Details on transfer payment programs of $5 million or more

Canada First Research Excellence Fund (voted)

2014

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Insight Research

The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) supports Canada’s postsecondary institutions in their efforts to become global research leaders. CFREF helps institutions: (i) compete with the best in the world for talent, for partnership opportunities and to make breakthrough discoveries; (ii) seize emerging opportunities and strategically advance their greatest strengths on the global stage; and (iii) implement large-scale, transformational and forward-thinking institutional strategies. This program is administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on behalf of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and SSHRC. This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

• A total of 18 CFREF grantees at 17 Canadian institutions were supported in 2018-19.
• Feedback on the 13 start-up visits conducted with institutions and CFREF teams indicates that CFREF funding has been transformative and acted as a catalyst to boost key research strengths. The CFREF recipients have established strong partnerships and collaborations; recruited high-quality personnel and students; hired new faculty; and leveraged funding to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives in the long term.
• In many cases, CFREF recipients are partnering with each other and attracting other leading researchers, such as Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Canada Research Chairs, to work with their initiatives, seize emerging opportunities and strategically advance their strengths internationally.
• Funding supports several areas, including environment and agriculture; health and related life sciences; advanced manufacturing; information and communications technology; and natural resources and energy.
• All grantees attended the 2019 CFREF Summit hosted at the University of Alberta. Grantees received information about equity, diversity and inclusion best practices; annual reporting requirements; and midterm review process and timelines.

The CFREF audit started in 2018-19 and is expected to be completed in fall 2019.

The CFREF evaluation started in 2018-19 and is planned to be completed in April 2020.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

Total grants

7,398,817

12,927,180

18,455,543

18,455,543

18,455,543

0

Total contributions

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total program

7,398,817

12,927,180

18,455,543

18,455,543

18,455,543

0

Canada Graduate Scholarships (voted)

2003

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2009-10

Research Training and Talent Development

SSHRC’s portion of the Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in master’s or doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities. This is a tri-agency program and is administered by each respective agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

• Through the CGS program, the Government of Canada invests approximately up to $133 million annually, divided among the budgets of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, to support top research talent in Canada. The CGS program strives to make Canada one of the world’s top countries for research training and development in order to build an innovative and competitive economy, increase future job opportunities, and, ultimately, generate social, economic and cultural benefits for Canadians. As a result of investments made to the CGS program in Budget 2019, additional awards (500 master’s and 167 doctoral) were offered to applicants to the 2018-19 CGS competitions, and these additional awards will be reported as part of the 2019-20 Departmental Results Report.
• In 2018-19, SSHRC invested $68.4 million to support research training in areas related to the social sciences and humanities.

Not applicable

An evaluation is planned to begin in October 2019 with expected completion by June 2020.

Applicants and recipients are engaged through communication with academic institutions and tri-agency or agency-specific electronic communication.

68,262,198

68,820,804

68,983,500

68,983,500

68,471,205

- 512,295

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

68,262,198

68,820,804

68,983,500

68,983,500

68,471,205

- 512,295

Grants and Scholarships (voted)

1978

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2011-12

Insight Research
Research Training and Talent Development
Research Partnerships

This transfer payment program consists of grants and scholarships awarded for research, talent development and research dissemination activities in the social sciences and humanities. This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

• This transfer payment program contributes to three of SSHRC’s Departmental Results:
  • Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive;
  • Canada has a pool of highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities; and
  • Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.
• In support of these results, in 2018-19, SSHRC’s Grants and Scholarships program supported 23,300 researchers for a total investment of $440 million.
• An important goal of SSHRC’s Grants and Scholarships program is to support students and postdoctoral researchers (collectively referred to as “research trainees”) in order to develop society’s next generation of researchers and leaders, both within academia and across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. In 2018-19, SSHRC supported 2,472 research trainees through scholarships and, collectively, researchers that submitted an end of grant report in 2018-19 indicated that 8,948 research trainees had been supported through their grants.
• SSHRC funded over 2,500 new grants and awards through its Grants and Scholarships program in 2018-19.
• Data from the 2018-19 end of grant reports show that, on average, every SSHRC-funded grant results in approximately 24 research products. These products contribute to the dissemination and mobilization of social sciences and humanities knowledge and include peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters, reports, briefs, and artistic performances.
• More than 4,000 partners from the academic, government, industry and not-for-profit sectors were involved in funded projects, including 400 industry partners.
• In 2018-19, the amount of funding leveraged from partners on SSHRC-funded research projects exceeded $35 million.

Not applicable

Evaluation of Partnership Funding Opportunities was completed in August 2018.
Summary of evaluation findings
Examples of outcomes achieved:

• Partnerships funding opportunities are consistent with SSHRC’s mandate and strategic objectives.
• The partnership suite grants (Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants) create new knowledge (89%), extend or apply existing knowledge (76%) and lead to additional academic or other prestigious awards (81%).

Other key findings:

• Non-academics most commonly participate in these grants as partners.
• Genuine collaborations with non-academics are linked to positive outcomes.

Key challenges:

• The application process is demanding for non-academics.
• Success rates are lower for non-academics and small universities.
• Management of large partnerships demands competencies that are often not part of traditional academic training.

