Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians – Call for proposals

The deadline for submitting your application is 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, August 6th, 2025.

The Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians (IPSFC) is a one-stage application process. Eligible organizations will submit a completed proposal that describes their proposed project.

The Government of Canada retains discretion in opening the IPSFC process and may cancel it at any time. The Government of Canada may later impose additional conditions for applying for IPSFC funding; applicants will be informed accordingly.

On this page

• Objective
• Eligibility
• How to apply
• Project parameters
• Funding
• Eligible expenditures
• Guidelines for letters of support
• Indo-Pacific region
• Proposal assessment criteria
• Available resources
• Accessing and using PDF forms
• Questions specific to this call
• Additional information

Objective

The IPSFC will provide support to eligible Canadian post-secondary academic institutions, university consortia and research organizations to award scholarships and research fellowships to graduate students, academics and researchers at their institutions to study or undertake research in the Indo-Pacific Region.

The IPSFC program will:

• Enhance the study and research capacity of Canadians in areas related to the Indo-Pacific Strategy
• Increase connectivity between Canadian and Indo-Pacific institutions dedicated to research and education
• Support new research streams and academic pursuits in Canada on the Indo-Pacific region.

Study or research must be in line with the Strategic Objectives of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, including topics such as:

• Regional diplomacy
• Regional political change
• National and regional security
• Trade and economic cooperation
• Technological innovation
• Sustainable development
• Climate change
• Natural (including marine) resources management.
• Applied scientific cooperation.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply organizations must meet each requirement and, where stipulated, give supporting documentation:

• Your organization is legally incorporated in Canada and is a post-secondary academic institution, a consortium of universities*, or a research organization
• Can provide a Canada Revenue Agency business number

Each eligible organization may submit one (1) proposal. Organizations must coordinate across their respective faculties or units to develop the proposal.

*With respect to a consortium, it is not necessary to form a separate legal entity, but the legal status of each member needs to be proven. One member of the consortium must be identified as the lead applicant. The lead applicant of a consortium is required to meet all eligibility requirements

How to apply

1. Register in the Partners@International portal.
   • You will be required to provide proof of incorporation or proof of the organization’s legal status in Canada
   • It may take 10 or more business days to complete the registration. We recommend early registration
   • Don’t open multiple windows within the portal as this may cause technical problems.
   • Technical support for the portal is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday.
   • For technical difficulties while registering or trying to submit a proposal, send an email to IPSFC-BERIPC@international.gc.ca
2. Email IPSFC-BERIPC@international.gc.ca by July 30, 2025, to request the IPSFC application package. The package will include:
   • Application form
   • Budget template
3. Complete and upload all documents to the Partners@International portal by 12pm (noon) Eastern Time on August 6, 2025. Your application package must include all of the following documents:
   • Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians application form completed;
   • A completed preliminary budget;
   • Letter(s) of Support;
   • Financial statements for the last two fiscal years, signed by the chief financial officer or by a member of the board of directors duly authorized to sign; (audited statements are preferred);
   • Anti-Corruption Declaration (PDF version - 159 KB) signed by the chief financial officer or by a member of the board of directors duly authorized to sign;
   • Declaration regarding outstanding debts due to His Majesty (PDF version - 52.3 KB); signed by the chief financial officer or by a member of the board of directors duly authorized to sign;

Project parameters

You must be able to answer “yes” to all of the following statements for Global Affairs Canada to consider your application:

• Your proposed project is starting after November 1, 2025, and ending before March 31, 2028.
• Your project funding request does not exceed $520,000 CAD.
• Your proposed project outlines how your organization will deliver a scholarship or fellowship project to graduate students, academics and researchers, which we define as:
  
  • Canadian (holders of Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status) graduate level students (including students enrolled in a master’s degree, doctoral or post-doctoral program)
  • Canadian researchers (including post-doctoral, academic and professional researchers associated with a research institution or think tank), and
  • Canadian academia (tenured or non-tenured academics)
• Your application includes at least one letter of support from an Indo-Pacific host institution for awardees of Scholarships or Fellowships.
• Scholarship and Fellowship recipients will travel to the Indo-Pacific (as defined by the Indo-Pacific Strategy)
• Administrative expenditures in your project budget do not exceed 15% of the total funding requested
• Your application package documents are complete and presented in either English or French

Funding

The total funding available under this call for proposals is up to $10 million over three years. Individual projects may receive up to $520,000 in funding. Applicants must provide a simplified project budget which outlines costs and administrative expenditures.

