eligible projects:

  • Focus on Goal 1 (Increase cancer survival) and Goal 2 (Stop cancer before it starts) of the CCS Strategic Plan.
  • Focus on the cancer sites listed above.
  • Support discoveries and clinical trials (research pillars I/II) with the aim of identifying and developing new approaches to early cancer detection and/or treatment with the purpose of improving survival.
  • Support research into the biology of cancer prevention in breast, prostate, cervical, lung, and colorectal cancers (research pillars I/II).

Ineligible projects:

  • Cancer types not listed above.
  • Broad “all cancers” or pan‑oncology projects that do not demonstrate clear relevance to the very specific priority cancer list.
  • Basic or discovery research without a clear, articulated pathway to impact.
  • Population-based cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship: implementation, health systems, and quality of life research.
  • Quality‑of‑life–only studies where the priority is not on increasing/improving survival.

Please read carefully to ensure eligibility.

  • Only one applicant per lab (Supervisor/Co-Supervisor) at each level is allowed to submit an application. If a principal investigator wishes to nominate multiple candidates from Black and Indigenous backgrounds at the same level, we encourage them to reach out at research@cancer.ca.
  • Applicants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis). Applicants must be residing in Canada for the entire period of the award.
  • Applicants must be enrolled in or have applied to a graduate program with a significant research component** at the doctoral level at a Canadian institution at the funding start date.
  • As of the funding start date, the trainee must be engaged in training at a Canadian university or eligible Canadian research institution.
  • Joint programs with a professional degree (for example, MD/PhD, Master’s/RN) as well as clinically oriented programs of study are eligible, if they have a significant autonomous research component. Please contact research@cancer.ca for more information.
  • The years of support requested must not exceed the estimated years remaining within the program.
  • A maximum of one application per trainee is permitted in the Research Training Awards.

**Note: An eligible graduate program must include a significant research component such as: a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, major essay, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completion of the program.

Funds available

Funding will be available according to the following funding table (maximum amounts described):

Training Level

Amount

Training Budget

Duration

PhD

$45,000 / year

Additional $2,000 / year to a maximum of $10,000

Up to 5 years

Minimum of 2 years requested

  • Approximately $3.5M may be awarded in this competition, enough to fund approximately 15 awards. This amount may be increased if additional funds become available from CCS or through partnerships.
  • For multiple sources of funding, please see the relevant section below.
  • Research Training Awards include two amounts:
    • a salary (stipend) amount, which must be paid to the awardee (and will not exceed the maximum amount and duration listed above). The salary rate aligns with the number of years of postdoctoral experience at the funding start date. The maximum amount is $71k. 
    • a separate training budget (expensed to CCS) to support cross-disciplinary training (and travel, as stipulated) of the awardee. The training budget requested should be pro-rated to the duration of the award selected. If the budget does not satisfy CCS guidelines, CCS reserves the right to change/decrease its amount.
Notes:
  • Awards may be pro-rated for part-time students and those holding other eligible research awards.
  • In most cases, CCS will support PhD training up to and including the end of the 5th year of their program. In some cases, support may be given beyond the 5th year, but applicants should contact CCS to discuss prior to submitting an application.
  • Successful applications must fall within the fundable range for CCS grants (>3.5).
Multiple applications/multiple sources of funding:
  • Awardees are not permitted to hold a second major overlapping award during the term of the Research Training Award. For the purposes of this program, an overlapping award is defined as any other major award valued at 50% or more of the RTA that is active at any time during the RTA funding period. These include CIHR CGRS, CPRA, Vanier, Banting, FRQS awards or all other awards where the prorated monthly stipend amount is worth at least 50% of the RTA amount.
  • Applicants that do not declare new or existing awards to CCS that are found to hold such awards will be withdrawn from the competition.
  • Similar applications may be submitted to other agencies concurrently, but awardees cannot hold multiple awards as listed above.
  • Other partial stipends may be held (equal to less than 50% of the RTA stipend), subject to agreement from each funder, and the RTA stipend might be reduced by the partial amount.
  • Please contact research@cancer.ca for more information. 

