Who is research-creation for?
The Insight program invites researchers, artist-researchers, and teams of artists and researchers to apply for funding to support projects involving research-creation.
Insight Grant and Insight Development Grant applicants and participants must meet the funding opportunity’s eligibility criteria specific to their role in the project. Professional artists may participate as research collaborators, consultants and/or professional service providers. If artists are involved as paid consultants or participants, their fees should be in accordance with the principal investigator’s institutional requirements. Applicants should consult artist representation agencies—such as the Canadian Artists' Representation, the Union des artistes or the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association—for more detailed information about artists’ fees.
What should I do?
Before submitting a proposal, determine whether the proposed research falls within SSHRC’s mandate. The objectives and outcomes of the proposed project should be related to the social sciences and the humanities.
First-time applicants may find it helpful to contact the research office of their institution or the relevant SSHRC program officer to clarify eligibility, assessment criteria or other details.
If working with new technologies, or within the scientific or architectural fields, applicants should take particular care to ensure their research falls within SSHRC's mandate and not that of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
Applicants should discuss with their research office considerations, ethics standards and requirements related to research involving humans and, more specifically, research involving Aboriginal Peoples.
Proposals should contain both a developed scholarly apparatus and an integral connection to contemporary literary/artistic practices. A research-creation approach represents sustained, reflective research set directly and actively within the creation process itself. Research exclusively about the creation process or about literary/artistic productions, or creative work involving minimal scholarly investigation, will not be considered to fall within the scope of research-creation.
A research-creation proposal must:
- address clear research questions;
- offer theoretical contextualization within the relevant fields of inquiry; and
- present a well-considered methodological approach and creation process.
Both the research and any resulting creative work must meet peer standards of excellence and be suitable for publication, public performance and/or viewing.
Proposed projects must meet the requirements outlined in the definition of research-creation, the Insight Grants or Insight Development Grants funding opportunity description, and the Regulations Governing Grant Applications. Applicants must show that their proposed project is well thought out and can be carried out as planned. The theory and methodology must be aligned with the proposal’s objectives, and the proposal should clearly demonstrate how the research informs the creation process, as well as how the creation process is integrated into and relevant to the project.
Applicants must provide relevant background information. They should not presume adjudication committee members are familiar with the work, or with the specific terminology and particularities of the field of specialization.
Proposals should be concise and to the point, and avoid lengthy or vague statements about the proposed project.
Who will assess my application?
Insight Grant and Insight Development Grant applications involving research-creation are typically adjudicated by a multidisciplinary merit review committee. The committee will be structured to ensure representation of expert knowledge from a broad range of fields from the research community; as well as regional, linguistic, cultural and gender balance.
How will my application be assessed?
All applications must meet the Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants evaluation criteria, as well as the Insight research program’s objectives. SSHRC’s Challenge, Feasibility and Capability evaluation criteria form the basis for the merit review committee’s decisions.
What should I include in the application?
The application should include:
- application form;
- curriculum vitae; and
- support material.
What support material should I select for my application?
If, in their application, applicants identify their proposal as being a research-creation proposal, they must include a website link to samples of work that best illustrate the qualifications of the team and/or the nature of the proposed research-creation project. Applicants must provide the link and any related information in the appropriate section of the application form, as detailed in the application instructions. Applicants must ensure that the website is of the best possible quality, and that all links involved will be operational for at least six months after the application deadline.
Reasonable efforts will be made to view or listen to support material; however, due to technical challenges, SSHRC cannot guarantee that the samples will be accessed.
Note: SSHRC assumes no responsibility in cases where links provided are broken or the server is unavailable during the adjudication period.
See SSHRC’s Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials.
What are the last steps in preparing my application?
Applicants must:
- make sure their text is free of spelling errors, and that their budget is realistic and well-justified;
- ensure that their application is complete, as incomplete applications are automatically ineligible; and
- submit their application to their institution’s research office by the office’s internal deadline.