Prestigious Queen Elizabeth Scholars Program supports twenty-two international projects through Canadian post-secondary institutions

OTTAWA—The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) and Universities Canada are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program (QES) call for proposals. 

$6.2 million in program funding from the prestigious QES program will support international collaborative projects at 22 Canadian universities and colleges. All projects will focus on the adaptation, response and resilience to a changing climate. 

These projects will provide international study experiences, research or internships for outbound Canadian students as well as support for inbound international students. The 22 benefitting colleges and universities include: 

• Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology – Partnerships for the Goals: building better communities, in Costa Rica.
• Carleton University – Adapting for Resilience: Interdisciplinary Strategies for Climate Change in Biodiversity, Health, Water and Agriculture, in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. 
• Concordia University – The Sustainable Polygeneration for Communities Initiative, in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. 
• Durham College – Global Student Exchange for Community Resilience: Sustainable Urban Agriculture, Training, Capacity Building and Innovation Exchange, in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Peru and Tanzania.  
• Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning – Young Leaders for Climate Action, in Bhutan. 
• McGill University – Transnational Climate Justice Collaboration through Strategic Litigation and Legal Research, in Peru.
• Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology – Empowering Future Healthcare Leaders: Pediatric Echo Training in Urban and Rural Guyana.
• North Island College – Indigenizing the Climate Change Response: Fostering Inter-Cultural & Inter-Disciplinary Resiliency Through Study Abroad, in Mexico and New Zealand. 
• Queen’s University – Transdisciplinary Knowledge Translation for Social Transformation: Building Climate Resilient Communities through Co-development, in Botswana, Colombia and India. 
• The University of British Columbia – Pacific Rim Ocean Training ExchanGE (PROTÉGÉ), in Chile. 
• Toronto Metropolitan University – Sustainable Water-Energy Nexus for a Circular Economy, in Brazil. 
• Trent University – United Global Plan of Action for One Health and One Climate, in Chile, South Africa, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
• Université de Montréal – Mobilizing and empowering young world leaders in climate change adaptation, in Australia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa and the United Kingdom. 
• Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) – Innovating together for climate: young leaders from Canada and the Maghreb for climate resilience, in Morocco and Tunisia. 
• University of Calgary – Our Changing Climate: Community Resilience and Education, in New Zealand. 
• University of the Fraser Valley – Youth Leadership in Climate Action for Resilient, Inclusive and Equitable Communities, in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Kenya, Philippines and Tanzania.  
• University of Victoria – Navigating Complexity Together: Community resilience and adaptation to the impacts of a changing climate, in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia and Thailand. 
• University of Waterloo – Beyond Borders: Co-Learning to Tackle Climate Change and Plastic Pollution for Resilient Communities in Africa, in Egypt and Ghana.
• Vancouver Community College (VCC) – Addressing Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific – Leveraging University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) for Action, in Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
• Vancouver Island University – Facing climate change: Canadian-Senegalese youth work together to reduce climate and health risks, in Senegal. 
• Wilfrid Laurier University – University of Ghana—Wilfrid Laurier University Partnership for Community Resilience, Human Rights and Migration in a Changing Climate, in Ghana. 
• York University – Canada-Global South Interdisciplinary Initiative on Climate Change & Displacement: Cases of Costa Rica, Ghana and Philippines.

“More than ever, young leaders need global experience and understanding to prosper.  Canada’s economy and communities will benefit from the leadership and skills of Queen Elizabeth Scholars — enriched by their service and learning abroad,” said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. “The urgency of the climate crisis demands our collective attention, and I am thrilled that for the first time QES funding will be going to support programs at colleges and institutes as well as universities. These programs will result in significant impact here at home, while showcasing Canada’s leadership on the world stage.” 

“We are proud to announce this new group of projects under the QES program, giving more students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of global issues and grow into strong, community leaders,” said Gabriel Miller, President and CEO of Universities Canada. “QES has a decade-long track record of fostering global partnerships and community engagement, and it empowers the next generation to make a lasting impact at home and abroad.” 

The QES program is led by the Rideau Hall Foundation in collaboration with Universities Canada.

Established in 2012, this scholarship has been awarded to more than 2,600 scholars from Canada and around the world. With this new round of funding, the QES program has now provided support for 134 international projects in over 80 countries. It is Canada’s premier academic program for global leadership, collaboration and multidisciplinary learning.  

To learn more about the program, visit: queenelizabethscholars.ca

About the Rideau Hall Foundation
The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a non-partisan national charity that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve the lives of Canadians. The RHF celebrates excellence while creating opportunities and connecting communities, all towards the shared purpose of a better Canada. Learn more: https://rhf-frh.ca/  

Media contact:

Mélanie Béchard
Senior Communications Officer
Rideau Hall Foundation
[email protected]