Additional information

There will be a three-stage review process:

  1. An initial administrative review will be completed on all submitted applications. Applications that are incomplete, do not follow the formatting guidelines, do not meet eligibility criteria (e.g. affiliation with eligible graduate programs and institutions) or fall outside the scope of cancer research, will be withdrawn from the competition. Applicants will be notified if their application does not pass administrative review. These decisions will be irrevocable.
  2. An expert review committee will be assembled, and assigned reviewers will assess applications using the evaluation criteria outlined in the rating scales and prepare written comments along with their scores. This committee will include a diverse group of scientific and patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers with the expertise required to evaluate submitted applications.
  3. Final funding decisions will be made by CCS, in collaboration with the Panel Chair and Lead Patient/Survivor/Caregiver Reviewer based on the reviewer scores and critiques (rank order), CCS strategic priorities, special mandates, and available funds. 

Scientific and patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers will evaluate applications against the criteria detailed in the rating scales using two scores - Research Merit and Applicant Merit. Please refer to the application guide and rating scales when preparing an application.

Applicants are asked to submit an abstract by June 10, 2026, at 5pm ET. Please, refer to the application guide and submit your abstract in EGrAMS.

The abstract submission will require the following:
  1. Applicant details
  2. Supervisor(s) information
  3. Public summary of the research project (2,150 characters spaces included)
  4. Scientific Abstract (4,200 characters spaces included)
  5. Keywords (maximum 10)
  6. Relevance Statement (1,000 characters spaces included)
  7. List of recommended reviewers and reviewers who should be excluded. This section should be discussed with and agreed upon by the supervisor(s)

Note: Applicants will not be allowed to change their list of reviewer exclusions at the full application stage.

Please review the application guide, eligibility and requirements, and rating scales prior to submitting your application.

Applications that do not meet these requirements (including character/page limits) will be withdrawn from the competition.

When preparing the full application, the following additional information is required: 
  1.  Applicant CV (2 pages maximum, CCS template mandatory)
  2. Education and career interruptions/obstacles (2,000 characters, spaces included)
  3. Experience statement (6,000 characters spaces included)
  4. Detailed proposal (10,500 characters, spaces included)
  5. Key milestones & expected timelines (1 page)
  6. Sex, gender and diversity considerations (2,000 characters spaces included)
  7. Knowledge translation and mobilization strategy (2,000 characters spaces included)
  8. Professional development plan including both cross-disciplinary training to be undertaken and a proposed mentorship plan (4,000 characters spaces included).
  9. Two references
  10. AI use disclosure
  11. Detailed budget highlighting the use of the training budget over the course of the award. Any expenses that are the responsibility of the lab or host institution will not be accepted (e.g., overhead costs, reagents) (1 page, PDF format).

We welcome inquiries about research projects, training, mentorship and other aspects of the training award application. Please contact research@cancer.ca.

All submitted applications are considered final. No alterations or changes will be accepted after the full application deadline.
  • All award recipients must submit annual progress reports and statements of account throughout the grant (and a final report 2 years post-grant). Awardees will be emailed instructions about completing the report in our online system (EGrAMS). Submission of these reports is mandatory. Failure to submit the required reports will result in the future installments of the award being withheld. 
  • As a condition of funding, successful applicants will participate in annual meetings to share knowledge and network with each other and relevant stakeholders, including CCS staff and partners. The meetings may be designed as in-person or virtual events, to be determined. Awardees will also join the CCS IGNITE Program and participate in monthly meetings, workshops and opportunities (~2h/month) which will facilitate networking and learning opportunities such as knowledge translation or patient / stakeholder engagement. Participation in core training is mandatory for continued funding.​

RTA awardees will participate in CCS’s IGNITE program, a unique opportunity to enhance research training through interdisciplinary collaboration, specialized workshops and professional development opportunities.

Learn more about the IGNITE program

Applications are encouraged to demonstrate the meaningful engagement of people affected by or at risk of cancer in research development, implementation, and dissemination of research findings. Engagement can mean many things, and all types of research can benefit from the inclusion of diverse perspectives. We have compiled resources on our website to help inform and guide the engagement process and encourage you to consult these. These include a wide range of resources developed and offered by the CIHR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) support units, but also articles on engagement in different types of research. We recognize that patient or stakeholder engagement will look different for different types of research and encourage both broader forms of engagement (as part of an overall research or learning program/strategy) as well as creativity in devising engagement strategies.

If you missed it, please watch the recording of our workshop on meaningful engagement of patient partners in research hosted by our team on April 9th, 2025 here.

Scientific misconduct including, but not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or misrepresentation of data will not be tolerated and may result in the rejection of proposals in the current program and possibly from all future CCS programs. Misconduct, including but not limited to, racism, discrimination, bullying, harassment of any form (i.e: sexual) will be treated with the same severity.

CCS reserves the right to cancel the support provided through its program were any of this conduct proven to (have) happen(ed).