COVID-19 Update
Application Instructions
Note: For the purposes of these instructions, the terms “applicant” and “project director” are used to refer to individual applicants and the person acting on behalf of an institutional applicant.
On this page
Documents to read before applying
Important links
For Knowledge Synthesis Grants applicants
For Partnership Grants—Stage 1
- Partnership Grants—Stage 1 funding opportunity description, including information on on co-director, co-applicant and collaborator eligibility
- Insight research program, Research partnerships program and Research training and talent development program descriptions
- Definitions of partner organization and formal partnership
- Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications
- Salary Research Allowances policy
For all grant applicants
- Application deadline
- Institutional Eligibility—Guidelines and Requirements
- Regulations Governing Grant Applications
- Help: Online Application Form Support
- Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions
- Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization
- Guidelines for Effective Research Training
- Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research
- Definitions of terms used in the grant application process
- Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
- Research Data Archiving Policy
- Research Data Management Policy
- Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications
- Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration
Helpful tips
Write your proposal in clear, plain language. Use non-technical terms that can be understood by a range of audiences with varied areas of expertise.
SSHRC advocates for the practices listed below when applicable in your application. In addition, costs related to these activities are eligible:
- responsible research data management strategies;
- open access publishing activities;
- dissemination in both official languages;
- promotion and support of official language minority communities; and
- effective research training.
Tools for research and related activities
In addition to the description of your overall proposal, if you are submitting a request for support for a tool for research or related activities, consult SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities. The Guidelines are intended to provide assistance to researchers submitting requests for support for tools distinct from a typical component of a research grant. If your review of the Guidelines and the Canada Foundation for Innovation website indicates that your tool request corresponds with SSHRC requirements, include in your description the points outlined in the Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities.
If you experience technical difficulties, contact the helpdesk as early as possible in the application process. The helpdesk has a higher volume of requests during peak periods (i.e., September 1 to December 1) and on deadline days.
Application process
Grant funds may be administered only by an eligible postsecondary institution or eligible not-for-profit organization.
Accommodations and accessibility
If you need help completing online application forms due to circumstances arising from a disability, contact your institution (scholarship liaison officer, research grant office or other applicant support office) as early in the application process as possible to investigate available supports. If your institution cannot provide help, or needs SSHRC to collaborate on a solution, contact SSHRC at accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. You can also contact SSHRC if you have questions or are seeking specific adaptation arrangements. You do not need to share your medical or sensitive personal information, and, to protect your privacy, should avoid doing so.
Frequently requested accommodations include, but are not limited to:
- one-on-one phone or video appointments to clarify funding program information or the application process, or receive technical support;
- alternative formats of online materials to enable access using assistive technology; and
- submission of the application (in full or part) through alternate means or format (e.g., hard copy, voice recording, or data entry by SSHRC staff on the applicant’s behalf).
Applicant or project director responsibilities
By clicking “Submit,” the applicant or project director certifies that all information is accurate. They are also responsible for:
- completing all mandatory fields (bold labels);
- attaching mandatory electronic files (application);
- ensuring all co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators have submitted their “Accept Invitation Form;”
- verifying and correcting the data until the “Verification Report” confirms verification; and
- clicking “Submit” (to research administrator) for approval by your institution’s or organization’s internal deadline. The electronic submission process ensures validation of the information by an institution’s or organization’s administrator before they forward your application to SSHRC on your behalf (status is “Forwarded”). Once processed by SSHRC, the status will change to “Received.;” and
- ensuring that invited partner organizations have submitted their “Partner Invitation Form.”
Research or financial administrator responsibilities
By clicking “Forward” (Forward to SSHRC), the research administrator or designated financial administrator for not-for-profit organizations (institutional approval) certifies that:
By clicking “Forward” (Forward to SSHRC), the research administrator or financial administrator (institutional approval) certifies that:
- the applicant or project director:
- is affiliated with the institution or organization; and
- has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity;
- the postsecondary institution:
- is willing to administer any grant received according to SSHRC policies;
- agrees to take the necessary steps to ensure that machine-readable files or computer databases are preserved and accessible under conditions agreed to by the institution and the researcher;
- will release funds to the successful candidate once all necessary certification requirements and conditions have been met;
- will notify SSHRC of any change in the grant holder’s status during the tenure of the grant; and
- will notify SSHRC of any changes during the tenure of the grant, such as the addition of new co-applicants and/or collaborators; and
- has verified that the budgetary estimates are in accordance with its rates and policies.
Electronic submission process and acknowledgement of receipt of applications
Applicants must allow enough time for their institution’s or organization’s internal approval process, as specified by the relevant authorities. SSHRC will acknowledge receipt of your electronic application form and will assign you an application number. Cite this number in all correspondence with us.
Applications remain available for download via the SSHRC online system for 30 days after the deadline, after which they are deleted.
Eligible postdoctoral researchers and doctoral candidates may submit their application directly to SSHRC. See Administering organization for more information.
Attaching a document
Many modules in your application will require you to attach a PDF document. You must follow the specified requirements for margins and font size, or your application will be deemed ineligible. An error message will appear if the file you are trying to attach does not meet the required specifications for page length and file size. Once you have attached the electronic file, we recommend you click “View attached file” to ensure you have the proper file and that your file is not corrupted.
Identification (mandatory)
Program name
Based on the objectives put forward in the Insight research, Research partnerships and Research training and talent development programs, select and rank, in descending order of relevance, the program(s) related to your proposal.
Select the Research training and talent development program only if your proposal is primarily for a partnered research training initiative. Talent can be ranked only as entry #1. If you select the Talent program, you must select “Partnered research training initiatives” as a partnership approach in the Activity details/research activities section.
Application title
Provide a short, descriptive title for your proposal in non-technical terms. Restrict use of acronyms (e.g., UN, NATO). Use uppercase for only the first word of the title, proper nouns and acronyms.
Type of partnership
Indicate whether this is a new or existing partnership. A new partnership is one that was developed for the purposes of submitting an application to this funding opportunity.
Joint initiatives
See the funding search tool for a complete list of joint initiatives that may be relevant to your application. If you want your project to be considered for one of these initiatives, select it in the drop-down list in the “Joint or special initiative” field in the Identification module.
Research-creation proposals
Before you select “Yes,” refer to the definition of research-creation for more information and examples of fields involving research-creation. If you select “Yes,” refer to Research contributions and relevant experience and the Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for instructions regarding creative outputs and support material.
Does your proposal involve Indigenous research, as defined by SSHRC?
Select “Yes” if you wish to signal to the adjudication committee that your application should be reviewed in the context of SSHRC’s definition of Indigenous research and its Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research.
Project director
Carefully review the Eligibility section of the Partnership Grants funding opportunity description before completing this module. Enter complete information about the project director (the person responsible for the overall intellectual leadership of the partnership and accountable, with the host institution/organization, for coordinating the grant’s overall financial and administrative aspects). If you have an existing SSHRC CV and wish to indicate a different position from the one already on record, use this section to enter a new organization, department or division.
Applicant (or lead organization for institutional grants)
Enter complete information about the applicant (the institution or organization that will manage or administer the funds). Along with the information requested, enter the contact person at the organization.
Applicant or project director
The applicant or project director is responsible for the project and assumes administrative responsibility for the grant. Carefully review the Eligibility section of the Knowledge Synthesis Grants funding opportunity description before completing this module.
Names and initials
This information has automatically been transferred from your account. To change your family name or first name, you must contact webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. To change your initials, you must return to the “My Account” section of your portfolio to update the information.
Organization
The organization has automatically been transferred from the “current position” screen of your CV. To have a different affiliation on record for this application, click “List…” and make the necessary selection.
Address
Complete the address section only if the department is not listed.
Administering organization (individual grants) or lead organization (institutional grants)
Only an eligible Canadian institution or organization can administer grant funds. Institutions or not-for-profit organizations interested in administering SSHRC individual or institutional grants must meet the Institutional Eligibility Requirements for the administration of grants and awards, which is independent of the application process.
Host organization involvement (mandatory)
Partnership Grants are institutional/organizational applications. At Stage 1, you must attach a letter of engagement from your host institution/organization, written on official letterhead and signed by appropriate officials. While the host institution/organization does not need to confirm its contribution to the partnership at this stage, the letter should explain how the host institution/organization plans to be involved in supporting the partnership (e.g., infrastructure, cash and/or in-kind support, services, training, etc.). The letter of engagement should include a statement confirming the institution/organization’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and details about the support it will provide to advance the partnership’s EDI plan (refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications). In addition, the letter should provide an overview of the host institution/organization’s research and related priorities/strategy, and of how the proposed partnership will advance those objectives.
Note: If applicable, the letter of support should also include contributions from departments within the host institution.
Organization information (not-for-profit organizations only)
When a not-for-profit organization is the administering organization and proposes to manage the funds, you must include the following information:
- the mandate of the organization;
- descriptions of the staff position(s) assigned to the proposed project and the qualifications of individuals in these positions;
- an overview of the organization’s outcomes and, if applicable, specific outcomes related to research;
- discussion of research protocols, including the freedom to conduct research and publish findings;
- proof of incorporation; and
- the organization’s website.
Note: Applicants who are postdoctoral researchers or students and who do not have an affiliation at the time of the grant application are asked to communicate with SSHRC at least five business days before the deadline to confirm how to forward their application.
Activity details / research activities (mandatory)
Ethics
State whether or not your proposal involves human beings as research subjects. If it does, select “Yes” and consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans—TCPS 2 (2018) and submit your proposal to your organization’s research ethics board.
Impact assessment
The Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) must be completed and submitted with grant applications ONLY if at least one of the following situations applies to your research or research-related activities, as per the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (IAA):
- any phase of the proposed research takes place on federal lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, as interpreted in section 2 of the IAA;Footnote *
- any phase of the proposed research takes place in a country other than Canada;Footnote *
- the grant funds permit a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) to be carried out in whole or in part; or
- any phase of the proposed research depends on a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) being led or carried out by an organization other than SSHRC.
If none of the above situations apply to your proposed research activities, you do not need to complete or submit the Impact Assessment Form.
Keywords
List keywords, separated by semicolons, that best describe your proposal.
Disciplines, areas of research, temporal periods, geographical regions and countries
Indicate and rank each entry relevant to your proposal, with Entry 1 as the most relevant and the last entry the least relevant.
Partnership approaches
Partnership arrangements are defined by the nature of the activity/activities to be carried out. Select one or more possible formal partnership approaches in the drop-down menu. If your approach is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type your approach in the box provided.
Approaches available within the Partnership Grants can include, but are not limited to, the following, as well as a combination thereof:
- cross-sectoral co-creation of knowledge and understanding;
- disciplinary and interdisciplinary research partnerships;
- networks for research and/or related activities;
- partnered chairs (see Guidelines for Partnered Chairs);
- partnered knowledge mobilization;
- partnered research centres; and
- partnered research training initiatives (see Guidelines for Partnered Research Training Initiatives).
If you have selected the Talent program as a program name under Identification, you must select partnered research training initiatives as an approach.
Co-director(s)
You can invite one or more co-directors in this module if your proposed partnership uses a co-director governance approach in which a co-director (or co-directors, if justified) shares intellectual leadership with the project director. This approach should be outlined and justified in the narrative portions of your application in relation to the research and related activities being proposed in the partnership. The project director is responsible for the overall intellectual leadership of the team or partnership, and is accountable, with the host institution, for coordinating the grant’s overall financial and administrative aspects.
Ensure that co-directors invited in this section are eligible for that role. See the eligibility section of the Partnership Grants—Stage 1 funding opportunity description. CVs for co-directors who are ineligible can be removed from your application prior to its evaluation.
Co-director invitation process:
- Select “academic” or “non-academic.”
- Enter the family name. If you incorrectly type in a co-director’s family name, you will receive an error message. The system will recognize the discrepancy only after the co-director has accepted the invitation. For your application to be successfully verified, the co-director’s family name must be identical to the family name found in SSHRC’s database.
- Enter the email address.
- Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each person, inviting them to participate in the application.
Each invited person is responsible for completing, verifying and submitting their Accept Invitation form.
Your application will not be “Verified Successfully” until all the co-directors you invited have successfully completed and verified their invitation.
| Status | Definition |
|---|---|
Invitation not yet accepted |
A co-director has not accepted the invitation. |
Invitation accepted but not yet verified |
A co-director has accepted the invitation and a copy of their CV was attached to their “Accept Invitation Form” on creation. The “Accept Invitation Form” has not yet been verified. Click “View CV” to preview the co-director’s CV and form. |
Invitation accepted and verified |
A co-director’s “Accept Invitation Form” has been completed and verified. Click “View CV” to preview the co-director’s CV and form. |
SSHRC CV
Co-directors affiliated with a postsecondary institution must submit a full SSHRC CV.
Co-directors from a non-academic organization have the option of submitting a full SSHRC CV or only completing the following mandatory fields:
- Identification module—Correspondence language
- Identification module—Permanent postal code
- Current position module—Organization, department, start date
- Current position module—Address
- Current position module—Primary phone number
- Research expertise module—Keywords
- Research expertise module—Discipline #1
Research contributions and relevant experience attachment
In addition to meeting the CV requirements above, co-directors must also provide PDF attachments describing their research contributions and relevant experience.
A copy of the co-director’s CV will be attached to the Accept Invitation form on creation. As the project director, you will then be able to view each co-director’s CVs as applicable. The instructions provided to co-directors outline the sections that can be included in the attachment. Co-directors can devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of their past contributions and experience (for example, non-academic participants can have a larger Relevant experience section).
Disciplines, areas of research, temporal periods, geographical regions and countries
Indicate and rank each entry relevant to your proposal, with entry 1 as the most relevant and the last entry the least relevant.
Participants
Participants invited in this module do not submit SSHRC CVs in Stage 1.
SSHRC participant categories accord with financial regulations outlined in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration. Project directors are encouraged to discuss roles and involvement in the team at the outset and to be clear about whether participants will have access to research funds prior to inviting them in a particular role.
Ensure that co-applicants invited in this section are eligible for that role. See the eligibility section of the Partnership Grants funding opportunity description.
The categories of “co-applicant” and “collaborator” accord with financial regulations outlined in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration, so project directors are encouraged to discuss roles and involvement in the team at the outset and to be clear about whether participants will have access to research funds prior to inviting them in a particular role.
Participant invitation process:
- Select the role.
- If applicable, select “academic” or “non-academic.”
- Enter the family name. If you incorrectly type in a participant’s family name, you will receive an error message. The system will recognize the discrepancy only after the participant has accepted the invitation. For your application to be successfully verified, the participant’s family name must be identical to the family name found in SSHRC’s database.
- Enter the email address.
- Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each person, inviting them to participate in the application.
It is the responsibility of each invited person to complete, verify and submit their Accept Invitation form.
Note : Your application will not be “Verified Successfully” if all participants you invited have not successfully completed and verified their invitation.
Your application will not be “Verified Successfully” until each participant you have invited has successfully completed and verified their invitation.
| Status | Definition |
|---|---|
Invitation not yet accepted |
Participant (co-applicant or collaborator) has not accepted the invitation. |
Invitation accepted |
Participant has accepted the invitation and the “Accept Invitation Form” was created. Click “View” to preview the form. |
Invitation accepted but not yet verified |
Co-applicant has accepted the invitation and a copy of their CV was attached to their “Accept Invitation Form” on creation. The “Accept Invitation Form” is incomplete. Click “View CV” to preview the co-applicant’s CV and form. |
Invitation accepted but not yet verified |
Collaborator has accepted the invitation and the “Accept Invitation Form” was created. Click “View Form” to preview the collaborator’s form. |
Invitation accepted and verified |
Co-applicant’s “Accept Invitation Form” has been completed and verified. Click “View CV” to preview the co-applicant’s CV and form. |
SSHRC CV
Co-applicants must do the following:
- Co-applicants affiliated with a postsecondary institution must submit a full SSHRC CV.
- Co-applicants from a non-academic organization have the option of submitting a full SSHRC CV or only completing the following mandatory fields:
- Identification module—Correspondence language
- Identification module—Permanent postal code
- Current Position module—Organization, department, start date
- Current Position module—Address
- Current Position module—Primary phone number
- Research Expertise module—Keywords
- Research Expertise module—Discipline #1
Research contributions and relevant experience attachment
In addition to meeting the CV requirements above, co-applicants must also provide PDF attachments describing their research contributions and relevant experience. Co-applicants affiliated with a non-academic organization are not required to submit research contributions, but must include relevant experience.
A copy of the co-applicant’s CV will be attached to the “Accept Invitation Form” on creation. The applicant will then be able to view each co-applicant’s CV. The Co-applicant Instructions outline the sections that may be included in the attachment. Co-applicants can choose to devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of their past contributions and experience.
Description of team (mandatory)
Explain the different types of expertise needed to ensure the success of the partnership. Describe the roles, responsibilities and contributions of the project director, co-director(s) and key co-applicants and/or collaborators as applicable. Clearly indicate, where appropriate, whether they are from an academic or non-academic sector (e.g., not-for-profit organization, philanthropic foundation, public or private sector organization), and how the activities and expertise of each member will support and enhance the proposed partnership. Include details about whether the team member has worked collaboratively with the project director and/or other team members in the past.
Note about privacy and confidentiality: Applicants must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all team members and trainees. How an individual self-identifies is considered personal and confidential information. If a team member’s self-identification (for example, gender, Indigenous identity, disability or racial background) is relevant to the research project, you may include that self-identity information in this section only with their consent. Otherwise, self-identification information about any team member should not appear in the application.
Invited partner organizations (mandatory)
Partner organization invitation process:
- Enter the family name, first name and email address of each partner organization contact.
- Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each contact person, inviting them to participate in the application.
It is your responsibility as the project director to ensure that the invited person verifies and completes the form in advance of the application deadline.
Your application will not be “Verified Successfully” if all the contacts you have invited have not successfully completed and verified their invitation.
| Status | Definition |
|---|---|
Invitation not yet accepted |
Partner organization contact has not accepted the invitation. OR If the partner organization contact deleted the system-generated email by error, as the applicant, you can click “Resend email,” and the same invitation will be sent again. |
Invitation refused |
Partner organization contact was unable to complete the form. |
Invitation accepted but not yet verified |
“Partner Organization Form” has been created but is incomplete. Click “View” to preview the form. |
Form completed |
“Partner Organization Form” has been verified and completed. The form will be attached electronically to your application once it has been submitted to SSHRC. |
Each invited partner organization contact is responsible for completing, verifying and submitting their Accept Invitation form, including their letter of support. Each letter should be written on official letterhead and include the following:
- a statement that the partner organization is willing to participate in developing a Stage 2 application;
- the reasons for the partner organization’s involvement in the partnership; and
- the anticipated cash or in-kind contributions, if known at this stage.
By submitting, the partner organization is acknowledging that it has read and agrees in principle with the objective(s) of the proposal.
List of potential partner organizations and other contributors (if applicable)
Attach a list of the potential partner organizations and other contributors you plan to engage during the lifetime of your grant. Include email addresses and website links, if available.
The list should be divided into the following categories:
- Potential partner organizations
Indicate whether each partner listed has been invited to participate. - Other contributors
Other contributors include organizations (e.g., philanthropic foundations, private sector organizations) or individuals who are not invited partners, but who are likely to provide cash and/or in-kind contributions during the lifetime of your grant.
Summary of proposal (mandatory)
Provide a clear summary of your proposal indicating:
Provide a summary of your proposal, indicating the challenges or issues to be addressed.
By submitting an application, applicants consent, if they are awarded a Knowledge Synthesis Grant, to this summary being used for promotional purposes for non-academic audiences, and to inform parliamentarians, media and members of the public who request information about SSHRC-funded research.
- the challenges or issues to be addressed;
- the overall goal and objectives of the proposed partnership; and
- the breadth of the partnership, and the meaningful engagement of the partner organizations involved.
Knowledge mobilization plan (mandatory)
In planning your research project, consider the ways in which merit reviewers assess knowledge mobilization activities. For example, reviewers are advised to evaluate, under the Feasibility criterion, the “quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable.” Reviewers are also advised to evaluate EDI considerations in the design of the knowledge mobilization activities, as applicable.
SSHRC encourages its funding recipients to disseminate research knowledge in both official languages, whenever feasible and/or appropriate.
Include a plan to increase knowledge uptake by target audiences, and anticipated outputs, outcomes and/or impacts of social sciences and humanities knowledge among various appropriate audiences or participants (academic and/or non-academic), including:
- methodologies and approaches to engage appropriate target audiences or participants, including, as applicable, diverse groups of researchers, policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators, media, international audiences, practitioners, decision-makers and the general public;
- timeframes or a schedule for the intended knowledge mobilization activities; and
- justifications for how the above points fit within the project’s particular knowledge mobilization objectives.
List of references or bibliography (mandatory)
List all references cited or works referred to in your proposal. SSHRC recognizes and allows the use of different referencing styles.
If you have included references by the project director, co-directors, co-applicants or collaborators, indicate these in bold type.
Expected outcomes (mandatory)
The project’s expected outcomes are essential for the adjudication of the proposal and are part of the Challenge evaluation criterion. Elaborate on the potential benefits and/or outcomes of your proposed project. You will be able to share how your outcomes have evolved in follow-up achievement reports.
Outcomes
Research and related outcomes include enriched public discourse, improved public policies, enhanced business strategies and increased innovations in every sector of society, as well as graduate supervision opportunities. Research outcomes, which are facilitated by the effective mobilization of knowledge, then permeate daily life in the form of new thinking and behaviour that lead to improvements in our economic, social, cultural and intellectual well-being.
For “Scholarly benefits,” “Social benefits” and “Audiences,” indicate and rank selections in order of importance. If the information is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type the information in the box provided.
Expected outcomes summary
Describe the potential benefits and outcomes (e.g., evolution, effects, potential learning and implications) that could emerge from the proposed project as a result of knowledge mobilization activities.
Project proposal (mandatory)
Before writing your proposal, consult the funding opportunity's evaluation criteria. Provide the following information in your project proposal:
- a descriptive title;
- the theme(s) and subtheme(s) that will be addressed;
- a description of the proposed knowledge synthesis project, including its significance, expected contributions and impacts, contextualized in current literature and accounting for previous research done;
- an outline of the relevant expertise and experience of the applicant/team; and
- a work plan, including timelines, and a description of the proposed methodology and approach.
Contingency plans related to the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your research project may be described in this section, if appropriate. This is not mandatory, but it may assist the merit review committee in assessing the feasibility of your proposal if your research plans are significantly disrupted, e.g., if international travel is not possible.
Goal and project description (mandatory)
Before writing your proposal, consult the
evaluation criteria
in the funding opportunity description.
SSHRC encourages the use of tables and charts, as they are often the most effective and efficient way to capture the proposed structure and co-ordination of formal partnerships and activities.
Provide the following information in your description:
- Clearly justify your proposal in the stated program objectives (i.e., Insight, Connection, Talent) and partnership approaches, and state the overall goal and specific objectives that the partnership will address during the lifespan of the grant. Demonstrate the relevance and significance of these objectives for all the participating partner organizations.
- Describe the proposed project’s originality, significance (economic, social, cultural and intellectual) and expected contribution to knowledge in the social sciences and/or humanities.
- Demonstrate the appropriateness of the theoretical and methodological approaches that will be chosen to meet the stated objectives. Include a literature review. SSHRC encourages applicants to discuss, if applicable, how research data arising from the project will be managed, including collection, preservation and sharing.
- Include EDI considerations in the research design, as applicable (refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications, and in particular, the section EDI in research design). A rationale must be provided in cases where a research team believes no aspect of the research design could benefit from an analysis that considers EDI.
- Describe the training and mentoring plans for students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel, including consideration of EDI in recruitment and training and mentoring (refer to Appendix B of SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications for examples of EDI in research practice).
- Describe the project’s potential influence and impacts, as well as the progress indicators.
- Address the appropriateness of the duration (four to seven years) chosen to achieve the objectives.
- Describe the EDI plan for promoting a diverse team, inclusive working environment and equitable opportunities within the partnership (refer to Appendix B of SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications for examples of EDI in research practice). Note: Applicants must identify concrete practices that will be employed to ensure that EDI is being intentionally and proactively considered in composing the team and recruiting team members. It is not sufficient to say that the team is already complete and/or diverse; applicants must clearly demonstrate that EDI was taken into consideration within the team composition and will continue to be if the composition of the team changes throughout the duration of the grant. Refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications and, in particular, the section EDI in research practice.
- Describe plans for governance arrangements, the involvement of partner organizations in the leadership for the partnership, how partner organizations will benefit from participating, and the extent to which the partner organizations will participate in the partnership’s EDI plans, if applicable (refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications). If your proposed partnership uses a co-director governance approach in which a co-director (or co-directors, if justified) shares intellectual leadership with the project director, outline and justify the approach in relation to the proposed research and related activities. The project director and host institution/organization are accountable for coordinating the grant’s overall financial and administrative aspects
- Describe the involvement of the host institution/organization in supporting the partnership (e.g., infrastructure, cash and/or in-kind support, services, training, etc.).
- Outline a preliminary plan for knowledge mobilization and dissemination activities that will engage appropriate audiences or participants within and/or beyond the research community. Include details about how EDI considerations will be addressed, as applicable (refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications, and, in particular, the section EDI in research design). A rationale must be provided in cases where a research team believes EDI considerations are not applicable to the design of knowledge mobilization plans.
- For partnered research training initiatives only, also:
- describe the merit of the proposed initiative and how it meets SSHRC’s Guidelines for Partnered Research Training Initiatives;
- include, in a table, information on the number of registered students and/or postdoctoral researchers expected to participate on an annual basis; and
- briefly indicate how the training of each group of trainees will be structured and managed.
Contingency plans related to the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your research project may be described in this section, if appropriate. This is not mandatory, but it may assist the merit review committee in assessing the feasibility of your proposal if your research plans are significantly disrupted, e.g., if international travel is not possible.
Open access and data management
Grant holders must follow the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications. To the extent possible, and in keeping with this policy and SSHRC’s endorsement of open access forms of knowledge dissemination, grant holders should make their research results openly available through, for example, open access publications, websites, publicly accessible databases and/or institutional repositories. To learn more, consult the Open Access overview.
Research-creation support material (if applicable)
If in the Identification module you have self-identified yours as a research-creation project, you can include a website link to provide samples of work that best illustrate the qualifications of the team and/or the nature of the proposed research-creation.
When including a website link, follow these instructions:
- Provide the complete and exact URL and indicate the path to access the intended support material on the website.
- Include a list of up to three works or excerpts of works to which you would like to direct the reviewers (e.g., images, audio, video, written material). Provide titles, dates of creation/production and a brief context for the works presented. Explain why you are including these items and how they relate to your proposed project.
- Ensure that the website and all links involved will be operational up to six months after the application deadline.
- Specify the browser and version that should be used.
SSHRC assumes no responsibility in cases where links provided are broken or the server is unavailable during the adjudication period. Reasonable efforts will be made to view or listen to support material; however, due to technical challenges, SSHRC cannot guarantee that the samples will be accessed. Consider that reviewers will have very limited time per application to view, read or listen to samples of work.
See SSHRC’s Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for more information.
Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)
Partnership Grants are valued at a maximum of $500,000 per year, up to $2.5 million over four to seven years.
Part 1: Development funds
You can request up to $20,000 to assist the research team in preparing the Stage 2 application. In the Budget justification section, provide details and justification of the individual costs that make up this total.
Part 2: Estimates for full project
In Stage 1, the figures provided only need to be estimates of the amounts you anticipate requesting in Stage 2 if you are invited to apply.
For each budget year, estimate the costs you are asking SSHRC to fund. All budget costs must conform to the rates and regulations of the applicant’s or project director’s institution or not-for-profit organization and take into account the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration’s principles governing the appropriate use of funds. All costs must be justified in terms of the needs of the project, including costs for organizing and integrating team activities and for communicating results to audiences, stakeholders and the public. The budget will be adjudicated according to the appropriateness of the requested budget, and to the justification of other planned resources (e.g., time, human and financial), including cash and in-kind support already or to be secured from partner organizations.
SSHRC provides the following guidelines to committee members regarding the adjudication of the budget subcriteria of the overall Feasibility score:
- Committees will use the principle of minimum essential funding to guide their budget discussions.
- Committees may recommend budget reductions when they determine the request is inadequately justified and/or not appropriate as described above, and where they judge that savings could be achieved without jeopardizing the project objectives.
Enter amounts rounded to the nearest dollar without any spaces or commas (e.g., 2000). For blank entries, leave in the “0” value.
Personnel costs
For each of the categories below, enter the number of students and non-students you plan to hire, whether as salaried employees or as recipients of stipends.
Student and non-student salaries and benefits
For each applicable category, enter the number of students and non-students to be hired. Specify the total amount to be paid. When students are paid by wage, the amounts should follow the institution’s collective agreement or policy.
Student stipends
You may request stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Stipends must be justified in terms of the research, research training and/or research-related objectives. The work performed by stipend recipients should be an integral part of the project. Stipend rates are set by the institution concerned.
Other—Salary research allowances
Salary research allowances are an eligible expense. These stipends cover up to 50% of the cost of temporarily replacing an employee from a Canadian not-for-profit organization who will be devoting their time as a co-investigator on a SSHRC-funded research project. The request for a salary research allowance must be justified in the proposal.
Salary research allowances can be used only by not-for-profit organizations that have co-directors and/or co-applicants listed on their Notice of Award. Researchers holding an academic position at a postsecondary institution and government employees are not eligible for salary research allowances.
Note that a salary research allowance is not a salary for the co-director and/or co-applicant, but is paid to the Canadian not-for-profit organization to offset the costs of replacing its employee.
For further information, see SSHRC’s Salary Research Allowances policy.
Travel and subsistence costs
Enter, by budget year, the total amounts requested for travel abroad and within Canada for both the research team and student personnel. Project directors must obtain the lowest possible travel fares.
Subsistence costs must be based on rates approved by the institution or organization that will administer the funds.
Other expenses
Professional or technical services
Consulting fees for professional and technical services are eligible expenditures only if the budget justification demonstrates that expert advice is needed.
Supplies
You can include other supply items (e.g., software, stationery, postage and telephone calls) only if they directly relate to the research and are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.
Non-disposable equipment—computer hardware
Purchase or rental of computers and associated hardware is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.
Other non-disposable equipment
Purchase or rental of equipment (e.g., audio or video equipment) is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.
Other expenses
Specify other research and/or related expenses not already included.
Tools for research and related activities
For tools for research and related activities, select “Other expenses” and specify “Tools.” You must combine all requested expenses related to tools (i.e., for software, equipment, and professional and technical services) into this category. You must then elaborate on these items in the Budget justification section. Consult SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities for more information on social sciences and humanities tools.
Note: Expenses to facilitate equitable, inclusive and accessible participation in the research should be considered. Refer to your institution’s policies and the Statement on equity, diversity and inclusion and the use of grant funds in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. Refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications, and Appendix B in that guide for examples of EDI in research practice and questions to consider for EDI in research design.
Budget justification (mandatory)
Attach a PDF document showing the budget justification for the $20,000 requested from SSHRC for preparing the Stage 2 application. Justification for the estimated costs of the full proposal is not required at this stage.
