Funding Opportunities
Public Outreach Grants
Important change regarding Research Time Stipends
As of April 1, 2009, applicants to all SSHRC research grants programs can no longer request a SSHRC/university co-funded Research Time Stipend (RTS). However, all RTSs awarded prior to March 31, 2009, will be honoured. SSHRC recognizes the importance of time for research in the social sciences and humanities, and will continue to require that universities confirm that all grant holders have appropriate time to conduct their research. This decision does not affect salary replacements for non-academic participants in SSHRC-funded research projects.
Important change regarding eligibility of subject matter
Due to changes in eligibility of subject matter, applicants are advised to review the guidelines to ensure that they are applying to the appropriate agency. |
Context
Objectives
Description
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Administrative Regulations
More Information
Context
Knowledge mobilization is a core priority for SSHRC, one aimed at facilitating and enabling the movement of knowledge in the social sciences and humanities to and from various sectors of society in order to inform Canadian and international debate, decisions and actions.
SSHRC actively supports connecting, disseminating, exchanging and co-creating knowledge to meet the needs of society. The aim is to ensure that people who stand to benefit from research results (e.g., policy-makers, business leaders, community leaders, educators, and members of the media, as well as academics in various fields) have the knowledge they need, when they need it, in useful forms.
Objectives
Public Outreach Grants are designed to mobilize and/or leverage existing and ongoing research in the social sciences and humanities for a range of audiences beyond academia. Through this program, SSHRC encourages researchers to find effective ways to disseminate, transfer, exchange, synthesize and broker research results to wider audiences.
Funds are available to support the mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge in any area of research, though special funds are available in three areas as follows:
- Environment: Knowledge mobilization projects funded under this thematic area must aim to increase knowledge and awareness of Canadian environment and sustainability issues (e.g., climate change; energy and natural resources; water; the environmental impact of new technologies) deemed to be of priority in Canada from social sciences, humanities and/or interdisciplinary perspectives.
- North: Under this theme, SSHRC invites knowledge mobilization applications on social sciences and humanities dimensions of four government priority areas, or of other areas that are demonstrably a priority for Northern Canada. The priority areas are: sovereignty; social and economic development; environmental protection; and governance. Applicants should note that, for the purpose of this call, the North includes the Canadian territories as well as the northern areas of provinces.
The Environment and the North themes have been identified as priorities by SSHRC in its consultation documents on strategic themes involving the environment and the North (Nature and Society: Environment and Sustainability Research Program; Consultation on Themes for the Strategic Grants Program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; and Dialogue on Northern Research: Summary Report), and by the federal government in Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage— 2007; Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage: Progress Report 2009; Canada's Northern Strategy; and State of the Nation 2008. The Environment and the North funds are drawn from the 2008 federal budget allocations to SSHRC targeted for these priority areas.
- Innovation, Leadership and Prosperity: Knowledge mobilization projects funded under this thematic area should contribute towards innovative management, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development practices in Canada. Priority areas within innovation, leadership and prosperity are information and communication technologies; environmental science and technologies; and natural resources and energy.
Innovation, Leadership and Prosperity funds are drawn from the 2007 federal budget allocation to SSHRC for management, business and finance.
Description
The Public Outreach Grants program consists of two basic grant types: Public Outreach Dissemination Grants and Public Outreach Workshop and Conference Grants.
Applicants must select the grant type most suited to their project; a full description of each grant type appears below. Once a grant type is chosen, applicants may choose to submit their proposal either to a targeted theme or in the open category.
Public Outreach Dissemination Grants
This grant can be used to mobilize knowledge by incorporating any of the following activities. Note that the preparation of a deliverable should be set in the context of a cohesive and fully articulated mobilization plan or strategy. The following list is not meant to be exhaustive, though if their proposed activities are not listed below, applicants should consult the program officer to ensure that they are eligible for this program.
Dissemination activities include, but are not limited to:
- adapting texts or presentations to different audiences (including translations into French, English or an Aboriginal language);
- policy briefs;
- knowledge syntheses;
- articles in newspapers or weekly and monthly magazines, whether specialized or general interest (publications in scholarly journals are not eligible);
- interactive technologies, databases and audio-visual products;
- media events (such as interviews, or television and radio presentations);
- press conferences;
- public debates or testimonies;
- software or NetWare;
- educational aids, instruments or equipment;
- artistic exhibits, performances or festivals;
- submissions to public commissions, roundtables and workshops; and
- virtual networking and interactions.
Public Outreach Workshop and Conference Grants
Activities include workshops and conferences directed primarily to non-academic audiences.
Public Outreach Grants are not intended to support traditional means of dissemination to the research community (such as scholarly papers or academic conferences). SSHRC does, however, support such efforts through programs such as Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada and Aid to Scholarly Journals.
Applicants applying for a workshop or conference grant who also choose to apply to the Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada program must ensure that each application addresses different objectives.
Applicants are encouraged to describe how the proposed knowledge mobilization activities are expected to increase the capacity of selected audiences to understand and use research results.
Target audiences include, but are not limited to:
- policy-makers;
- organizations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors;
- communities of interest (geographic or virtual);
- other areas of Canada beyond the scope of the original research;
- students at all levels (i.e., primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities);
- the general public; and
- international audiences.
Value and Duration
Applicants must situate their proposals within one of three funding levels: under $50,000, $50,000-$100,000, and over $100,000. There is no maximum value for the last category; however, applicants should ensure their plans can be implemented in one year. The applications will be adjudicated according to merit and the adjudication criteria outlined below. The level of funding requested should be justified in detail and appropriate to the activities undertaken by the proposed project.
Public Outreach Grants will be tenable for one year only, with the possibility of one one-year extension. Grant holders must apply to the Public Outreach Grants program officer for any extensions. This is a one-time call for proposals.
Eligibility
Applicants
Applications may be submitted by eligible institutions, individual researchers or teams of researchers affiliated with Canadian postsecondary institutions.
Institutional Eligibility
Institutions that propose to administer any grant awarded under this program must meet the requirements for managing SSHRC funds and must hold or obtain institutional eligibility.
Evaluation and Adjudication
A multidisciplinary peer-review committee of researchers and experts from the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors will assess applications.
The committee will adjudicate proposals according to the following criteria:
- Intellectual, economic and/or social impact: a clear description of the potential benefits of the knowledge mobilization project to the receptor and/or collaborator communities, as well as to the research areas in question.
- Capacity: clear demonstration of the strength of the participant's/participants' academic record(s), including work in knowledge mobilization; clear demonstration of the strength of the connection between the participant's/participants' knowledge mobilization activities and their research agendas; and strong evidence of engagement in the receptor and/or collaborator communities.
- Knowledge mobilization plan: clear delineation of a well-defined "body of knowledge" or research results to mobilize; a process of mobilization that is appropriate both to the body of knowledge and the audience; and pre-existing engagement between the researcher(s) and the receptor and/or collaborator communities.
- Evaluation and reporting: plans for self-evaluation of the project, as well as for reporting to SSHRC.
- Student training: a clear indication of the value and feasibility of student training.
- Budget: careful justification of the appropriateness and value-for-money of the proposed budget.
Administrative Regulations
All applicants and grant holders must comply with the
Regulations Governing Grant Applications
and with the regulations set out in the
Grant Holder’s Guide
for Research and Strategic Grants.
More Information
For more information, please contact:
Michèle Dupuis
Program Officer
Knowledge Mobilization and Program Integration Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4
Tel.: 613-947-2045
Fax: 613-992-7635
Email:
michele.dupuis@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca