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Getting an Account

Any researcher eligible to apply for funding from a Canadian granting agency is able to get an account and act as a sponsor for other users to access the FREE digital research resources and services provided through Compute Canada and its regional partners – WestGrid is the regional organization for Western Canada.

Non-academic users interested in accessing the services should contact their regional organization directly as they will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please email info@westgrid.ca for more details. 

Please read Compute Canada’s Access Policy for more details. If you have questions about eligibility, email accounts@computecanada.ca. 

Register for an account

To access Compute Canada resources, you need to register in the Compute Canada DataBase (CCDB). There is no cost to register and it can be done online in just a few minutes.

Step 1: Create a Compute Canada PI Account

A Faculty Professor or Principal Investigator (PI) must apply for an account first in CCDB. Once the registration is confirmed, the PI will receive a CCRI (Compute Canada Role Identifier) code in the format “abc-123-01” and will become the sponsor of a users group.

Note: If you are a postdoctoral fellow, graduate student, external collaborator, or staff member your CCDB account must be sponsored by a faculty member. The faculty member must register in the CCDB first, and then you can be added to his / her account.

To complete this step, go to the CCDB website and click “Register”. 

New CCDB accounts can take up to three (3) business days to process. You will receive a confirmation email when your account is confirmed.

Step 2 - Create Sponsored Accounts

If you are sponsoring another user, you will need to follow these additional steps:

  • Instruct your sponsored user to visit the CCDB and register for an account.
  • Provide the sponsored user your CCRI # (provided in your CCDB account confirmation email) to complete their CCDB registration form. 
  • You will receive an email to approve their account registration before it can be processed as a new account (internal processing can take up to three business days).

Getting Started

Read our Getting Started Guide for tips on how to begin using the systems and how WestGrid’s regional staff and services can help you leverage Compute Canada’s tools and resources to support the unique needs of your research.

Other useful links for using Compute Canada:

Account renewals

All Compute Canada accounts are renewed annually, typically in the spring. More details on this process and the requirements to renew can be found on the Compute Canada Account Renewals webpage. If you have questions, email accounts@computecanada.ca. 

Questions / more information

If you have questions about getting an account or about your existing account, email accounts@computecanada.ca.

Other useful links: