Priority Area
Northern Communities: Towards Social and Economic Prosperity
Context
The Northern Communities priority area recognizes the need to examine pressing and important issues relevant to northern communities. Northern Communities funding builds knowledge and understanding by supporting research excellence, developing talent, and mobilizing knowledge in ways that influence, benefit and positively impact northern communities.
Under this priority area, “the North” is considered broadly to include the Canadian territories and the northern areas of most provinces. International northern locations and circumpolar activities and issues may be considered only insofar as they are of pressing concern to Canadians. Factors contributing to the geographical suitability of a proposal under this priority area include, but are not limited to, history, relative isolation (e.g., fly-in, seasonal land, or water access), climate and climatic variability, economic structure (e.g., single-industry, subsistence), location north of the limits of commercial agriculture or in a "northern" ecozone (e.g., boreal forest) or low population density.
Through the Northern Communities priority area, SSHRC aims to provide support for research and related activities that add value to, develop and secure national and international collaboration, partnerships and networks, and that maximize the use of new and existing northern research infrastructure in areas of pressing concern as identified in the tri-agency
Dialogue on Northern Research
(PDF document, 186 KB) and, more recently,
Canada’s Northern Strategy. These areas include:
- social, cultural and economic issues in a northern context;
- sovereignty and governance; and
- environmental protection and sustainable development.
SSHRC Northern Communities funding is available for activities proposed by individual researchers, organizations or informal collaborations, or formal research partnerships that work with, or build links within, northern communities and with northern researchers and the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Research and/or related activities should be undertaken with sensitivity to the perspectives and experiences of northerners. Multidisciplinary teams from the social sciences and humanities, as well as those that include researchers from the natural sciences, engineering and health sciences, are welcome to apply.
Expected Outcomes
Research and related activities undertaken through the Northern Communities priority area are expected to:
- increase knowledge and awareness of northern issues deemed to be of priority in Northern Canada, from social sciences, humanities and/or more broadly interdisciplinary perspectives;
- increase the number of highly qualified personnel, (e.g., researchers, scholars, managers), particularly in the North, with expertise in social sciences and humanities related to northern communities; and/or
- increase the application of research knowledge in decision-making and best practices in the public and private sectors, communities, and civil society.
Funding Opportunities
Applicants whose proposals are relevant to this priority area are invited to indicate this in their applications.
Current opportunities are: