Canada Research Chairs

Staff Contacts

Alda O'Grady

Research Project Manager, CRC Lead, Institutional Strategic Awards

Javier Tavitas

Associate Director, Research Development, Institutional Strategic Awards

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program provides universities the opportunity to recruit world-class scholars across all research disciplines. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences, improving our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthening international competitiveness, and training the next generation of highly skilled people. A Tier 2 candidate should show potential to grow into a leader in their research field and be in the top 10% of their field among candidates at similar career stage. A Tier 1 candidate should be an internationally recognized leader in their field and in the university as a whole. Full details of the Canada Research Chairs Program are available here.

1. Program Updates

In January 2021, ISA undertook a comprehensive review of SFU's CRC Online Administration Guide and held extensive consultations with stakeholders from across SFU. Key changes include:

Identifying key roles and responsibilities with overviews and detailed processes
Clarifying the job ad approval process
Clarifying when and how VPA position numbers are created
Streamlining how CRC Appointment Packages are processed/approved
Revising memo/ad templates and introducing a standardized Chair Request form
Changing how nominees are notified of award results
Clarifying the recommendations for allocating institutional support to Chairholders

Archived content can be provided upon request to isa_crc@sfu.ca.
Updated: June 14, 2021

CRC moved to the Convergence Platform in January 2021. ISA has compiled annotated instructions for submitting a nomination or renewal through Convergence. More program updates can be found here.

2. Deadlines for Submissions

The Institutional Strategic Awards office and the Associate Vice President, Research must vet CRC nominations to ensure all compliance and equity requirements are met. ISA’s CRC Lead and Senior Advisors also provide high–level reviews of early–stage and penultimate drafts. Below are timelines for regular cycles:

FOR RENEWALS: Internal approval package deadline	Internal submission deadline: penultimate draft	CRC submission deadline	Anticipated decisions / earliest start date	Anticipated public announcement
	Oct 5, 2020	Nov 17, 2020	Jun 2021	Fall 2021
	N/A	Apr 20, 2021	Oct 2021	Spring 2022
	Sep 21, 2021	Oct 19, 2021	Apr 2022	Fall 2022
	Mar 22, 2022	Apr 19, 2022	Oct 2022	Spring 2023
	Sep 20, 2022	Oct 18, 2022	Apr 2023	Fall 2023
	Mar 21, 2023	Apr 18, 2023	Oct 2023	Spring 2024
	Sep 19, 2023	Oct 17, 2023	Apr 2024	Fall 2024
Mar 5, 2024	Mar 19, 2024	Apr 16, 2024	Oct 2024	Spring 2025
Sep 10, 2024	Sep 24, 2024	Oct 22, 2024	Apr 2025	Fall 2025
Mar 11, 2025	Mar 25, 2025	Apr 22, 2025	Oct 2025	Spring 2026
Sep 9, 2025	Sep 23, 2025	Oct 21, 2025	Apr 2026	Fall 2026
Mar 10, 2026	Mar 24, 2026	Apr 21, 2026	Oct 2026	Spring 2027
Sep 8, 2026	Sep 22, 2026	Oct 20, 2026	Apr 2027	Fall 2027
Mar 9, 2027	Mar 23, 2027	Apr 20, 2027	Oct 2027	Spring 2028
Sep 7, 2027	Sep 21, 2027	Oct 19, 2027	Apr 2028	Fall 2028
Mar 7, 2028	Mar 21, 2028	Apr 18, 2028	Oct 2028	Spring 2029
Sep 5, 2028	Sep 19, 2028	Oct 17, 2028	Apr 2029	Fall 2029
Mar 6, 2029	Mar 20, 2029	Apr 17, 2029	Oct 2029	Spring 2030

Note: Nominations are accepted off-cycle for foreign nominees (whether a foreign national or Canadian citizen), and nominations to assist institutions in meeting their equity targets.

3. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

SFU is committed to ensuring that all CRC nominations and recruitment processes follow best practices and adhere to equity requirements. Full details on SFU’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives are available here.

4. Overviews and Detailed Processes

*Please note: these pages are currently undergoing review and revision. Please contact isacrc@sfu.ca if you need assistance finding information.

CRC Handbook: Institutional Supports and Guidelines

5. Affiliated CFI JELF

When a Chair is allocated to a specific Faculty or strategic research area, the Chair/Director/Dean or Search Committee Chair should discuss with the VPA and VPRI whether research infrastructure is required through an affiliated John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) application. If so, an internal JELF request form needs to completed within the faculty, signed-off by the Faculty Associate Dean, Research and approved by the AVPR. If approved internally, this infrastructure request (for the amount agreed upon) must be submitted simultaneously with the CRC nomination. If a CFI application is submitted before or after the CRC nomination, it must be submitted as an unaffiliated JELF.