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With an eye to developing globally oriented thinkers and innovators, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and the ������Ƶ today announced the creation of the most prestigious doctoral travel award in the country.

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation Doctoral Fellowship Program will provide 16 recipients each year—across the humanities and the social, physical and life sciences—a grant of $50,000 to further their research and broaden their skills and networks in a global setting.

Open to students across all fields, the Weston Fellowships will be Canada’s only fully-funded award program dedicated to internationalization at the doctoral level.

“The Weston Fellowships are a significant step forward in building Canada’s capacity for world-beating scholarship and innovation,” said U of T President David Naylor. “This groundbreaking initiative will help our best and brightest to gain international experience—a crucial factor in the formation of leaders, in our increasingly globalized world.”

The first phase of the Weston Fellowship program will run through 2015 and support 48 students with total funding of $2.4 million.

“Throughout its history, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation has maintained a strong interest in educational programs that remove barriers and strengthen the ability of Canadians to innovate and lead,” said Eliza Mitchell, Director. “We are delighted with the launch of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation Doctoral Fellowship Program, giving Canadians students critical advantages in the global workplace.”

The Weston Fellowships will cover a PhD student’s one-year costs of tuition, international travel and expenses, a living stipend and travel within the destination country. It will be available to U of T students who are in the third or fourth year of their doctoral program, who plan to do research outside of Canada.