The Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars is an enthusiastic network of lifelong learners—avid readers and researchers, curious travellers and thoughtful practitioners—who are not affiliated with a university or college. CAIS members help each other overcome the barriers of isolation and lack of institutional support, to enable each other to make vital contributions to scholarship in Canada.

In cooperation with Simon Fraser University, CAIS offers full university library access to its members, online and in-person. We offer informal mentoring and advice for members, and provide grants for assistance with research, publishing and travel. Since 2001, CAIS members have been sharing the results of their scholarly activities at lively and supportive monthly meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

CAIS is a national initiative developed by independent scholars, in cooperation with Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Our distinguished patrons include John Ralston Saul, one of Canada’s leading public intellectuals, and the late anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss.