Details on transfer payment programs

October 2021

2026-27

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2021-22

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Canada Biomedical Research Fund

The Canada Biomedical Research Fund is a federal grant program announced in Budget 2021 to support high-risk and applied research, training and talent development. It is part of a suite of foundational investments to establish a resilient and robust domestic biomanufacturing sector in Canada. This fund contributes to the pipeline of new technologies and supports the translation of academic research into applications and commercial products.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), on behalf of the federal funding agencies and in collaboration with the Canada Foundation for Innovation, delivered Stage 1 of the Canada Biomedical Research Fund–Canada Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (CBRF–BRIF). In March 2023, the creation of five research hubs was announced. Each hub is led by a postsecondary institution and is a coalition of research partners from the academic, not-for-profit, private and/or public sectors. The multidisciplinary research hubs will accelerate the research and development of next-generation vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, while supporting training and development to expand the pipeline of skilled talent. Stage 2 of the competition was launched with the announcement of Stage 1 results. Stage 2 is a national competition that includes $570 million in available funding for proposals aimed at cutting-edge research, talent development and research infrastructure projects associated with the selected research hubs.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the CBRF is planned to be completed by March 2026.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, telephone, email, meetings with research community groups and associations) are used as part of the development and delivery process of the Canada Biomedical Research Fund to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

2014

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Insight Research

The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) supports Canada’s postsecondary institutions in their efforts to become global research leaders. CFREF helps competitively selected Canadian postsecondary institutions turn their key strengths into world-leading capabilities. 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.

Thirteen recipients from the second CFREF competition (launched in 2015-16) continued to receive support in 2022-23, for a tri-agency investment of $154 million.

The third CFREF competition was delivered in 2022-23. The competition was redesigned with an emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) requirements in the research design and research team, requirements for funded projects to develop a comprehensive EDI action plan in the first 12 months of the grant, and separate requirements relating to Indigenous research. The competition awarded $1.38 billion over seven years to 11 institutions to foster community, provincial, national and international partnerships across the academic, private and not-for-profit sectors, to deliver research leading to important social and economic benefits for Canadians. Of this total amount, $44 million was transferred to the 11 successful recipients in 2022-23, bringing the total support for all CFREF recipients to $198 million in 2022-23.

CFREF funding supports several areas of strategic relevance to Canada, including environment and agriculture; health and related life sciences; advanced manufacturing; information and communication technology; and natural resources and energy.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the CFREF is planned to be completed by March 2026.

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

2003-04

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2020-21

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Research Training and Talent Development

SSHRC’s portion of the Canada Graduate Scholarships 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.

The Canada Graduate Scholarships program strives to make Canada one of the world’s top countries for research training and development to build an innovative and competitive economy, increase future job opportunities and, ultimately, generate social, economic and cultural benefits for Canadians. The Canada Graduate Scholarships program offers a total of 3,000 master’s and 3,000 doctoral scholarships every year across all three granting agencies.

In 2022-23, SSHRC invested $75 million in Canada Graduate Scholarships to support research training in the social sciences and humanities. A portion of the funding for Black scholars announced in Budget 2022 has been allocated to the program to offer designated scholarships for Black students.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The Canada Graduate Scholarships are being evaluated as part of a tri-agency evaluation of Research Training and Talent Development. The evaluation was underway and is expected to be completed by December 2023.

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

1978

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2011-12

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Insight Research

Research Training and Talent Development

Research Partnerships

The Grants and Scholarships 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.

In 2022-23, SSHRC’s Grants and Scholarships program funded more than 3,200 new grants and awards and supported more than 13,300 students and researchers for a total investment of $343 million.

An important goal of SSHRC’s Grants and Scholarships program is to support students and postdoctoral researchers (collectively referred to as “research trainees”) to develop society’s next generation of researchers and leaders, both within academia and across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. In 2022-23, SSHRC supported close to 2,000 students and postdoctoral fellows through scholarships and fellowships. In addition, researchers that submitted an end-of-grant report in 2022-23 reported that more than 5,200 research trainees had been supported through their grants.

Through its regular programming and joint initiatives, SSHRC is helping build stronger relationships across sectors. In 2022-23, the amount of funding leveraged from partners on SSHRC-funded research projects was close to $70 million.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the Canada Research Chairs was underway and is expected to be completed by April 2023.

The evaluation of Research Training and Talent Development was underway and is expected to be completed by December 2023.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships evaluation was underway. This evaluation is being led by CIHR, with an expected completion date of December 2023.

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

1997

2024-25

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Research Partnerships

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) 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 NCE program continued to mobilize multi-disciplinary research teams from across the country to help find solutions to major social, economic or health issues for Canada and train the next generation of highly qualified personnel. In 2022-23, the total tri-agency investment in NCE was $15.9 million.

The gradual transition of NCE funding to the New Frontiers in Research Fund will continue over the next few years with a complete wind-down of the NCE suite of programs by 2024-25. During the transition period, networks will continue to be supported until the end of their funding agreement.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

There are no plans to evaluate this program as the NCE 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 solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation at this time.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat staff liaison, who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2018

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2018-19

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

New Frontiers in Research Fund

The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) supports research that is international, interdisciplinary, fast breaking and high risk / high reward. It supports projects not easily supported through existing tri-agency and agency-specific mechanisms, and 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.

Grants awarded to researchers in 2022-23 through the NFRF program’s Exploration stream totalled $31.6 million over two years to support high-risk / high-reward and interdisciplinary research. Of more than 360 applications submitted to the 2022 Exploration competition, 128 projects received awards: 36% of these were led by early career researchers and 74% were awarded to teams in which at least half of the team were individuals identifying as being part of at least one of the four underrepresented groups identified in the Employment Equity Act: women, members of Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities or persons with disabilities.

The second competition of the NFRF Transformation stream was completed in 2022-23, awarding $142.3 million over six years to six projects. The six projects were chosen in a two-stage process from the 178 Letters of Intent submitted. Women represent approximately 38% of all participants on these grants (NPIs, co-PIs and co-applicants), whereas members of Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities collectively represent 37% of participants.

Under the International stream, the 2022 Horizon Global Platform competition was launched in August 2022 to support Canadian researchers partnering on projects funded through Pillar II of Horizon Europe. The competition awarded one grant in 2022-23, valued at $500,000, with additional grants to be awarded in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The NFRF launched another special call in 2022-23: Research for postpandemic recovery to support research aligned with the UN’s Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery. The goal of this special call was to mobilize Canadian-led research efforts in support of a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient postpandemic reality. From 132 applications, 61 grants were awarded, with a value of approximately $29.8 million over two years: 39% of these awards are for projects led by early career researchers. The competition had a 50% success rate for nominated principal investigators (NPIs) who identify as Indigenous; 62% success rate for NPIs with a disability; 54% for women NPIs; and 44% for NPIs who are members of a visible minority group. This call also involved six other organizations that offered supplemental funding to projects that met their criteria.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the NFRF was underway and is planned to be completed by March 2024 but may extend to September 2024.

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

2003

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2022-23

Canada’s university and college research environments are strong.

Research Support Fund

The Research Support Fund (RSF) 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 funding 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. SSHRC manages this tri-agency program on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

The RSF invested $452.3 million in 2022-23, of which $369.4 million supported 143 institutions through the base program allocation. Applications to the 2022-23 base grant cycle can be broken down by the intended use of funds across the five eligible expenditure categories: management and administration of the institution’s research enterprise, 35%; research facilities, 29%; research resources, 22%; regulatory requirements and accreditation, 9%; and intellectual property and knowledge mobilization, 5%.

The Incremental Project Grants (IPG) stream of the program funds projects that focus on a set of priorities that cut across the RSF’s five categories of eligible expenses. Through this stream, the program invested $58.2 million to support 32 institutions to help defray a portion of the indirect costs of federally funded research. Applications to the 2022-23 IPG stream reflected the following distribution across the following eligible priority areas: facilities renewal, 46%; information resources, 26%; innovation and commercialization activities, 17%; and equity, diversity and faculty renewal, 11%.

In Budget 2022, a new initiative was introduced to further support activities related to the indirect costs of research security. The investment in the research security priority will provide $125 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $25 million ongoing per year. The inaugural application cycle was launched in December 2022, which supported 48 institutions with a total of $24.7 million in research security funding.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the RSF is planned to be completed by March 2026.

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

2008-09

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014-15

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

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, or 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 Scholarship 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, or health.

In the 2022-23 competition, the tri-agencies invested $24.9 million over three years to support research training in areas related to the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering, or health.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is planned to be completed by March 2026.

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.

2007

2023-24

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2012-13

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Research Partnerships

The Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) program funds large-scale collaborative research networks that bring a wide range of research expertise to bear on specific challenges identified by an industrial sector. This tri-agency program is administered by NSERC on behalf of SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, the BL-NCE program continued to help connect businesses to Canada’s world-class research enterprise. The total tri-agency investment in the BL-NCE program was $3.7 million.

The funding for NCE-funded programs will be gradually transferred to ISED’s Strategic Innovation Fund as networks reach the end of their funding agreements.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

There are no plans to evaluate this program as the BL-NCE was transferred to the Strategic Innovation Fund managed by ISED and will be evaluated as part of this fund. This program has been evaluated regularly (i.e., every five years) since its inception in 2007. Given the solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat staff liaison, who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2017

2025-26

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2017-18

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Insight Research

The Canada 150 Research Chairs Program provides Canadian universities with a one-time investment to attract top-tier, internationally based scholars and researchers (including Canadian expatriates) to Canada. This program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, the Canada 150 Research Chairs program invested a total of $13.3 million to support 23 Canada 150 Research Chairs, including six (25%) that align with SSHRC’s mandate.

Of the 23 chairholders, about 60% are women and 42% are Canadian researchers choosing to return to Canada to carry out their ambitious research programs. Each chairholder can recruit students from Canada and beyond who will help further their work in various disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, evolutionary genomics, gender and African politics, global governance, neurosciences, epigenetics, public health and psychology.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

There is no evaluation planned for this program. The program ends in 2024-25 and has been evaluated within the five-year period since its establishment.

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

2008

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2021-22

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Insight Research

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program is a tri-agency initiative that supports Canadian universities in their efforts to build Canada’s growing reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. The program awards funding to world-renowned researchers and their teams to establish ambitious research programs at Canadian universities. This program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, the program supported 12 Canada Excellence Research Chairs with a total budget of $16.8 million, including three grants that align with CIHR’s mandate, seven grants that align with NSERC’s mandate and two grants that align with SSHRC’s mandate. The chairholders are building a competitive research environment that is both attracting top talent to the Canadian research ecosystem and building a critical mass of expertise in the country’s priority areas.

To ensure the program continued to meet its objectives, the program was redesigned in 2021 in response to its second evaluation completed in 2020. It now includes an emphasis on EDI requirements in the research design and research team, requirements for funded projects to develop a comprehensive EDI action plan in the first 12 months of the grant, and separate requirements relating to Indigenous research. A fourth competition, which included these program changes, was launched in 2022-23. Results will be announced in 2023-24. Two maximum award values were considered in the review process ($1 million or $500,000 per year) with a total initial budget envelope of approximately $248 million over eight years starting in 2023-24.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs is planned to be completed by March 2026.

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

2007

2023-24

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2012-13

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Research Partnerships

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program bridges the challenging gap between innovation and commercialization. The program matches clusters of research expertise with the business community to share the knowledge and resources that bring innovations to market faster. Centres advance research and facilitate commercialization within four priority areas: environment; natural resources and energy; health and life sciences; and information and communications technologies. This program is administered by NSERC on behalf of CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, the CECR program continued to help connect businesses to Canada’s world-class research enterprise. The total tri-agency investment in CECR was more than $7.7 million.

The funding for NCE-funded programs will be gradually transferred to ISED’s Strategic Innovation Fund as centres reach the end of their funding agreements.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

There are no plans to evaluate this program as the CECR was transferred to the Strategic Innovation Fund managed by ISED and will be evaluated as part of this fund. The program has been evaluated three times since its inception in 2007. Given the solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat staff liaison, who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2007

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through Estimates

2018-19

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Research Partnerships

The College and Community Innovation Program (CCI) is managed by NSERC in collaboration with CIHR and SSHRC. The program increases innovation at the community and/or regional level by enabling Canadian colleges to increase their capacity to work with local companies―particularly small and medium-sized enterprises―in areas of the natural and social sciences, engineering, the humanities and/or health. It supports applied research and collaborations that facilitate commercialization, as well as technology transfer and the adaptation and adoption of new technologies, in areas of strategic importance to Canada.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2022-23, work continued to simplify and streamline the CCI program, better enabling it to address the changing dynamics of applied research in colleges and communities across Canada, and helping more Canadian organizations access the expertise and research and development facilities they need to resolve their innovation challenges, while supporting students in developing career skills.

Key redesign principles implemented included: the broadening of eligible partners to include not-for-profit and public sector organizations, in addition to those of the private sector; the creation of Mobilize grants to provide dependable long-term funding for the colleges; streamlined application and reporting processes; the implementation of equity, diversity and inclusion requirements; simplifying the partner cash matching ratio to 25% of the grant amount; and an increased focus on student training.

In 2022-23, the total tri-agency investment in the CCI program was $102.8 million. Through the first CCI-Mobilize grants competition, the tri-agency awarded 50 grants for a total value of $78.4 million over five years.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

The evaluation of the CCI program was underway and is planned to be completed by October 2023.

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

2018

2024-25

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2018-19

Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.

Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.

Research Training and Talent Development

Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) is a Department of National Defence (DND) initiative, part of which is administered by SSHRC on behalf of DND. The MINDS initiative aims to strengthen the Canadian knowledge base in contemporary defence and security issues by supporting research training and fostering capacity-building in defence and security-related areas across disciplines.

SSHRC is responsible for providing this financial support on behalf of DND to students at the master’s and doctoral level and to postdoctoral fellows who are pursuing research related to defence and security, thereby helping to foster the next generation of defence and security experts.

This transfer payment program does not have repayable contributions.

Through the MINDS Scholarship Initiative, DND and SSHRC foster the next generation of security and defence scholars in the Canadian academic community. By supporting research in areas related to one or more of the MINDS Policy Challenges and/or Canada’s defence policy―Strong, Secure, Engaged―DND and SSHRC encourage the development of a strong Canadian knowledge base in contemporary defence and security issues.

In 2022-23, the MINDS Scholarship Initiative offered 22 new (and six ongoing) awards to 28 students/researchers at the master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels through four streams of funding:

• one MINDS Master’s Scholarships for Indigenous Students
• five MINDS Initiative Doctoral Awards (and four ongoing awards)
• one MINDS Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowships (and two ongoing awards)
• 15 MINDS Scholarship Initiative Supplements

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed in 2022-23 or are underway.

There is no evaluation planned for this initiative. Expenditures are below the requirement for evaluation.

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