Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development – Phase 2 (SEED-2)

Global Affairs Canada has opened its international scholarship programs for applications for the 2026-27 academic year.  Faculty members may be contacted by students from these countries seeking a supervisor for a research stay.  

There are scholarships for STUDY (usually undergrads) and RESEARCH (usually graduate students). Students cannot apply directly, applications are submitted by Lakehead University, with final decisions made by Global Affairs Canada.  The program is quite competitive for undergraduate study scholarships, but we have had a lot of success with the graduate/research applications.  Research stays range from 4-8 months for undergraduate students, and 4 to 6 months for graduate students.  

If faculty members have research collaborators in any of the eligible countries and are interested in hosting a fully funded visiting research student, they are encouraged to reach out and invite applications from their students. Faculty would be expected to provide a letter of invitation for all research students, including undergraduates. Please note that research students are expected to work on their research full-time for 4-6 months under the faculty member's supervision - please screen applicants carefully, and agree on a research plan BEFORE agreeing to provide a letter of invitation.  If a faculty member is not comfortable with the student or proposal, they should decline. If faculty have questions, contact Jill Sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca

IMPORTANT - The students' home institutions may have internal selection processes/competitions and earlier deadlines as well.

Research nominations initially go through Jill Sherman's office; faculty should let Jill know if they are planning to support a student application to one of these programs.  As well, If a faculty member is contacted by a student but are not interested or able to support their application, please forward to Jill Sherman.

The Government of Canada is offering scholarship opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region through the Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development – Phase 2 (SEED-2) program. This program is an expansion of the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED). SEED-2 is a key initiative under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The program provides opportunities for students from Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Pacific Island Countries and Mongolia to conduct short-term study or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions in areas that contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .