The University of Toronto announced on Monday, October 5th, the launch of a $100 million doctoral scholarship fund to attract more global talent.
According to the Global Mail, the new program, named the “Presidents’ Impact Scholarships,” will enroll around 12 to 13 doctoral students each year to conduct interdisciplinary research around predefined themes such as sovereignty and the Arctic, or health and artificial intelligence.
Each recipient of the doctoral scholarship will receive funding of $80,000 per year for a consecutive 4-year period. This amount is approximately double the current minimum basic funding for doctoral students at the University of Toronto. Half of this $100 million fund comes from an anonymous donation, while the other half is provided by the university itself.
Melanie Woodin, the President of the University of Toronto, stated in an interview, “We now have an unprecedented opportunity to attract Canada’s brightest talents and retain them.”
She also mentioned that, according to the University of Toronto, the Presidents’ Impact Scholarships will be Canada’s most generous doctoral funding program, “nationally and globally, this puts us in the top tier – even surpassing Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford.”
Despite this, salary package is just one of the many factors outstanding doctoral students consider when choosing a university. The University of Toronto hopes that the interdisciplinary nature of this new scholarship will attract applicants, as the award requires doctoral students to collaborate with two supervisors from different disciplines.