Canada Research Chairs (CRC)

The Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) enables Canadian universities and their affiliated research institutes and hospitals to achieve the highest levels of research excellence and to become world-class centres of research.

The CRCP is a tri-agency initiative (i.e., SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR) that invests approximately $311 million annually to make Canada a world-leader in research and development.

The CRCP is committed to research excellence and equity. This complementary focus of excellence and equity provides the largest pool of qualified candidates for the CRCP's rigorous selection process and ensures the promotion of exceptional chairholders.

Chairholders focus on research excellence, quality training experiences, quality of life for Canadians and Canada's international competitiveness. The University of Alberta has been allocated 107 Chairs. There are two types of Canada Research Chairs.

Tier 1 Chairs

  • Seven years
  • Targeted at outstanding researchers who are acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields
  • Renewed at the discretion of the faculty and the university

Tier 2 Chairs

  • Five years
  • Targeted at exceptional emerging researchers who are acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their fields
  • Renewed (once only) at the discretion of the faculty and the university

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