While there is no maximum threshold for each scholarship or fellowship due to circumstances that differ greatly from one award to another, the cost per scholarship or fellowship should be reasonable within the context of the proposed project. Therefore, it is the applicant’s responsibility to demonstrate the value for money as part of their proposal.

Eligible expenditures

1. A maximum of 15% of the total value of the proposed project can be used for the administrative expenditures of the recipient, which include:
   • personnel costs (i.e. honoraria, fees for personnel engaged to conduct administrative activities such as receiving and reviewing applications from potential awardees, organizing selection committees, participating in evaluation decisions on awards, communicating decisions on the awards, pre-auditing award payments and making payments);
   • office expenses (e.g. telecommunications, equipment, financial administration, bank costs).
2. Eligible expenditures under scholarships and fellowships including but not limited to:
   • tuition fees;
   • travel costs, including round trip airfare (the most direct and economic route), meals, incidentals, visa and related costs, study permit, travel insurance, health insurance;
   • accommodation costs, including rent and utilities;
   • learning and research materials (for example books and supplies) that are necessary for study and research, not including computers/laptops, IT equipment and specialized research instruments)

Please note that indirect/overhead costs are not eligible under this program. Administrative costs must be directly linked to project activities. Indirect costs are those costs that cannot be obviously traced to a specific program/project, for example, all indirect costs associated with the organization’s Canadian office(s).

Guidelines on letter(s) of support

Each application must include at least one letter of support from a host institution in the Indo-Pacific region, as defined by the Indo-Pacific Strategy. The Indo-Pacific host institution must be a post-secondary academic institution or a research organization. You can submit as many letters of support as necessary for the proposed project. If we select your project for funding, you may add other host institutions as necessary.

The letter of support must be:

• On official letterhead
• Dated within the last six months
• Confirms the project name and the level of the program of study or research (Master’s, doctoral, post-doctoral or academic fellowship)
• Confirms their willingness to host and support scholars and fellows during the period of study/research
• Explains how the Indo-Pacific host institution, faculty and peers will benefit from the attendance of Canadian scholars/fellows
• Signed by a relevant authority from the Indo-Pacific host institution.

Indo-Pacific region

Host universities or research institutions must be based in one of the eligible countries and economies in the Indo-Pacific region, as defined by the Indo-Pacific Strategy:

• Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.
• South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
• Northeast Asia: Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Taiwan.
• Oceania: Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

Please consult the Government of Canada Travel advice and advisories (TAA) before applying as the list of eligible countries and economies may change as this program won’t fund proposals in countries or economies (or in regions of a country) where TAA advises to avoid all travel (red category) or non-essential travel in the country (orange category). For example, while included in the Indo-Pacific Strategy, this program will not fund travel to Myanmar or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) due to current Government of Canada travel advisories.

Please note that the IPSFC will not fund scholarships or fellowships to the People’s Republic of China. For information on scholarship programs that include China, review the Canada-China Scholars Exchange Program.

Proposal assessment criteria

The Proposal Assessment criteria page provides a summary of the key assessment criteria used to evaluate proposals submitted under the Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians initiative. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review and address each criterion in their submissions to ensure a comprehensive and competitive proposal.

Available resources

Resources are available online to help you develop your application package. We encourage you to read all of the following tools and guidance before beginning your application process.

• Results Based Management: A how to guide
• Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
• How to apply for funding through a call
• Funding resources
• Partners@International Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing and using PDF forms

Use only Adobe Reader/Adobe Acrobat to work on the standardized PDFs to submit with your application package. If you use other software, the data you enter may not appear once submitted to the department, and the application will be ineligible.

You may have difficulty downloading the proposal form because of the type of software installed, or not, on your computer. Please read and follow the help instructions. If you have all the correct software installed, download the form to your desktop and open it directly in Adobe Reader. Otherwise, other software installed on your computer may try (and fail) to open the form using your default settings.

