Canada Graduate Scholarships—Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement—
Applicant Instructions

On this page

• What you need to know
• What your signature means
• Consent to disclosure (mandatory)
• Application deadline
• Where to submit your application
• Acknowledgement of receipt of applications
• Identification
• Address
• Program information
• Host institution
• Budget proposal
• Supervisors
• Attachments

What you need to know

Applicants must complete the SSHRC web-based Canada Graduate Scholarships—Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements (CGS—MSFSS) application form.

Information to read before applying:

• Canada Graduate Scholarships—Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements program description
• Policies, regulations and guidelines

What your signature means

After you have verified and printed your application, proofread it carefully. By signing the application, your are confirming that you:

• have read and understood the eligibility requirements of the funding opportunity;
• have provided complete and accurate information in the funding application and related documents, and have represented yourself and your research and accomplishments in a manner consistent with the norms of the relevant field;
• are not currently ineligible to apply for or receive funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), SSHRC, or any other research or research funding organization by reason of a breach of an ethical, integrity or financial policy or requirement, and that if at any time you become ineligible, you will advise immediately in writing the Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) at the Canadian institution with which you are affiliated and SSHRC;
• accept the application procedures and the selection process;
• will inform SSHRC and your institution’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) immediately of any change in the nature of the research that may have an impact on certification or approvals;
• will inform SSHRC and your institution’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) immediately in writing in the event of any change in eligibility status, and in so doing authorize your institution to provide SSHRC with your personal information for the purpose of verifying eligibility to receive funds from SSHRC;
• agree that, if awarded funding, you will (a) use this funding only for the purpose for which it was awarded; (b) enter into a funding agreement with SSHRC; and (c) comply with all relevant SSHRC requirements as set out in its respective policies, procedures and manuals;
• have read, understood and agreed to comply with SSHRC’s policies, including the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, both in the submission of the application and in carrying out research funded by SSHRC;
• have read and understood the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act as they pertain to application information (see the policies, regulations and guidelines that apply to you);
• in instances where you are or have been at any time during the past 12 months a federal public servant, have complied with and will continue to respect the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector; and
• understand that the Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) is, by way of the Tri-Agency Awards Extranet, informed of the competition results pertaining to your application.

Consent to disclosure (mandatory)

In accordance with the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, applicants must also complete and sign the Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information form and include it with their application.

Application deadline

The deadline for the CGS—MSFSS program is June 10 and October 10 each year. However, all eligible candidates must submit their applications by the internal deadline set by their institution. Contact your institution’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) to confirm this deadline.

Where to submit your application

If you meet the eligibility criteria in the CGS—MSFSS funding opportunity description, you must complete the necessary documentation and submit it to your institution’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (or its equivalent) in hardcopy format for consideration. A complete application consists of:

1. the online CGS—MSFSS application form, completed and signed;
2. the detailed description of your proposed research (research proposal, maximum two pages);
3. a letter of support from the current research supervisor (maximum one page);
4. a letter of support from the host supervisor (maximum one page); and
5. the completed, printed and signed Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information form.

Acknowledgement of receipt of applications

SSHRC will acknowledge receipt of your printed and signed application form and will assign you an application number. Cite this number in all correspondence with SSHRC. This acknowledgement refers only to the receipt of your application, not to its completeness or its eligibility in the competition.

Identification

Provide the information requested using the “List…” button. The Country list will appear. Select the country, the province or state (if applicable), then the organization. If the appropriate information is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type the information in the box provided.

Title of research proposal

Provide a short, descriptive title for your intended research in nontechnical terms. Restrict use of acronyms (e.g., UN, NATO). Use uppercase for only the first word of the title, proper nouns and acronyms.

Active scholarship

Funding opportunity name and file number

Indicate the program, i.e., Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Doctoral Program or Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS), and file number (e.g., 767-2019-1234; 201911DVC-123456-SSH-CBBA-987654). If you are a CGS Master’s holder, write “CGS-Master’s” and your file number (e.g., 766-2020-1056).

End date

Indicate the end date of your active CGS. The CGS—MSFSS award can begin only while the CGS award is still active.

Applicant

Names and initials

SSHRC uses the information you provide here to address its correspondence to you.

The following examples explain how to complete this section if you prefer to be addressed differently than FirstName Initials LastName, for example, if you use your second or third name as your given name.

Example 1: A.J. Paul Moore

If you prefer to have your initials appear before your given name, you would enter:

SSHRC correspondence would address you as A.J. Paul Moore.

Example 2: Joanne Francine Mélanie Trudeau (normally addressed as Mélanie)

If you usually use your second or third name as your given name and do not want your initials appearing before your given name, you would enter:

SSHRC correspondence would address you as Mélanie J.F. Trudeau.

