Northern Scientific Training/Travel Program

Northern Scientific Training/Travel Program (NSTP)

The Northern Scientific Training Program was established in 1961 to encourage Canadian universities to participate in training northern specialists to meet national needs. It provides supplementary support to offset the additional costs of undertaking northern research (i.e. transportation costs, living expenses, shipping costs and interpreter fees). This program is not intended to be a source of primary support for students pursuing northern research. The NSTP terms of reference, eligibility criteria and funding decisions are made by the NSTP Management Committee of Polar Knowledge Canada.

Deadline to Apply:
December 1

Award Value:
-

Candidate Eligibility:

a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
enrolled in a graduate program at SFU; or
a third year undergraduate student who intends to undertake an honor's thesis based on northern field work.

Canadian Graduate Scholarships

Definition of the North

For the purposes of this program, the term `North` is understood to include the part of Canada which lies north of the southern limit of the discontinuous permafrost zone in Canada (arctic and subarctic):

See NSTP Geographic Boundary Map (Electronic Version)

The ‘Circumpolar North” refers to the eight countries of the Arctic Council (Canada, Finland, Greenland [Denmark], Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States [Alaska]).

Refer to NSTP Information Manual (2024-2025)

Circumpolar projects in Russia

Due to the sanctions imposed in response to the gravity of Russia’s violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and grave human rights violations that have been committed in Russia, POLAR will be unable to fund projects taking place in Russia or involving collaborations with Russian organizations for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. For more information, please visit the Government of Canada’s - Canadian Sanctions Related to Russia.

Eligibile Expenses

Use the following as a guide for eligible expenses/budgeting purposes. Note that there is no budget required within the application form, but the University Northern Studies committee may require an explanation of your request.

Category	NSTP Notes
Travel	Cost of one return trip, Airfare as economy only
Meals/Per Diem	Eligible
Translator/Interpreter/Interviewee	Eligible
Accommodation	Eligible
Freight Costs	Eligible
Cost of Assistant	Not Eligible
Field Supplies	Not Eligible
Field Training	Not Eligible
Research License Application Fee	Not Eligible
Translation	Not Eligible

How to Apply

Read about the award to ensure you and your travel destination/expenses are eligible.
Read through the Student's Information section (P.11-17) of the NSTP Information Manual (2024-2025) for instructions.
Checklist for Applicant (P.17-18)
Complete and submit the full application on the NSTP Survey Monkey System by Friday, November 10, 2023 (20:59 PT). Note that the application has a supervisory portion that needs to be completed prior to submission. An incomplete form may result in a refusal of application for funds.
Applications are reviewed internally by SFU’s University Northern Studies committee prior to being sent to NSTP for approval.

See Frequently Asked Questions or contact our Graduate Awards Team by email at gpsaward@sfu.ca

Updated: October 3 2023

Graduate Studies

TRI-Agency & Government Awards