Early Researcher Awards - Round 19

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has announced the launch of Round 19 of the Early Researcher Awards. The Early Researcher Award (ERA) program helps promising, recently-appointed Ontario researchers build their research teams of undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, research assistants, associates, and technicians. The goal of the program is to improve Ontario’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest research talent. The program is open to researchers in all disciplines.

Important Dates

Important Date Required Steps
Internal: October 2, 2025 (1:30 to 2:30)
Internal: Monday, October 20, 2025
  • Submission of draft proposal and application form to Institutional Research Programs Team for content review and feedback
Internal: Monday, November 17, 2025
  • Submission of final proposal, including all attachments and referee letters, for institutional review and signature
  • Submission of ROLA proposal
External: Thursday, November 27, 2025
  • Submission of proposals to Ministry by Institutional Research Programs Team

Communications:

To register to receive key updates, internal deadlines, and resources, researchers are strongly encouraged to complete this form to ensure they have the latest information and resources to support their application.  

Eligibility

To determine if your nomination will be competitive, please reach out and discuss with your Faculty Research Office.

In order to be eligible to apply, you must have received your first PhD, MD, or terminal degree on or after January 1, 2015, and have started your independent academic career on or after January 1, 2020. Eligible interruptions, such as parental/maternity leaves, mandatory training (e.g., medical training and fellowships), institution-approved medical leave, and certain international advance degree interruptions are taken into consideration by review panels when determining applicant eligibility.

If you have questions regarding your eligibility, contact the Institutional Research Programs team at irp@uwo.ca.

Anticipated Funding Amount

Each award to a leading researcher is a maximum of $100,000 and must be matched by an additional $50,000 from the researcher's institution.

The government will provide up to $40,000 to your research centre for overhead costs.

Applicants should consult with their Faculty Research Office early in the application process regarding matching funds.

Institutional Contact

Nominees are encouraged to contact their Faculty Research Office for initial support of your nomination.

For program-related details, please contact Institutional Research Programs, Office of Research Services at irp@uwo.ca.

Further Information

Please note that Faculties may have additional deadlines and/or requirements relating to matching funds. We recommend that you contact your faculty research office for further information. Individuals planning to apply are encouraged to contact irp@uwo.ca as early as possible so that we can include you in important program-related communications and updates.

Please note that additional resources are under development and will be coming soon.

Details along with program guidelines are also available on the Ministry ERA website.

Resources