Graduate student funding

How to apply

Application forms are available in the AU Research Portal

If this is your first time using the Research Portal, or if you haven’t used the AU Research Portal for a while, refer to Staff-internal and external funding before beginning your application.

Applying for funding or ethics review

As a graduate student, you will use the Research Portal to apply for graduate student funding or ethics review.

You should also review the application process overview for all users before you begin your application.

Submitting an ethics or funding application

1. Log into the Research Portal.
   • Your username is your email address.
   • If you have forgotten your password, use the lost password instructions to reset it.
2. Select APPLY NEW in the upper-right corner.
3. Select the application you wish to complete from the list provided.
4. Review the application’s tabs and subtabs. Make note of the tabs that will require a longer response, as you should compose those responses in Notepad or TextEditor, then paste them into the portal.
5. Enter the project title, start and end dates of your project, and specific keywords in the Project Info tab. You do not need to fill in the Related Certifications section.
   • Tip: You can select keywords from the list provided, or type your own in the box. Be sure to click the Add button for each keyword.
6. Go to the Project Team Info tab. Your information should appear in the Principal Investigator (PI) section.
7. If you have additional team members, add them in the Other Project Member Info section. Do not add your supervisor or dean as a team member.
   1. Click the Add New button in the Other Project Member Info section.
   2. Click the Search Profiles button. Always use this button to add team members. Do not manually enter names.
   3. Search for your team member by first or last name, or by browsing the full list. Click the Select button to add a team member to your application. If you can’t find a profile for the team member you need to add, contact research@athabascau.ca.
   4. You will now see the team member’s profile displayed. Click the down arrow in the Role in Project field to select the team member’s role. You must assign each team member a role in the project.
   5. Click the Save button.
   6. Repeat the process for each team member.
8. Funding applications only: Skip the Project Sponsor tab. The Research Office will complete this tab for you.  
9. Go to the Application Form tab. You will find several subtabs. Be sure to complete them all, scrolling down to the bottom of each tab to be sure you’ve answered all the questions. Save after each subtab.
10. Use the Attachments tab to upload required documents.
    • See the Checklist subtab in the Application Form tab for a list.
    • The Attachments tab also includes templates for certain forms. Please use these when they are available.
11. Go to the Approvals tab. Find your supervisor’s name in the Other Approvals list, and click the checkbox to the left of the name.
    
    • If you don’t find your supervisor’s name in the list, contact research_portal@athabascau.ca to have your supervisor’s name added.
    • If you are faculty or applying to another fund, you don’t need to do anything on this tab.
12. If you don’t see the Errors tab, you can click the Submit button to submit your application.
13. You will receive an email confirming that your application has been successfully submitted.
14. You can keep track of the progress of your application through the Logs tab. You don’t need to provide any information on this tab.
    • Please note that once your application has been submitted, it will be located under Applications: Under Review in the Principal Investigator section of your home page.

Student external award funding calendar

Graduate students are encouraged to apply for the following funding opportunities. These opportunities are sorted by agency.

If you would like feedback on your application for any of these awards, please email your working draft to research@athabascau.ca. Be sure to include any relevant information, including the application deadline.

Other funding sources

Athabasca University also provides or administers several graduate scholarships and awards to help students conduct and disseminate research.