Dalhousie Research Excellence Scholarship (DRES)

Description

Established in 2024, the Dalhousie Research Excellence Scholarship (DRES) attracts and supports exceptional new PhD students at Dalhousie University. The scholarship is awarded to individuals who demonstrate academic excellence, outstanding research potential, and leadership. Recipients are expected to contribute innovative research with the potential to create significant regional, national, or global impact.

Award details, value and conditions

PhD students may hold this scholarship for up to 48 months, but not past the end of their fourth year in program. The time in program for the purpose of funding eligibility for students transferring from a master’s to a PhD without completing their master’s is based on the effective transfer date. If you plan to transfer and wish to be considered for this award, you must apply for a doctoral scholarship before officially transferring into the doctoral program.

This scholarship is valued at $35,000 per year for up to four years provided the award holder maintains eligibility and will include funding from a combination of sources. $28,000 of this award will be provided by Graduate Studies, while the remaining $7000 will be provided by your supervisor and/or program of study. The specific sources of funding will be communicated to successful applicants by the department following acceptance of the award. 

To maintain eligibility to hold this scholarship, recipients are expected to apply to the Tri-agency CGRS-D competition within the first two years of their PhD program. Successful applicants will receive the full CGRS-D value of $40,000 per year ($13,333 per term) and the DRES will become honorary while both awards are held concurrently.

Students who receive a DRES and a Killam Predoctoral Scholarship will have their scholarship funding topped up to the Killam value of $42,000 per year ($14,000 per term) while both awards are held concurrently.

DRES award holders may also receive additional funding beyond the award value through stipends or other sources negotiated with their supervisor/program of study.  

Reporting requirements

DRES recipients will be required to complete an annual report and submit it to fgs.slo@dal.ca by July 31 of each year the award is held. More details on these requirements will be shared in the official offer letter sent to successful recipients of this award.

Eligibility criteria:

• You must have an intent to start (enroll in or transfer to) a PhD program at Dalhousie between January 2027 and January 2028.
• To be successful in receiving DRES funding, applicants must demonstrate outstanding research achievement, exceptional leadership potential, and the capacity to generate significant regional, national, or international impact through their research.
• Scholarship funds will only be administered to successful applicants after they are admitted to and registered in their intended program of study. 

Application overview

If you have submitted or intend to submit a Tri-agency CGRS-D application through Dalhousie in the current cycle, your application will automatically be considered for DRES funding.

If you are not eligible to apply for a CGRS-D through Dalhousie in this competition but still wish to apply for DRES funding, please create an application in the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ online Scholarship Management Platform  by selecting Major Scholarship Competitions 2026/2027 and the category Major Scholarship Application for Non-Tri-Agency Applicants. Note: If you are a Dalhousie student with a NetID and password, please access the platform by clicking “Use Dalhousie NetID”

Applications and all accompanying materials must be submitted by the deadline noted above, after which the application form closes.