The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Science

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada,
represented by the Minister of Industry, 2017

Cat. No. CR1-13E-PDF

ISSN 2371-8080

This document is available in alternative formats on request.

PDF document

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Table of Contents

Ministers’ Message

President’s Message

Plans at a glance

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

• Raison d’être
• Mandate and role

Operating context: conditions affecting our work

Key risks: things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

Planned results: what we want to achieve this year and beyond

• Programs
• Internal Services

Spending and human resources

• Planned spending
• Planned human resources
• Estimates by vote
• Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

Supplementary information

• Corporate information
• Supporting information on lower-level programs
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information

Appendix: definitions

Ministers’ Message

The Honourable
Kirsty Duncan
Minister of Science 

Our 2017–18 Departmental Plan provides parliamentarians and Canadians with information on what we do and the results we are trying to achieve during the upcoming year. To improve reporting to Canadians, we are introducing a new, simplified report to replace the Report on Plans and Priorities.

The title of the report has been changed to reflect its purpose: to communicate our annual performance goals and the financial and human resources forecast to deliver those results. The report has also been restructured to tell a clearer, more straightforward and balanced story of the actual results we are trying to achieve, while continuing to provide transparency on how tax payers’ dollars will be spent. We describe our programs and services for Canadians, our priorities for 2017–18, and how our work will fulfill our departmental mandate commitments and the government’s priorities.

The programs of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council are central to delivering Canada’s Innovation Agenda—a whole-of-government initiative to position Canada as a global centre for innovation, create better jobs and opportunities for the middle class, drive growth across all industries and improve the living standards of all Canadians. Through its support for researchers and students in the humanities and sciences, the Council helps train the next generation of innovative thinkers and supports the contribution of scholarly research in policy making, to benefit all Canadians. 

It is my pleasure to present the Departmental Plan for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for 2017–18.

President’s Message

Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funds the country’s best, brightest and most promising researchers and students in the humanities and social sciences.

SSHRC supports research that delves deeply into who we are, as people and as a society, helping Canadians to better understand what we need to be informed, engaged and inspired in an increasingly competitive and unsettled world. Findings from SSHRC-funded research enrich cultural expression and drive both prosperity and social inclusion, with an abiding focus on sustainability through innovation.

SSHRC is entering the second year of its 2016–20 strategic plan. Developed through broad consultation with agency staff, this plan gives expression to SSHRC’s legislative mandate to support and promote social sciences and humanities research and training in Canada at a world-class level. To this end, SSHRC is working directly with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, other departments across government, and partners throughout Canada and internationally.

Through our strategic plan, SSHRC will continue to position Canada at the forefront of research excellence by supporting fundamental, investigator-driven research; developing highly skilled talent; fostering collaboration; and connecting Canadians with research that can directly help them face challenges, create opportunities and improve their quality of life.

It is my pleasure to present SSHRC’s 2017–18 Departmental Plan.

Ted Hewitt, PhD

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Plans at glance

Through grants, fellowships and scholarships, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) helps Canada’s researchers and research institutions do what they do best: train the next generation of talented, creative thinkers and doers; build knowledge and understanding about people, cultures and societies; and drive the innovations that address the most pressing challenges of today and tomorrow. SSHRC’s role is to recognize and facilitate research excellence—quality and impact—working in collaboration with postsecondary institutions, scholarly associations and other organizations.

In its 2016–20 strategic plan, Advancing Knowledge for Canada’s Future, SSHRC outlined its strategic goal of sustaining and positioning Canada as a global leader in humanities and social sciences research and research training. To realize this goal, SSHRC identified three strategic objectives to guide its activities through to 2020: enable excellence in a changing research landscape; create opportunities for research and training through collaborative initiatives; and connect social sciences and humanities research with Canadians. These strategic objectives provided the foundation from which SSHRC established its priorities for 2017–18.

Enable excellence in a changing research landscape

In 2017–18, SSHRC will respond, in collaboration with its stakeholders, to key recommendations emerging from Canada’s Fundamental Science Review, the whole-of-government Innovation Agenda, as well as Open Government initiatives. In addition, SSHRC will expand its core funding mechanisms through the introduction of new funding streams in its Insight Grants and Partnership Development Grants. It will also review its support of interdisciplinary research, particularly in terms of subject matter eligibility, to ensure that SSHRC programs continue to facilitate research and research training approaches that foster cross-cutting perspectives to emerging issues. These efforts will also give consideration to equity and diversity in SSHRC’s programs and initiatives.

In preparation for the expected migration to new grants management systems in the coming years, SSHRC will implement, in partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), modernization and transformation initiatives to the agencies’ support programs, for example, streamlining business processes to provide a more user-centric experience, and improving adjudication, funding, reporting and access to information processes.

Create opportunities for research and training through collaborative initiatives

In 2017–18, SSHRC will explore mechanisms to strengthen collaborative initiatives to contribute to a diverse and creative talent base for all sectors and to stimulate joint funding. This will serve to increase the scope, scale and impact of Canada’s research, training and knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities, in Canada and abroad. SSHRC will place particular emphasis on strengthening Indigenous capacity for research, as it works with partners to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.

Measures to facilitate research collaborations will include multidisciplinary, intersectoral and international partnerships. In particular, SSHRC will implement a review of its approach to international collaboration, addressing both researcher-initiated collaborations and agency-level funding collaborations.

Connect social sciences and humanities research with Canadians

SSHRC-funded research explores critical questions facing all Canadians. SSHRC aims to set the context that sees more public, private and not-for-profit organizations seeking out humanities and social sciences research knowledge and talent, recognizing the value they bring to their activities. SSHRC will advance opportunities for the results of its funding to be more accessible to Canadian organizations in all sectors, to contribute to decision-making and innovation, and to help identify and address the challenges of today and tomorrow.

In pursuit of this goal, SSHRC will expand outreach and engagement with government departments and related partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, facilitating access to SSHRC-funded students, researchers, research and data to inform decision-making and shed light on emerging issues. In particular, it will plan for the next stage of its Imagining Canada’s Future initiative and hold major symposiums on Knowledge Systems of Aboriginal Peoples and on the Impacts of a Globalized Society. It will also strengthen its corporate data management processes to facilitate connections with other organizations and to help ensure that government decision-making has access to the necessary scientific considerations. 

People management

Recognizing that achieving the results depends on the organization’s skilled and dedicated staff, SSHRC will continue implementing its People Strategy for 2016–20. This will include ongoing attention to issues of workplace wellness and mental health, as well as SSHRC’s participation in the 2017 Public Service Employee Survey.

For more information on SSHRC’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Planned results” section of this report.

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Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Raison d’être

SSHRC funds research and research training that builds knowledge about people, past and present, with a view toward creating a better future. From questions of family and culture to concerns about jobs and employment, research about people—how we live, what we think, how we act—informs new knowledge and insights on the issues that matter most to Canadians.

SSHRC plays a unique role within Canada’s science, technology and innovation system by awarding grants and scholarships to researchers, students and fellows who work as individuals, in small groups and in formal partnerships with partners from all sectors to develop talent, generate insights and build connections that address the needs of all sectors of society.

Mandate and role

SSHRC is an agency that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. It was created through an act of Parliament in 1977 and mandated to:

• promote and assist research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities; and
• advise the Minister in respect of such matters relating to such research as the Minister may refer to the Council for its consideration.

To fulfil its mandate, SSHRC offers funding opportunities that provide support to Canadian researchers and students through grants, scholarships and fellowships, respecting the terms of the federal Policy on Transfer Payments. SSHRC is also responsible for tri-agency programs administered through the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which provide grants to institutions in support of institutional capacity for research excellence, including Canada Research Chairs, Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC)—including the two Chairs in clean and sustainable technologies responding to the Minister of Science’s mandate letter commitment—the Canada First Research Excellence Fund and the Research Support Fund.

In addition, SSHRC works with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, as well as with NSERC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), to support Networks of Centres of Excellence initiatives, deliver graduate scholarship, postdoctoral and fellowship programs, and to participate in the College and Community Innovation Program. SSHRC will continue to foster these collaborations to the benefit of all Canadians by supporting tri-agency programs and harmonized agency policies and practices.

For more information about the agency, see the “Supplementary information” section of this report. For more information on the agency’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Ministers’ mandate letters on the Prime Minister of Canada’s website.

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Operating context: conditions affecting our work

In addition to continuing to deliver its programs in the most efficient and effective manner possible, over 2017–18 SSHRC will also need to manage its priorities in response to a number of external influences, including recommendations emerging from Canada’s Fundamental Science Review and direction provided by a new Innovation Agenda. Its ability to respond quickly and effectively will be shaped by the following considerations.

Information management and information technology

SSHRC offers funding opportunities that provide support to Canadian researchers and students through grants, scholarships and fellowships. Relying on over 5,500 volunteer peer reviewers, SSHRC processes over 13,000 applications for funding each year from researchers, students and fellows. To ensure the most efficient delivery of its programs, SSHRC requires robust, adaptable grants management systems that facilitate the process throughout the application and award management life cycle.