Recommendations:

• Continue funding opportunities that range in grant value and length.
• Encourage engagement of non-academics in leading projects and setting research objectives.
• Continue to ease the burden of the application process for non-academic participants.
• Establish resources or mechanisms to support project directors leading a large partnership.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

Total grants

278,818,799

276,498,522

271,802,916

306,529,822

305,904,917

34,102,001

Total contributions

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total program

278,818,799

276,498,522

271,802,916

306,529,822

305,904,917

34,102,001

Networks of Centres of Excellence (voted)

1997

2023-24

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Research Partnerships

The program supports large-scale academically led research networks that harness the creativity and inventiveness of Canadian health, natural and social scientists, and engineers. Partners from industry, government and not-for-profit organizations contribute additional expertise and bring cash and in-kind support. This program is a tri-agency program administered by NSERC on behalf of CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

The Networks of Centres of Excellence established strong linkages and partnerships between universities, government, industry and other users (non-governmental organizations), resulting in the exploitation of leading-edge research results with economical and/or societal benefits to Canada.

Not applicable

There are no plans to evaluate this program, as the Networks of Centres of Excellence is no longer an ongoing program and its funds will be gradually transferred to the New Frontiers in Research Fund. This program has been evaluated regularly (i.e., every five years) since its inception (as a sunset program) in 1985. Given the program’s solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation at this time.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

Total grants

8,911,000

8,770,000

8,770,000

9,753,000

9,753,000

983,000

Total contributions

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total program

8,911,000

8,770,000

8,770,000

9,753,000

9,753,000

983,000

New Frontiers in Research Fund (voted)

2018

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2018-19

New Frontiers in Research Fund

This transfer payment program for the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) supports research that is international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk / high-reward. The NFRF supports projects not easily supported through existing tri-agency and agency-specific mechanisms, and it contributes to enhancing Canada’s competitiveness in the global, knowledge-based economy. This program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

• The inaugural competition, launched under the Exploration stream in December 2018, received 1,315 eligible applications. A total of 157 grants were awarded with a value of $38.34 million over two years.
• The inaugural Exploration competition was limited to early career researchers, who have traditionally had a more difficult time securing agency funding and are more diverse.
• In keeping with the priorities of the government, “equity, diversity and inclusion” is one of the key selection criteria, underscoring its importance to innovation and excellence.
• More than 50 per cent of successful applicants self-identified as belonging to one or more of the four designated groups, namely women (41 per cent), members of visible minorities (17 per cent) and Indigenous peoples (6 per cent). Note: Data on persons with disabilities is not provided because, in keeping with the Privacy Act, numbers lower than five were removed to protect the privacy of applicants.

Not applicable

The inaugural evaluation of the NFRF is planned to be completed by March 2024.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

Total grants

–

–

–

18,994,690

18,992,234

18,992,234

Total contributions

–

–

–

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

–

–

–

0

0

0

–

–

–

18,994,690

18,992,234

18,992,234

Research Support Fund (voted)

2003

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2018-19

Research Support Fund

This transfer payment program supports a portion of the indirect costs associated with the conduct of academic research in institutions that receive research grant funds from any of the three federal research granting agencies. Grants are awarded to eligible institutions using a progressive funding formula based on the average revenues from research grants received from CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

• Grants to postsecondary institutions from the Research Support Fund equalled $397.6 million in 2018-19. This funding provided vital support to 144 institutions to help offset part of the indirect costs that institutions incur when managing the research funded by the three federal research funding agencies.
• Grants to postsecondary institutions from the Research Support Fund stream Incremental Project Grants equalled $28.75 million in 2018-19. This funding provided additional support to 29 institutions for projects that focus on a set of priorities that cut across the Research Support Fund’s five existing categories of eligible expenses. In 2018-19, the Incremental Project Grants priority areas were: innovation and commercialization activities; facilities renewal, including deferred maintenance; information resources, including digital resources, open access and databases; and equity, diversity and faculty renewal (in the context of equity, diversity and inclusion).
• The 15th-year program evaluation of the Research Support Fund was undertaken in 2018-19. This included consultations with recipient institutions to identify relevant areas and methods of data collection taking into consideration the growing complexity of the research landscape as well as the importance of balancing the administrative burden of data collection and reporting with the need to ensure that data collected can be used to draw system-wide conclusions.

Not applicable

An evaluation of the Research Support Fund started in 2018-19 and is planned to be completed by October 2019.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

Total grants

368,440,841

368,456,473

369,403,000

397,347,143

397,336,479

27,933,479

Total contributions

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total program

368,440,841

368,456,473

369,403,000

397,347,143

397,336,479

27,933,479

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (voted)

2008

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Research Training and Talent Development

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program is a tri-agency program designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by offering them a significant financial award. This financial award assists students during their studies at Canadian universities. Vanier scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related fields. This program is administered by CIHR on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

Through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program, the Government of Canada invests up to $25 million annually, divided among the budgets of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Up to 166 scholarships are awarded annually to Canadian and international doctoral students studying at Canadian universities who demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering, and health.
In 2018-19, SSHRC invested $8.3 million to support research training in areas related to the social sciences and humanities.

Not applicable.

An evaluation currently under way is in the data collection phase. Reporting is expected by November 2019.

Applicants and recipients are engaged through communication with academic institutions and directed tri-agency or agency-specific electronic communication, as well as through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships website.

Total grants

8,231,943

8,234,722

8,300,000

8,300,000

8,291,668

- 8,332

Total contributions

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total other types of transfer payments

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total program

8,231,943

8,234,722

8,300,000

8,300,000

8,291,668

- 8,332