Funding Opportunities
Sport Participation Research Initiative
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. |
A Joint Initiative of SSHRC and Sport Canada
| Next application deadline |
Value |
Duration |
Results announced |
Apply |
|
Research Grants
October 15, 2010 |
Up to $100,000 per annum, but not totalling more than $250,000 in a three-year period |
Up to 3 years |
June 2011 |
See details under Description below |
Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements
October 6, 2010 |
$10,000 in addition to the value of the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship |
12 months |
June 2011 |
See details under Description below |
Doctoral Award Supplements
For applicants registered at a Canadian postsecondary institution,
the postsecondary institution sets the deadline. For all other applicants, the deadline is November 10, 2010. |
$10,000 in addition to the value of the doctoral award |
12 months |
June 2011 |
See details under Description below |
Context
Objectives
Description
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Administrative Regulations
More Information
Context
Participation in sport is widely accepted as contributing powerfully to personal and social development. The physical exercise involved in sports is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle that helps promote personal well-being and prevent disease, while the social dimensions of such participation contributes to stronger, more cohesive communities.
Despite these benefits, over the past decade Canadians’ participation in sport has declined significantly. Research and public enquiry have also raised concerns about the quality of the experience of participating in sport. The federal government’s Canadian Sport Policy (PDF document 380 KB), published in 2002, recognizes the importance of research-based knowledge to address this decline in sport participation. Halting and reversing this decline will require the systematic application of such knowledge.
Accordingly,
Sport Canada, a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage, in consultation with the sport research community, the policy research community and the federal research granting agencies, is building Canada's capacity to conduct research on and related to participation in sport.
The joint Sport Participation Research Initiative (SPRI) supports this objective by funding selected doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and postsecondary institution-affiliated researchers to conduct research on matters related to enhancing participation in sport in Canada.
Objectives
This program has two broad objectives:
- to promote Canadian research that will develop better understanding, based on empirical evidence, of Canadians' participation in sport, in order to better inform programs and policies intended to promote and enhance Canadians' participation in sport; and
- to build Canada's capacity to conduct research on and related to participation in sport, specifically in the target areas described below.
To help achieve these objectives, all SPRI grant and award holders are expected to participate in an annual Sport Canada Research Initiative conference as a condition of holding their grant or award.
Description
The program offers three separate funding mechanisms to support research on participation in sport in Canada.
Research Grants
The partners seek to stimulate research in sport participation in Canada by increasing the funding available through the Standard Research Grants (SRG) program.
Sport Canada has funding available for those standard research grant applications that propose programs of research relevant to its policy priorities and that the SRG adjudication committee has recommended for funding, but that, due to budgetary constraints, did not receive a regular SRG.
Note that the program is designed to complement, not replace, existing support for sport participation research offered through the SRG program.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements
Applicants for a SSHRC Postdoctoral
Fellowship who indicate their interest on the application form and
who are working in one or more of the target areas
identified below will be considered for a Sport Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship
Supplement.
Postdoctoral researchers who already hold a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship and who
are working in one or more of the target areas
are also eligible to apply
for this supplement. If interested, please contact the Fellowships and Institutional Grants division.
Doctoral Award Supplements
Applicants for a SSHRC doctoral
award who indicate their interest on the application form and who
are working in one or more of the target areas
identified below will be considered for a Sport Canada Doctoral
Award Supplement.
Those who already hold a SSHRC doctoral award and are working in one or more of the target areas are also eligible to apply for this supplement. If interested, please contact the Fellowships and Institutional Grants division.
Target Areas
For all three awards—Research Grant, Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplement and Doctoral Award Supplement—the partners invite proposals that address the broad objectives described above and that focus on one or more of the following specific areas of research:
- identification and overcoming of barriers to participation in sport;
- training of participants, volunteers, coaches and administrators in sport;
- development, monitoring and evaluation of policies designed to enhance participation in sport;
- development of capacity and infrastructure that will enhance participation in sport; and
- identification and assessment of the benefits and outcomes of participation in sport.
Value and Duration
Research Grants
SPRI Research Grants are available for three-year programs of research. The grants are worth up to a maximum of $100,000 annually, but not totalling more than $250,000 in a three-year period. A minimum budget of $7,000 is required in at least one of the three years (except when the applicant is a researcher at a Canadian postsecondary institution that does not receive a
SSHRC Institutional Grant).
Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements
SPRI Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements are tenable for 12 months and are worth $10,000, in addition to the annual value of the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Doctoral Award Supplements
SPRI Doctoral Award Supplements are tenable for 12 months and are worth up to $10,000, in addition to the annual value of the
doctoral award.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for and maintain SPRI funding, all grant and award holders are expected to meet and follow program funding conditions determined by Sport Canada, in addition to the eligibility requirements outlined below for each specific type of grant or award. Please see Evaluation and Adjudication for more information on the requirements for receiving an SPRI grant or award.
Research Grants
Applicants
The partners invite proposals from individual researchers and research teams affiliated with Canadian postsecondary institutions who are working in Canada in one or more of the
target areas of interest.
Teams may consist of an applicant (principal investigator) and one or more co-applicants, research collaborators, non-governmental and/or community partners, student assistants, other assistants and/or support staff. Each participant must meet the relevant general eligibility criteria as set out in Definitions.
Institutions
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.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements
Applicants for, and holders of, a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship who are working in one or more of the target areas of interest, and who are affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution, are eligible to apply.
Doctoral Award Supplements
Applicants for, and holders of, a SSHRC doctoral award who are working in one or more of the target areas of interest, and who will be entering the third or fourth year of a doctoral program at a Canadian university, are eligible to apply.
Evaluation and Adjudication
Each application for an SPRI Research Grant is adjudicated first by the relevant SRG
adjudication committee. Then, if the application is recommended for funding but, due to budgetary constraints, is placed on SSHRC's supplementary list, it is referred to the Sport Canada Relevance Committee.
The Relevance Committee is made up of the Sport Canada research co-ordinator and members of the academic community. This committee assesses whether the research will contribute to efforts to enhance sport participation in Canada. The committee reviews each application and forms a consensus on whether the proposed research adequately meets the program's
objectives and target areas. To this end, applications must clearly and specifically indicate how the proposed research applies to the initiative's sport participation objectives.
The SPRI Relevance Committee's decisions cannot be appealed.
In the case of applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplement and the Doctoral Award Supplement, the procedure is similar. The crucial difference is that the postdoctoral fellowship and doctoral award adjudication committees will only refer successful applications to the Sport Canada Relevance Committee.
Evaluation Criteria
In order to receive and maintain eligibility for an SPRI grant or award, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- The proposed research must meet the SPRI objectives
on sport participation and have a focus on one or more of the
target areas
of research.
- Grant and award holders must participate in the annual Sport Canada Research Initiative conference in Ottawa, to which they will be invited by Sport Canada. SPRI funding includes costs related to travel to the conference. Therefore, applicants must include costs related to attendance at the conference as part of their research proposal's budget.
- At the conclusion of their research, grant and award holders must present their research results at the Sport Canada Research Initiative conference. Please note that no additional funding will be allocated to travel costs related to the conference after the end of the grant period.
- As part of the knowledge transfer component of the SPRI funding, grant and award holders will be required to prepare a short paper targeted at the sport policy and practitioner communities, summarizing the key findings of their research. The deadline for knowledge transfer materials will coincide with the due date for the SSHRC final report (September of the final year of the grant). Sport Canada will contact grant and award holders at their funding end date to communicate the due date and SPRI knowledge transfer guidelines. Grant and award holders will be asked to follow the knowledge transfer template in preparing their paper. The template will be provided by Sport Canada. Grant and award holders are encouraged to seek publication of their paper in an open source publication.
Administrative Regulations
Research Grants
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. In particular, the
Financial
Administration section
of the Guide gives detailed information on
eligible and ineligible expenses.
Postdoctoral Fellowship and Doctoral Award Supplements
All applicants for and holders of fellowships and scholarships must comply with the Regulations Governing Fellowship Applications and with the regulations set out in the Fellowship Holder's Guide.
More Information
For more information about the SPRI, please contact:
Eric Bergeron
Program Officer
Strategic Grants and Joint Initiatives Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4
Tel.: 613-996-1422
Fax: 613-947-0223
Email:
eric.bergeron@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Joanne Kay
Senior Policy Analyst
Policy and Coordination
Sport Canada
15 Eddy Street, 16th Floor, Room 116
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M5
Email:
joanne.kay@pch.gc.ca
Tel.: 613-295-9731
Fax: 613-956-8059
Website: www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/sportcanada