Northern Scientific Training Program

POLAR KNOWLEDGE CANADA - NORTHERN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAM (NSTP)

The NSTP supports Canadian universities and Northern post-secondaries in providing scientific training that gives advanced undergraduate and graduate students professional experience in the Canadian North.

This is a supplementary funding program established to assist in paying the high costs related to fieldwork in the North and encourage students to develop a commitment to northern research. The program supports work on northern subjects from all disciplines and multi-disciplinary fields.

Students and Faculty are encouraged to consult the NSTP website and the NSTP Information Manual before completing an application.

AWARD DETAILS

Deadline: Applications are closed for the 2025-26 competition.

Award Duration: Awarded funding will be made available during the term April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026.

Award Value: Students may apply for up to $6,000 in funding per year.
** NSTP will provide one year of funding for thesis-based research at the undergraduate level, up to two years of funding for thesis-based research at the master’s level, and up to three years of funding for thesis-based research at the doctoral level. Students may apply and be granted funding in any year of their programs.

ELIGIBILITY

Students
To be eligible to apply for an award, you must:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
Be enrolled in a degree program at a Canadian university or Northern post-secondary institution.

Please note;

Post-doctoral researchers and research assistants (with the exception of Northern post-secondary students) are not supported.
Students who are employed or remunerated for their research in the field are not eligible.

Expenses

Transportation costs
Living costs
Shipping/freight costs
Interpreter fees

Projects

Summer and winter projects are eligible.
Winter projects are eligible from December 1 to March 31 of the following year.

Geographical focus

The Northern Scientific Training Program supports projects that lie north of the southern limit of the discontinuous permafrost zone (see map at: http://arcg.is/1vGHyr); and the other seven circumpolar countries (Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (Alaska)).

Please refer to the NSTP Information Manual for changes in eligible areas for each of the Countries listed.

NSTP APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested students should read the NSTP information and eligibility guidelines posted on the NSTP website and the NSTP Information Manual.
Students should connect with a Trent University faculty member who they are interested in being their supervisor.
Eligible students complete an application form online using Online Forms with the supervisor. (NOTE: Students and supervisors who have not previously accessed NSTP’s online forms will be required to sign up for a new account to access forms.)
Students must submit the application by the internal deadline once the supervisor has completed their sections.

Please follow the instructions in the NSTP Information Manual to complete the application. Incomplete or incorrectly formatted applications will be returned to the applicant for revision. Applications received at the deadline that are incomplete or require changes may not be accepted.

NSTP REPORT

The successful students who received NSTP funds should complete and submit a report online using the same Online Forms portal upon completing the fieldwork at North by the next internal deadline.
** Note: Winter projects are due in April, but a preliminary report must be submitted by the November 10th internal deadline.

RESOURCES

Checklist:
Before submitting the Research Report or Application for Funds, ensure to:

input the information using only the space provided on the online form
complete all sections
provide the additional information required for conducting international research or if you are applying through a Northern post-secondary institution
indicate your license/permit number or describe the steps you have taken or will take to acquire the necessary permit(s)/license(s)
comply with the ethical principles section
indicate the publications/ presentations references on the report form, and the section must be completed accordingly

For more information about the program, please consult

For inquiries on Trent University's NSTP program, please contact Chathurika Hettiarachchi.