To address challenges associated with outdated technologies and inefficiencies caused by the use of a number of different IT systems to deliver its funding, SSHRC and NSERC are developing a new grants management system that will offer greater functionality and ease of use for the research community. Until this new system is available, SSHRC will continue to rely on existing systems, and may not be able to adapt to changes in research priorities, reporting requirements and technology. In light of the critical importance of the information infrastructure in delivering programs and tracking results, NSERC and SSHRC have developed joint governance structures to oversee project governance and investment planning and to ensure business continuity.

Managing transitions in corporate governance

Due to turnover and vacancies, SSHRC’s governing council will be in a period of transition during 2017–18 as new members are recruited into this corporate governance function. At a time of elaboration of new government-wide science priorities and the renewal of the agency’s information infrastructure, the ability of SSHRC’s corporate governance structures to effectively oversee the agency’s activities, as new members transition to their role, may affect SSHRC’s visibility and legitimacy with key stakeholders.

To mitigate these challenges, SSHRC consults with partners in the research community and beyond to provide timely and clear information, and develops communication strategies that ensure strong engagement with external stakeholders, so that its processes are effective, efficient and enabling for all parties.

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Key risks: things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

Key risks

Risks	Risk response strategy	Link to department's Programs	Link to mandate letter commitments or to government-wide and departmental priorities
Information technology: SSHRC’s information infrastructure may limit its ability to implement changes required to programs and program delivery in a timely manner.	SSHRC has commissioned a report to assess the state of its legacy systems and to identify the areas of greater risk, which will inform future risk response strategies. SSHRC will enhance the organizational design of its Information and Innovation Solutions Division and implement a service desk improvement plan.	Talent Insight Connection Indirect costs of research Canada First Research Excellence Fund	Reduce the administrative burden Establish chairs in clean and sustainable technologies
Information management: SSHRC’s information infrastructure may not be optimal to meet the needs of the organization to track and report on results.	SSHRC will, in partnership with NSERC, develop an information management strategy. SSHRC will strengthen its corporate data management, identifying areas of need to move toward information management maturity.	Talent Insight Connection Indirect costs of research Canada First Research Excellence Fund	Improve the quality of publicly available data in Canada
Planning and priority setting: The organization may limit its ability to deliver on all priorities and respond to pressures from external influences in a timely manner.	SSHRC will make use of its corporate governance structures and rely on key planning documents, such as the strategic plan, to ensure strong governance for and oversight of SSHRC’s planning and achievement of results.	Talent Insight Connection Indirect costs of research Canada First Research Excellence Fund	Strengthen the recognition of, and support for, fundamental research to support new discoveries

As part of its annual planning cycle, SSHRC reviewed and updated its Corporate Risk Profile and Corporate Risk Management Framework for 2017–18 and identified the three risks in the table above that would be closely monitored over the coming year. The integrated risk management framework integrates the results of the Corporate Risk Profile, while identifying triggers, controls and risk response strategies for risks. It also outlines processes and expectations for the ongoing monitoring and reporting of risks within SSHRC’s integrated planning cycle and assigns responsibility for their management.

SSHRC administers a significant budget—roughly $410 million for SSHRC programs and $369 million for the Research Support Fund. Despite the size of this budget, the overall level of risk to the organization is low in terms of continuity of government operations, the maintenance of services to and protection of the interests of the Canadian public, and the safety and security of the Canadian public.

This approach is part of SSHRC’s annual planning cycle, which integrates priority-setting, resource allocation and risk management. This approach aligns with the Treasury Board’s Framework for the Management of Risk.

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Planned results: what we want to achieve this year and beyond

Programs

Talent: attraction, retention and development of students and researchers in the social sciences and humanities

Description

This program provides support to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the form of fellowships and to research chairs in postsecondary institutions that cover salary and research funding. This program is key in attracting, retaining and developing talent in the social sciences and humanities; to cultivating leaders within academia and across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors; and to building centres of world-class research excellence at Canadian postsecondary institutions. The program brands Canada as a top destination for research and research training.

Planning highlights

SSHRC’s Talent Program includes support for skills and leadership development through the Canada Graduate Scholarships, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, as well as SSHRC’s doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships. It also facilitates the attraction and retention of research talent in the social sciences and humanities through the Canada Research Chairs and CERC, which are administered at SSHRC through TIPS.

In 2017–18, SSHRC will focus its efforts on the following key initiatives under its Talent program:

• Expand collaborations for talent development: SSHRC will continue to promote its existing collaborative initiatives that support Talent, while also exploring ways to further leverage support for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate training through additional collaborations with funding partners.
• Finalize implementation plan for Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action no. 65: SSHRC will finalize its implementation plan, based on internal, interagency, interdepartmental and stakeholder consultations in response to the Calls to Action. In support of this, SSHRC will work with partners to explore ways to strengthen Indigenous capacity for research, through the agency’s Talent funding opportunities.
• Continue tri-agency harmonization for scholarships and fellowships: Working in collaboration with CIHR and NSERC, SSHRC will implement the management response for the evaluations of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships and Canada Graduate Scholarships. In addition, SSHRC will also implement new end-of-award reporting for scholarships and fellowships to increase its ability to track and report on results.
• Follow up on the Canada Research Chairs 15th-Year Evaluation: TIPS, on behalf of SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC, will implement the management response to the Canada Research Chairs Program 15th-Year Evaluation. As part of this activity, TIPS will develop an equity action plan, and consult with key stakeholders to identify the policy and program modifications required to address the recommendations.
• Deliver the current CERC competition: SSHRC will deliver Phase 1 of the current CERC competition, including adjudication of proposals and announcement of results, to award 11 new Chairs, including two in clean and sustainable technologies in response to the Minister of Science’s mandate letter commitment. It will begin delivering Phase 2 of the competition, with the new chairs expected to be announced in 2018–19. SSHRC will also develop and implement a mid-term review process for existing awards.

Planned results

Expected results	Performance Indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2013–14 Actual results	2014–15 Actual results	2015–16 Actual results
SSHRC-funded scholarship and fellowship recipients are employed in Canada and internationally	Employment rates (in percentage) of SSHRC-funded doctoral students	85	Currently met; to be maintained	90	93	82.5
	Employment rates (in percentage) of SSHRC-funded postdoctoral researchers	90	Currently met; to be maintained	95	94	94
Canada builds research excellence and research capacity	Percentage of SSHRC Canada Research Chairs researchers that report having been nominated for, or received, a national or international prize or award	10	December 2018	10	10	10

 

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$174,512,591	$174,512,591	$174,518,062	$174,159,074

 

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
52	52	52

Insight: new knowledge in the social sciences and humanities

Description

This program provides grants to support research in the social sciences and humanities conducted by scholars and researchers working as individuals, in teams, and in formal partnerships among the academic, public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors and to support the building of institutional research capacity. This program is necessary to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world, as well as to inform the search for solutions to societal challenges. The objectives of the program are to build knowledge and understanding from disciplinary, interdisciplinary and/or cross-sectoral perspectives; support new approaches to research on complex and important topics; provide a high-quality research training experience for students; mobilize research knowledge to and from academic and non-academic audiences; and build institutional research capacity. Research supported by the program has the potential to lead to intellectual, cultural, social and economic influence, benefit and impact, and increased institutional research capacity. International research initiatives that offer outstanding opportunities to advance Canadian research are encouraged. Partnerships can include both Canadian and international partners.

Planning highlights

SSHRC’s Insight Program supports initial-stage research, experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or new ideas, and research on complex and important topics, including those that transcend the capacity of any one scholar or institution. Funding ranges from $7,000 to $2.5 million over one to seven years. In 2017–18, SSHRC will focus its plan on the following activities:

• Expand core funding mechanisms for research excellence: In recognition of the needs of the research community for more varied funding mechanisms to support shorter-term research initiatives, SSHRC will implement a new stream for its Insight Grants funding opportunity to increase the flexibility in support of social sciences and humanities research excellence. It will also experiment with a new approach within its Partnership Development Grants aiming to increase partnerships with non-academic sectors: small-scale grants will be provided on a rapid turnaround to assist researchers in building collaborations with organizations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
• Support interdisciplinary research: SSHRC will review its processes to ensure that its funding mechanisms for promoting, administering, adjudicating and funding interdisciplinary research and research training are adapted to research involving the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, engineering, health sciences and fine arts. In support of this, it will update its subject matter eligibility guidelines, and it will take steps to increase social sciences and humanities representation in tri-agency programming, particularly Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) and CERCs.
• Implement a renewed approach to supporting international collaboration: SSHRC will review and renew its objectives, approaches and policies for international collaboration, addressing both agency-level and researcher-initiated collaboration.
• Continue data management policy development: SSHRC will work with NSERC and CIHR to develop options for a data management policy for grant-holders, and validate these in consultation with the research community. This will be undertaken in alignment with Government of Canada Open Science objectives, and include engagement at the Research Data Alliance meetings in Montréal in fall 2017.
• Evaluate the individual, team and partnership grants: SSHRC will conduct the evaluation of partnership grants, including Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants.
• Conduct joint evaluations of the Community and College Social Innovation Fund and the College and Community Innovation program: The evaluation of the SSHRC-administered Community and College Social Innovation Fund will be conducted jointly with the evaluation of the NSERC-administered College and Community Innovation program.

 

Planned results

Expected results	Performance Indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2013–14 Actual results	2014–15 Actual results	2015–16 Actual results
Canada builds research excellence in social sciences and humanities research	Percentage of research projects cited for Canadian and/or international recognition or prizes in a year	15	December 2018	Not available	9	10.1
	Average number of research contributions per research grant (e.g. peer reviewed articles, presentations, speeches)	14	December 2017	16	13	16.9
Research is undertaken in areas of strategic importance to Canada	Percentage of applications received in Government-identified priority areas	30	Currently met; to be maintained	38	32	28.2

Note:  Percentage of research projects cited for Canadian and/or international recognition or prizes in a year was not tracked prior to 2014–15.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$179,931,376	$179,931,376	$176,694,897	$176,704,779

 

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
64	64	64

Connection: mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge

Description

This program provides funding (grants and operational) to support the multidirectional flow, exchange and co-creation of knowledge in the social sciences and humanities among researchers and diverse groups of policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators and the media, working as individuals, in teams, in formal partnerships and in networks. This program is necessary to help stimulate leading-edge, internationally competitive research in areas critical to Canada; build multisectoral partnerships; and accelerate the use of multidisciplinary research results by organizations that can harness them for Canadian economic and social development. The program increases the availability and use of social sciences and humanities research knowledge among academic and non-academic audiences; supports the building of reciprocal relationships, networks and tools designed to facilitate scholarly work; and makes such networks and tools more accessible to non-academic audiences. The funding opportunities offered in this program are intended to complement activities funded through the Talent and Insight programs.

Planning highlights

SSHRC’s Connection Program supports the dissemination of research results via publications of various types, such as scholarly journals and books; the organization of events for researchers to meet, discuss, compare and plan research activities; and the co-creation, synthesis and application of research knowledge. It also provides support to develop and sustain a research-based knowledge culture in the social sciences and humanities, by honouring and bringing recognition to researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows whose originality and outstanding contribution to research have enriched Canadian society; by supporting brokering activities aimed at building capacity in other sectors to engage in social sciences and humanities research activities; and by promoting the use of research knowledge to the benefit of Canadian society.

SSHRC has identified the following plans for 2017–18, which aim to connect social sciences and humanities research with Canadians and support the Minister of Science in delivery of the key commitment to re-insert scientific considerations into the heart of government decision-making:

• Facilitate evidence-based decision-making: SSHRC will support the expansion of outreach and engagement with government departments and related partners to inform decision-making and shed light on emerging issues. It will also strengthen corporate data governance processes that serve to describe, organize and assess the quality of corporate data in order to support decision-making and reporting. It will facilitate connection with other organizations by exercising leadership to promote data alignment across granting agencies.
• Organize symposiums for Imagining Canada’s Future: SSHRC will organize two major symposiums that address future challenge areas: Knowledge Systems of Aboriginal Peoples and the Impacts of a Globalized Society. SSHRC will also develop an implementation framework for the 2017–20 stage of the Imagining Canada’s Future initiative, which will experiment with design thinking approaches to stakeholder engagement.
• Prepare management response to the Impact Awards evaluation: SSHRC will analyze the evaluation report, prepare a management response, and begin implementation of approved elements.

 

Planned results

Expected results	Performance Indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2013–14 Actual results	2014–15 Actual results	2015–16 Actual results
Social sciences and humanities research knowledge is mobilized within academic and non-academic communities	Average number of participants per knowledge mobilization activity	60	June 2018	Not available	Not available	Not available

Note: In June 2016, SSHRC launched a new approach to end-of-grant reporting, Achievement Reports, that allow SSHRC to collect data related to its performance on this target moving forward.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$29,484,082	$29,484,082	$26,662,581	$25,106,737

Note: In 2018–19, funding for Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) and Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) will decrease.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
13	13	13

Indirect costs of research

Description

This program provides support to institutions in the form of grants in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health. This program is necessary to build institutional capacity for the conduct of research and research-related activities, to maximize the investment of publicly funded academic research. This program helps to offset the central and departmental administrative costs that institutions incur in supporting research, which are not attributable to specific research projects, such as lighting and heating; maintenance of libraries, laboratories and research networking spaces; or for the technical support required for an institution’s website or library computer system, ultimately helping researchers concentrate on cutting-edge discoveries and scholarship excellence, and ensuring that federally funded research projects are conducted in world-class facilities with the best equipment and administrative support available. The program is administered by the SSHRC-hosted Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat on behalf of the three research granting agencies. This program uses funding from the following transfer payment: Research Support Fund.

Planning highlights

In 2013–14, the federal government conducted a review of the Indirect Costs Program in consultation with the postsecondary sector to ensure that the program was meeting its objective of reinforcing excellence in postsecondary research. The review generally identified strong support for the program and overall satisfaction with its current design parameters while proposing that institutional reporting measures be increased; the program was renamed Research Support Fund to better reflect intended outcomes.

• Launch Phase 2 of the Research Support Fund outcomes report: In response to the 10th-year evaluation of the Indirect Costs Program, completed in 2014, SSHRC will launch the next phase of the outcomes report for the Research Support Fund. Using the data collected to date, it will prepare the first summary report on results since the transition from the Indirect Costs Program to the Research Support Fund. It will also initiate planning for the next evaluation of the Research Support Fund.

Planned results

Expected results	Performance Indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2013–14 Actual results	2014–15 Actual results	2015–16 Actual results
Universities and colleges sustain a strong research environment	Percentage of institutions reporting general positive impacts of their grants in the attraction of additional funding	80	March 2018	Not available	83	90
	Percentage of institutions reporting general positive impacts of their grants in the attraction and retention of researchers	90	March 2018	Not available	94	91

Note: In 2014–15, performance indicators were revised to reflect the changes to the program, which is why information for the 2013–14 reporting period has not been included.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$369,620,441	$369,620,441	$369,625,331	$369,572,876

 

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
2	2	2

Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Description

The program provides financial support in the form of grants to Canadian universities and colleges to excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada. The program helps competitively-selected institutions implement ambitious and focused strategies to attract and retain talent, develop partnerships across sectors nationally and internationally, and undertake cutting-edge research. Consequently, the program will contribute to enhancing Canada’s competitiveness in the global, knowledge-based economy, improving Canadians’ health, and enriching our social and cultural life. The program is administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council on behalf of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This program uses funding from the following transfer payment: Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Planning highlights

• Finalize the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Performance Measurement Framework: SSHRC will finalize the performance measurement framework for the program and launch the progress reporting for grantees to track the progress toward achieving the planned results. It will also develop the process for the mid-term review of the grants.

Planned results

Expected results	Performance Indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2013–14 Actual results	2014–15 Actual results	2015–16 Actual results
Competitively-selected postsecondary institutions excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada	Percentage of institutions demonstrating progress toward global leadership targets	100	June 2019	Not available	Not available	Not available

Note: There are no performance results to report as this is a relatively new program, having held the first two competitions in 2015 and in 2016. The progress reporting is under development and will be launched for the first cohort of grants in 2017–18, allowing SSHRC to track performance in achievement of these targets.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$13,506,758	$13,506,758	$19,048,156	$18,884,313

Note: The CFREF grants are paid out through SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR, as appropriate, based proportionately on the research areas addressed by the successful proposals. In 2018–19, CFREF funding to SSHRC will increase as a result of the social sciences and humanities research activities to be undertaken by the awarded grants.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
5	5	5

Information on SSHRC’s lower-level programs is available on the SSHRC website and in the TBS InfoBase.

Internal Services 

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; and Acquisition Services.

Planning highlights

• Enhance people management: SSHRC will continue implementing its People Strategy, including through activities identified in the corporate employment equity plan and participation in the Public Service Employee Survey. It will also implement an internal communications strategy that addresses issues emerging from the 2014 Public Service Employee Survey and SSHRC’s 2016–20 People Strategy, as well as the workplace wellness framework.
• Establish alignment to and compliance with government priorities, policy requirements and transformative initiatives: SSHRC will develop an implementation plan to assess impacts and implement changes related to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Policy Reset Initiative and government-wide transformative initiatives to improve horizontal alignment across functional areas. Within this larger initiative, SSHRC will continue an experimental pilot project, working in partnership with postsecondary institutions, to identify ways to use university administrative data, as well as data from Statistics Canada, to better track the impacts of SSHRC-supported students.
• Modernize information management and information technology: SSHRC will, in partnership with NSERC, implement department-wide modernization and transformation initiatives to support programs, which include streamlining business processes to provide for a more user-centric experience, and improving adjudication, funding, reporting and access to information processes.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

2017–18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
$12,188,608	$12,188,608	$12,179,092	$12,103,067

 

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
91	91	91

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Spending and human resources

Planned spending

Note: Many tri-agency grant programs, including CFREF, NCE, CECR and BL-NCE, are paid out through SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR, as appropriate, based proportionately on the research areas addressed by the successful proposals. This proportional distribution to funded proposals results in fluctuations in SSHRC’s budget. In particular, in 2018–19, CECR and BL-NCE funding to awarded projects will decrease, while SSHRC funding as part of CFREF will increase.

 

The preceding graphs illustrate SSHRC’s actual and planned expenditures from 2014–15 to 2019–20. For the 2017–18 fiscal year, SSHRC plans to spend approximately $410 million for SSHRC programs and $369 million for the Research Support Fund, for a total of $779 million, to meet the expected results of its programs and to contribute to its strategic outcomes.

In the graphs, spending for 2014–15 and 2015–16 represent the total authorities disbursed as reflected in the Public Accounts of Canada. For 2016–17, the forecast spending amounts indicated on the graphs include all parliamentary appropriations: main estimates, supplementary estimates and carry-forward. For 2017–18 to 2019–20, planned spending consists of the figures listed in the 2017–18 Annual Reference Level Update.

Budget 2015 provided SSHRC with $7 million in ongoing funding, starting in 2016–17, to support advanced research in the social sciences and the humanities through the Insight Program and $9 million in ongoing funding for the Research Support Fund. In Budget 2016, SSHRC received $16 million in ongoing funding to support advanced research in the social sciences and the humanities through the Insight Program and $19 million in ongoing funding for the Research Support Fund. In addition, temporary funding allotted for a pilot project in social innovation will sunset in 2017–18.

 

Budgetary planning summary for Programs and Internal Services (dollars)

Programs and Internal Services	2014-15 Expenditures	2015-16 Expenditures	2016-17 Forecast Spending	2017-18 Main Estimates	2017-18 Planned Spending	2018-19 Planned Spending	2019-20 Planned Spending
Talent: attraction, retention and development of students and researchers in the social sciences and humanities	$168,129,181	$169,294,848	$174,824,860	$174,512,591	$174,512,591	$174,518,062	$174,159,074
Insight: new knowledge in the social sciences and humanities	$154,341,344	$162,450,407	$181,125,362	$179,931,376	$179,931,376	$176,694,897	$176,704,779
Connection: mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge	$33,309,316	$32,964,773	$32,859,046	$29,484,082	$29,484,082	$26,662,581	$25,106,737
Indirect Costs of Research (Research Support Fund)	$340,902,057	$340,666,298	$368,675,093	$369,620,441	$369,620,441	$369,625,331	$369,572,876
Canada First Research Excellence Fund	$0	$2,545,724	$8,019,674	$13,506,758	$13,506,758	$19,048,156	$18,884,313
Subtotal	$696,681,898	$707,922,050	$765,504,033	$767,055,248	$767,055,248	$766,549,027	$764,427,779
Internal Services	$16,244,750	$12,370,089	$13,272,059	$12,188,608	$12,188,608	$12,179,092	$12,103,067
Total	$712,926,648	$720,292,139	$778,776,092	$779,243,856	$779,243,856	$778,728,119	$776,530,846

Note: Columns may not sum to total amounts due to hidden decimals. In 2018–19, CECR and BL-NCE funding will decrease and CFREF funding will increase.

 

Planned human resources

Human resources planning summary for Programs and Internal Services (full-time equivalents)

Programs and Internal Services	2014–15 Full-time equivalents	2015–16 Full-time equivalents	2016–17 Forecast full-time equivalents	2017–18 Planned full-time equivalents	2018–19 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents
Talent: attraction, retention and development of students and researchers in the social sciences and humanities	40	50	52	52	52	52
Insight: new knowledge in the social sciences and humanities	40	59	64	64	64	64
Connection: mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge	13	12	13	13	13	13
Indirect Costs of Research (Research Support Fund)	2	3	2	2	2	2
Canada First Research Excellence Fund	0	6	5	5	5	5
Subtotal	95	130	136	136	136	136
Internal services	111	88	91	91	91	91
Total	206	218	227	227	227	227

The variance in full-time equivalents is mainly due to a change in the allocation of internal services, as outlined in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Guideline on the Attribution of Internal Services (effective February 29, 2016). The increase in grant funding for the Insight Program from Budget 2015 and Budget 2016 required additional human resources to manage the increased workload. The Canada First Research Excellence Fund was launched in 2015–16, for which additional funding was received for full-time equivalents.

Estimates by vote

For information on SSHRC’s organizational appropriations, consult the 2017–18 Main Estimates.

Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

The Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations provides a general overview of SSHRC’s operations. The forecast of financial information on expenses and revenues is prepared on an accrual accounting basis to strengthen accountability and to improve transparency and financial management.

Because the Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations is prepared on an accrual accounting basis, and the forecast and planned spending amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan are prepared on an expenditure basis, amounts may differ.

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on SSHRC’s website.

Future Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations
for the year ended March 31, 2018 (dollars)

Financial information	2016–17 Forecast results	2017–18 Planned results	Difference (2017–18 Planned results minus 2016–17 Forecast results)
Total expenses	$783,117,492	$785,906,766	$2,789,274
Total revenues	$94,976	$94,976	0
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	$783,022,516	$785,811,790	$2,789,274

Total expenses are expected to increase by less than 1% ($2.8 million). The change is mainly attributable to the expected increase in transfer payment for the CFREF partially offset by lower transfer payment in the Insight Program. Revenues are expected to remain steady in the next fiscal year.

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Supplementary Information

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate Ministers:
The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Science

Institutional Head: Ted Hewitt, President

Ministerial Portfolio: Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Enabling Instruments: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S-12

Year of Incorporation/Commencement: 1977

Reporting framework

SSHRC’s Strategic Outcomes and Program Alignment Architecture (PAA) of record for 2017–18 are shown below:

1. Strategic Outcome: Canada is a world leader in social sciences and humanities research and research training.

• 1.1 Program: Talent: attraction, retention and development of students and researchers in the social sciences and humanities
  • 1.1.1 Sub-program: Canada Research Chairs
  • 1.1.2 Sub-program: Canada Graduate Scholarships
  • 1.1.3 Sub-program: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
  • 1.1.4 Sub-program: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • 1.1.5 Sub-program: Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships
• 1.2 Program: Insight: new knowledge in the social sciences and humanities
  • 1.2.1 Sub-program: Individual, team and partnership research grants
  • 1.2.2 Sub-program: Institutional research capacity grants
• 1.3 Program: Connection: mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge
  • 1.3.1 Sub-program: Individual, team and partnership knowledge mobilization grants
  • 1.3.2 Sub-program: Research-based knowledge culture
  • 1.3.3 Sub-program: Networks of Centres of Excellence

2. Strategic Outcome: Canada has the institutional capacity to enable research and research-related activities in social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering and health.

• 2.1 Program: Indirect costs of research
• 2.2 Program: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Internal Services

Supporting information on lower-level programs

• Supporting information on lower-level programs is available on SSHRC’s website and in the TBS InfoBase

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on SSHRC’s website.

• Details on transfer payment programs of $5 million or more
• Disclosure of transfer payment programs under $5 million
• Upcoming evaluations over the next five fiscal years
• Upcoming internal audits for the coming fiscal year

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs. The tax measures presented in this report are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Matthew Lucas
Executive Director
Corporate Strategy and Performance
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

350 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON  K1P 6G4
Canada

Telephone: 613-944-6230
Email: matthew.lucas@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

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Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

Core Responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a Core Responsibility are reflected in one or more related Departmental Results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (Plan ministériel)
Provides information on the plans and expected performance of appropriated departments over a three-year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)
A Departmental Result represents the change or changes that the department seeks to influence. A Departmental Result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

Departmental Result Indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a Departmental Result.

Departmental Results Framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
Consists of the department’s Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.

Departmental Results Report (Rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
Provides information on the actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2017–18 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada’s Strength; and Security and Opportunity.

horizontal initiatives (initiative horizontale)
A horizontal initiative is one in which two or more federal organizations, through an approved funding agreement, work toward achieving clearly defined shared outcomes, and which has been designated (e.g. by Cabinet, a central agency, etc.) as a horizontal initiative for managing and reporting purposes.

Management, Resources and Results Structure (Structure de la gestion, des ressources et des résultats)
A comprehensive framework that consists of an organization’s inventory of programs, resources, results, performance indicators and governance information. Programs and results are depicted in their hierarchical relationship to each other and to the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute. The Management, Resources and Results Structure is developed from the Program Alignment Architecture.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

Performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

Performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidence-based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts that receive Treasury Board approval by February 1. Therefore, planned spending may include amounts incremental to planned expenditures presented in the Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

plans (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

Priorities (priorité)
Plans or projects that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired Strategic Outcome(s).

program (programme)
A group of related resource inputs and activities that are managed to meet specific needs and to achieve intended results and that are treated as a budgetary unit.

Program Alignment Architecture (architecture d’alignement des programmes)
A structured inventory of an organization’s programs depicting the hierarchical relationship between programs and the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute.

results (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

Strategic Outcome (résultat stratégique)
A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.

sunset program (programme temporisé)
A time-limited program that does not have an ongoing funding and policy authority. When the program is set to expire, a decision must be made whether to continue the program. In the case of a renewal, the decision specifies the scope, funding level and duration.

target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The Vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.