Address

The address you provide must be complete and accurate. For countries other than Canada and the United States, select the “Other” address format and enter the city/municipality, province/state and postal code in the address lines.

Current mailing address

SSHRC will use this address for all correspondence with you, including sending the competition results, if necessary. Therefore, if you change your current mailing address during the period of the competition, it is your responsibility to advise SSHRC of the change in writing.

Contact information

The following information will help SSHRC contact you more quickly. Secondary information will not be released by SSHRC without your consent. All personal coordinates are considered personal information and are protected under the Privacy Act.

Email address

SSHRC can consult with you promptly and easily when you provide your personal or business email address.

Program Information

Ethics

State whether your proposal will involve human beings as research subjects. If yes and the research for your SSHRC application differs from the initial proposal approved by your institution’s Research Ethics Board, submit the revised proposal to the Research Ethics Board for approval. You must also ensure that an ethics review is conducted in the host country (as per the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, article 8.3).

Support requested

Start date and end date of your stay abroad

Indicate when you expect to start and end your stay abroad. The start of your research study period abroad must be after the competition deadline date but within one year of receiving the notice of the award. Also, your travel abroad must begin before the end date of your active CGS.

If you decide to leave before the results from the competition are announced, SSHRC would not be liable for any costs incurred should the application be deemed ineligible.

Number of months of support requested

Indicate the number of months of support sought through this application. A defined research study period abroad is for a minimum of two months to a maximum of six months.

Host institution

Provide a complete and accurate address of the foreign postsecondary institution where you plan to undertake your research studies abroad. Identify the Organization and Department/Division by using the “List…” button. If the appropriate information is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type the information in the box provided.

Budget proposal

The supplement will cover costs associated with travel, living and other expenses (such as accommodation, meals, tuition, insurance and other necessary costs) during the research study period abroad.

Before completing this section, you should research the cost of living abroad as it may vary significantly from one country to another.

Enter amounts rounded up to the nearest dollar without any spaces or commas. The total budget proposal may exceed $6,000; however, your supplement will not exceed the maximum $6,000. If you enter a greater amount, SSHRC’s system will automatically print $6,000 on your form.

Any ineligible expenses will be removed from the total amount requested in the application.

Supervisors

Provide complete and accurate information about your current research supervisor and the supervisor at the host institution, who will each complete a letter of support. Host supervisors must be affiliated and employed full time at a foreign university, interuniversity research centre, international or national research institute or laboratory, or other institution with a research mandate. Research assistants and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible as host supervisors. If the host supervisor’s primary place of employment is outside academia, they must demonstrate that they have supervised graduate student researchers.

In your application, you must justify the choice of host institution and host supervisor and how the research study period abroad will further your research goals.

If you are uncertain whether your host supervisor or foreign host institution is eligible, contact SSHRC at fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca prior to submitting your application.

Provide the information requested using the “List…” button. If the Organization and/or Department/Division are not listed, select “Other” from the list and complete the address. The host supervisor’s address will print on page 3 of the printed form if “Other” was selected for the Organization and/or Department/Division. If you select an organization and/or department/division from the list, SSHRC will use the department's mailing address already stored in its corporate database.

Attachments

General presentation

Attach all required material to your application printout as additional pages. Ensure your attachments meet these specifications:

• typed or word processed, single-sided, on 8 ½" x 11" (21.5 cm x 28 cm), white paper;
• single-spaced, with no more than six lines of type per inch;
• body text in a minimum 12 pt Times New Roman font;
• all margins set at a minimum of ¾" (1.87 cm);
• your name appears within the set margins at the top right corner of every page; and
• pages numbered consecutively following the last page of your application printout.

Attachments to be completed by applicant

Research proposal
Maximum two pages

Write your proposal in clear, plain language (nontechnical terms) and avoid jargon. Ensure that your proposal includes the following:

• the name and contact information of the host supervisor, and name and location of the foreign institution where you intend on pursuing your research/study activities;
• a description of your intended research activities during your research study period abroad (including objectives, methodology, timelines and expected outcomes) and an indication of how this relates to your main graduate research topic, and a description of the potential benefits that you will derive from working at, or attending, the host institution in relation to your current research objectives; and
• a budget that provides estimates for costs of travel, living and other expenses during your research study period abroad.

Attachments to be completed by designated persons

Letters of support
Maximum one page each

Two letters of support are required. One must be completed and signed by your current research supervisor and the other by the supervisor at the host institution:

• a letter (the original sent by mail or a scanned or digitally signed PDF sent by email) from your current research supervisor supporting your research study period abroad; and
• a letter (the original sent by mail or a scanned or digitally signed PDF sent by email) from your potential host supervisor supporting your research study period abroad and indicating that they will commit the required resources (financial, if any, supervision time, equipment, facilities, etc.) to support your planned research activities.