Thank you so much for your question. This certainly has come to our attention during our consultations for our strategic plan, “NSERC 2030”.
One of the key themes we heard about was an increase for the value and duration of these awards. Many folks commented on the fact that the awards hadn't been increased in the time frame you've mentioned. The recommendation was to increase a greater number, a greater value and a greater duration of these awards. I would say that the reason this situation hasn't been redressed over time is that there has been a constant re-evaluation of the balance between the number of awards we offer and their monetary value. It's a zero-sum game.
In 2015, we did increase the value of the post-doctoral awards from $40,000 to $45,000. Last year, we did increase our portion of the undergraduate student research award from $4,500 to $6,000. We've also increased the duration of the awards to three years instead of two years. Following budget 2019, we did receive 600 new Canada graduate scholarships. We've also invested in paid parental leave by increasing that leave for students from six months to 12 months, which was an investment.
That said, we are aware that with regard to our NSERC post-graduate scholarships and the other tri-council funding, students certainly are facing increasing financial hardship and that the rising cost of living does present a significant barrier to pursuing the graduate-level scholarships. We are committed to working very closely with the two other federal granting councils and with the research community to figure out ways in which we can better support these trainees.
Thank you for your question.