University of Toronto launching $100-million PhD scholarship fund to compete globally for top talent

The University of Toronto is launching a $100-million scholarship fund for PhD students designed to attract top domestic and international doctoral talent at a moment when Canadian funding for graduate research is falling behind global competitors.

The Presidents' Impact Scholarships, unveiled Monday, will provide 12 to 13 doctoral recipients annually with $80,000 per year for four years—double the current U of T minimum base funding. Winners will conduct cross-disciplinary research on predetermined themes including sovereignty and the Arctic, and health and artificial intelligence.

The $100-million endowment is split equally between an anonymous donation and university funding. U of T President Melanie Woodin said the program is the most lucrative PhD funding package in Canada to the university's knowledge, and globally places U of T "pretty close to the top—so above Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford."

The scholarship addresses a documented funding crisis. A 2023 advisory panel found that Canadian research councils' funding had "not kept pace with evolving needs" or with international competitors. Graduate student pay, often routed through professors' grants, has become a barrier to doctoral study—particularly for those carrying undergraduate debt or considering private-sector careers. Federal awards for research trainees have remained stagnant for two decades.

Mark Carney's Liberal government promised $1.7 billion over 12 years last year for the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative. Meanwhile, the incoming U.S. administration has cut funding for scientific research and sued major universities, creating what Woodin characterized as an opportunity for Canada to retain talent. "We've got an unprecedented opportunity right now to bring back Canada's best and keep Canada's best here," Woodin said.

The application deadline and start date for the first cohort have not been announced.