Canada Research Chairs are awarded at two ranks:
Tier 1 Chairs
Tenable for seven years and renewable once, are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years.
Nominees for Tier 1 Chair positions must be full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels.
Tier 2 Chairs
Tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 Chair, the institution receives $100,000 annually for five years. Tier 2 Chairs are not meant to be a feeder group for Tier 1 Chairs.
Nominees for Tier 2 Chair positions must be emerging scholars. They should, at a minimum, be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels.
Per the CRC Program’s Tier 2 Justifications, nominating institutions may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced legitimate career interruptions. Acceptable justifications are generally limited to breaks in the candidate’s research career due to maternity or parental leave, extended sick leave, clinical training, and family care. In such cases, institutions must submit to TIPS a formal justification, explaining why the nominee is still considered to be an emerging scholar.
