Honours & Awards

What are research honours and awards?

Honours, awards and prizes recognizing significant achievements in research and innovation are awarded by many national and international academies, foundations, scholarly associations, and academic institutions.

Who is this for?

This page provides resources and information about national and international honours, awards and prizes for research and innovation available to and received by University of Toronto (U of T) faculty members.

Honours and awards opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are posted by the School of Graduate Studies. Undergraduate students interested in research awards should contact their department.

How can honours and awards help me?

Research and innovation honours and awards offer important recognition, career development, and in many cases, funding opportunities for faculty members at all career stages. For academic units, divisions and the University, honours and awards offer a measure of the quality of our scholarship; shape our reputation and influence global rankings; and ultimately contribute to a culture of excellence at the University, enhancing our impact and visibility.

What do I need before I can begin?

Academic divisions may offer additional information, strategic guidance, and internal processes that faculty members should be aware of before planning nominations. Awards coordinators for each division are listed on the Divisional Honours and Awards Coordinators page.

Overview

Research and innovation honours and awards include distinctions such as Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada; national and international prizes such as the Killam Prize, Governor General’s Innovation Award, and Canada Gairdner International Award; and prestigious research fellowships such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship and Sloan Research Fellowship. For most honours and awards, researchers or scholars are nominated by their peers for specific achievements or for career contributions to a field.

The resources on these pages support faculty members, staff, and academic administrators interested in identifying recognition opportunities, planning peer or institutional nominations, and learning about past successes and best practices.

This section also provides information about the nomination process for the U of T President’s Impact Awards, which are administered by the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation and recognize impactful research by faculty members. For other U of T honours such as University Professors and the Awards of Excellence, see U of T Awards & Funding.

VPRI Role

  • Curate database of national and international honours and awards opportunities
  • Manage award nominations that require university endorsement
  • Manage President’s Impact Award nomination and selection process
  • Provide strategic guidance to divisional Honours and Awards Coordinators
  • Track and celebrate research honours and awards received by U of T faculty

VPRI Contact

Staff

Sarah Carson

Manager, University Awards & Honours
Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (OVPRI)
(416) 978-7905