Questions specific to this call

Please send your questions by email to IPSFC-BERIPC@international.gc.ca before Wednesday, July 30. We will not be responding to individual questions via email. We will address questions under the additional information section of this webpage throughout the call window.

Global Affairs Canada hosted an information session on the IPSFC call for proposals:  IPSFC call for proposals– Information Session EN - Youtube

Additional information

• For the purpose of submitting a proposal under the IPSFC, it is not expected that any scholarship or fellowship awardees be identified at this stage. However, your proposal should include a clear and feasible plan outlining how your organization intends to select the awardees once the project is approved. Please refer to the Assessment Criteria page for this call.
• Projects may take place in one or multiple Indo-Pacific countries. This is up to the applicant to develop in their proposal.
• There are no minimum or maximum stay requirements for recipients of scholarships and fellowships. This is up to the applicant to develop in their proposal.
• There are no requirements for academic credit recognition for study activities. This is up to the applicant to develop in their proposal.
• There is no cost share requirement for the Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians program.
• As it relates to Canadian researchers and academia, Canadian is defined as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident status holder.
• Post-doctoral fellows may be considered as eligible recipients of either scholarships or fellowships if they meet the residency requirements defined above and depending on the project design of the applicant.
• A consortium of universities is defined by the Program as 2 or more Canadian universities coming together for the purposes of implementing an IPSFC project.
• Student stipends are an eligible cost if they are required to deliver on the proposed project, within defined parameters. The list of eligible expenses is non-exhaustive.
• Travel costs for beneficiaries not currently residing in Canada would be an eligible cost. Eligible costs are those which are required to deliver on the proposed project, within defined parameters. The list of eligible expenses is non-exhaustive.
• International students or temporary residents are not eligible to be recipients of scholarships or fellowships.
• The indicated project end date of March 31, 2028, would mark the end of activities, with final reporting to follow.
• The purpose of the program is to fund awardees to undertake study or research in the Indo-Pacific region, not to subside existing salaries.                
• Recipients selected through the process may use the funds as outlined by the project, including travel costs, regardless of their position (e.g. project lead).  
• The program defines the distinction between scholarships and fellowships as follows:
  • Scholarships are awards to eligible Canadian graduate level students to support study or research activities in the Indo-Pacific region. Undergraduate students are not eligible for this program.
  • Fellowships are awards to eligible Canadian researchers or academics to support research activities in the Indo-Pacific region
• Scholarships and fellowships are distinct project streams; the themes and locations do not need to be aligned between both.
• A Canadian post-secondary academic institution under this program includes a Canadian college, cégep, university or polytechnic institute.
• The purpose of the project proposal is to outline the process that the organization will take to select awardees. That process may involve different faculties, units, subjects, or research streams coming together to submit one proposal. This is up to the applicant to develop in their proposal. The only requirements are that applicants respect the outlined eligibility, and that all research or study activities align to Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
• Fellowships or scholarships to support pre-existing research projects or scholarship programs are eligible.
• Funds may not be used as mobility grants to support the completion of internships.
• Financial and narrative reporting requirements and deadlines will be clearly outlined in the contribution agreements following project approval.
• Scholarship or fellowship awards should only be used in support of the achievement of the outcomes of the proposed project. For example, if travel in the region to a non-host institution is required to support research activities, that would be an eligible cost.
• To submit a complete proposal package, only one letter of support is required. Preference will not be given to organizations that provide multiple letters of support.
• In instances when fellowship and scholarship activities require travel and/or joint work with individuals (including researchers) from the Indo-Pacific host institution, project funds may not be used to support their participation in those activities. Funds may only benefit Canadian awardees. However, if administrative support is required from the Indo-Pacific host institution to support activities, that may be an eligible cost under administrative expenditures
• Scholarship or fellowship awardees may be charged training fees under this program. Training fees can be included as eligible expenses in the scholarship or fellowship award. This is up to the applicant to develop in their proposal.
• A graduate level master’s student refers to a student enrolled in a master’s degree program.
