On November 4, 2025, the federal government tabled its 2025 Budget: Canada Strong. Through its investment to attract international talent, this Budget recognizes the vitally important work of researchers.
Notably, Budget 2025 commits $1 billion over thirteen years to the tri-councils to launch an accelerated research Chairs initiative to recruit exceptional international researchers, along with $400 million over seven years to establish a complementary stream of research infrastructure that will support these recruited Chairs.
Additional investments in 2026-2027 will assist international doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in relocating to Canada and help universities recruit international assistant professors, as appropriate.
The Federation is pleased to see such a level of investment, building on those previously announced in 2024.
Moreover, while many federal departments face saving targets of up to 15 percent over three years, the limited 2 percent savings target across the tri-councils reaffirms their essential role in advancing knowledge, innovation, and public good for a stronger Canada.
For these investments to help address some of the most pressing challenges society faces, the Federation urges the federal government to allocate them across the tri-council by taking into account the structural underinvestment in SSHRC, which risks constraining Canada’s ability to advance inclusive innovation, ethical technology development, and evidence-informed public policy.
Budget 2025 also emphasizes the role of artificial intelligence in bolstering Canada’s role as a leader on the global stage. The Federation calls for a measurable share of the AI investments to be dedicated to HSS research, on par with the national strategy on AI set to release at the end of 2025, to ensure the much-needed ethical, social, and cultural insights to guide its sustainable and responsible implementation.
To fulfil Budget 2025’s commitment to “strengthen our shared sense of identity, history, and geography by protecting our culture, nature, official languages, and core values,” the Federation will continue to work with the government and partners to ensure future investments in Indigenous-led scholarship and Francophone research.
Useful links
Federal Government
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
- 2025 Pre-Budget Submission
- Federation consultation to the AI Taskforce (Coming soon)