• An online learning component could be included in the IPSFC; however, the primary goal of this program is to send Canadians to the Indo-Pacific region. The in-person component must remain essential to the project.
• Activities spanning multiple disciplines and IPS Strategic Objectives are acceptable if they enhance Canadian research capacity and support new academic pursuits related to the Indo-Pacific region.
• The Program does not restrict applicants from creating internal guidelines for implementing the project.
• The Program does not have any requirements on how the funds are distributed to scholarships/fellowships awardees. However, it is up to the applicant to describe the distribution process in detail in the application form.
• Documents to submit with the application package can be signed electronically.
• The Declaration on Fraud and Corruption and the Declaration of outstanding debt to his Majesty should be signed by the CFO, a member of the board of directors or someone equivalent.
• Internships with industrial partners in the Indo Pacific can be incorporated as part of a larger study or research-based scholarship.
• “Study” as it relates to the IPSFC scholarship component is defined by the Program as activities that support the achievement of knowledge with clear pedological objectives. Study activities should be academically rigorous to the graduate level, with clearly defined learning objectives, research skills development, and/or institutional collaboration. Study activities may include lecture-based programs, participation in seminars, capstone or thesis projects, etc.   
• Fellowships must allow academics and researchers to specifically conduct research in the IP region.
• Research projects eligible under the IPSFC that previously received funding through the Regional Connectivity Envelope (RCE) may be considered for new IPSFC funding. However, the RCE contribution agreement must have expired (project already completed) before IPSFC funds can be used to support any related activities
• Administrative expenditures are costs associated to personnel costs and office expenses to support the administration of scholarships and fellowships. A supervising professor travelling with scholars or fellows would not be eligible under administrative expenditures.
• Scholarships and fellowships costs are awards that will be disbursed to scholars and fellows, to cover expenses related to their study and research in the Indo-Pacific region. Additional costs that would not be directly disbursed to awardees (e.g. marketing costs, printing and mailing of initiation letters, survey incentives, costs associated to workshops in the Indo-Pacific region, etc.) will not be considered eligible scholarships and fellowships costs.
• The method in which applicants choose to select recipients of scholarships and fellowships is up to them to develop. While the scholarships and fellowships are considered distinct streams as they have different target groups (e.g. graduate students vs. academics) and activities (e.g. study only eligible for students), applicants can also have one research-based program and a competitive selection within that program for both groups together.
• The Anti-Corruption Decarlation and the Declaration Regarding Outstanding Debts to His Majesty must have been signed and dated within six months of your proposal's date of submission.
• The character count on the IPSFC application form includes spaces.
• IPSFC scholarships and fellowships can be combined with other sources of funding for up to 100% of eligible expenditures. This means that no IPSFC funding may be retained by the awardee in excess of their expenses. It is up to the applicant to ensure the terms of other funding sources are respected.
• A Canadian research organization is defined by the program as a non-profit organization that is registered in Canada with a distinct business number, and which has a documentable history of producing original research. Organizations may be asked to submit research examples as a way to prove that they meet this definition.
• The purchase of carbon credits may be eligible under scholarship and fellowship costs.
• Costs associated with accommodations for scholarship or fellowship awardees with disabilities or other extenuating circumstances may be eligible under scholarship and fellowship costs.
• Course release for an academic to work as an administrator of the IPSFC program would be an eligible expense under the 15% administrative expenditures for the project. However, course releases are not an eligible expense for academics who are awarded a Fellowship from their institution.
• Tuition and training fees are eligible expenses to be paid to the Indo-Pacific institution or the Canadian home institution depending on the design of the project.
• Expenses related to knowledge mobilization (symposium, travel costs, etc.) of research projects funded via IPSFC scholarships or fellowships may be eligible under scholarship and fellowship costs, if relevant to the applicant’s project design.
• Applying as a member of a consortium counts as the one application that each organization is eligible to submit. Organizations cannot apply as part of a consortium and individually. In the case an organization does apply as a consortium and individually, the individual application will not be evaluated.
• Expenses related to a research assistant (salary, travel and accommodation in the region, etc.) to support activities directly related to the project would be eligible under Fellowship costs.