Using the categories listed on the Funds requested from SSHRC page, explain how you will use the funds in each budget category to achieve the project objectives. For example, under the Student and non-student salaries and benefits categories, explain why these people need to be hired to meet the project’s objectives. Applicants are reminded of SSHRC’s mandate to provide training opportunities for students, emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel, as applicable. Justify any funds that appear in the category “Other.”
Ensure that your budget requests match the level of funding that is essential to complete the proposed activities. Note that the adjudication committee may deem your application less competitive if it finds that you are requesting non-essential funding.
Notes
- No team members (applicant, co-applicant or collaborator) may be remunerated with grant funds. This includes postdoctoral researchers serving in any of these capacities.
- Consultation fees are eligible for expert and/or professional and technical services that contribute directly to the proposed research as long as the service is not being provided by a team member or other persons whose status would make them eligible to apply for a SSHRC grant.
Funds from other sources
List all contributors (e.g., host institution or organization, individuals, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic foundations and private-sector organizations) that are providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposal. Indicate whether or not these funds have been confirmed.
If a funding source is not listed, select “Other” using the “List…” button. Type in the source name and amount and identify the contribution type.
If you have received more than one contribution of the same type from a single funding source (i.e., cash or in-kind) and with the same confirmation status, you must combine these into one entry (e.g., two confirmed $20,000 cash contributions from a university become one confirmed $40,000 cash contribution). Enter amounts rounded off to the nearest dollar—in Canadian currency—without spaces or commas (e.g., 40000). For blank entries, leave in the “0” value.
When you save the data, five new blank entry lines will be added to the screen to allow you to enter additional funding entries, if necessary.
Impact assessment—Appendix A
If you have selected “Yes” to at least one of the questions in the Impact assessment section on the Activity details screen, you must complete the “Impact Assessment Form” (Appendix A) and upload it to the Impact assessment page.
If none of these situations apply to your proposed research activities, then the Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) is not needed.
Contributions plan (mandatory)
Prior to filling out this section, see the exclusions in the Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions.
In Stage 2, you must demonstrate that you will secure, over and above the budget requested from SSHRC, a 35% minimum cash and/or in-kind contributions from other sources during the life of the grant (four to seven years). You should use the Funds from other sources module to indicate specific contribution amounts. Successful Stage 1 applicants will be required to begin confirming cash and/or in-kind contributions for inclusion in their Stage 2 application.
Detail your plan to secure cash and/or in-kind contributions. The plan must describe:
- the confirmed or proposed contributions of the host institution/organization;
- the confirmed or proposed contributions from partner organizations and/or other sources;
- how you will seek and secure cash and/or in-kind support in Stage 1 and during the life of the grant (four to seven years); and
- how the support will benefit the partnership.
Suggested reviewers
List up to three Canadian and/or foreign specialists whom SSHRC may ask to assess your application if you are invited to submit a proposal to Stage 2.
SSHRC reserves the right not to select a reviewer from the submitted list. This list will not be used in evaluating your Stage 1 application.
Suggested reviewers cannot be:
- affiliated with your institution or that of any member of your research team (including co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators);
- someone with whom you or any member of your research team has collaborated in the past (e.g., as a co-author or co-editor, or as a co-organizer of a conference or workshop);
- someone with whom you or any member of your team has a personal relationship; or
- a previous thesis supervisor or anyone who has had a similar supervisory or mentoring relationship with you or a member of the research team over the course of doctoral or postdoctoral studies.
Exclusion of potential reviewers (if applicable)
List potential reviewers who, in your opinion, would be unlikely to provide an impartial review. Provide a justification for excluding potential reviewers (e.g., experts with whom you or members of your research team have had serious disputes). While SSHRC cannot be bound by this information, it will take it into consideration in the selection of reviewers.
This information will not be provided to external reviewers or members of the merit review committee. Any exclusion should be renewed with any subsequent applications, if still relevant.
Research contributions and relevant experience (mandatory) Research contributions (mandatory)
The project director must attach Research contributions and relevant experience. You have five pages in total to address the sections below, as applicable. You may choose to devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of your past contributions and experience (for example, non-academic project directors may choose to have a larger “Relevant experience” section). The attachment should be presented in this order, as applicable:
Research contributions content must address the Capability evaluation criteria listed in the funding opportunity description.
Applicants or project directors must attach research contributions in this order:
- Relevant research contributions over the last six years
- Other research contributions
- Most significant career research contributions
- Career interruptions and special circumstances
- Contributions to training
Co-applicants must also provide their research contributions (maximum four pages), which they will be able to upload once they have accepted the invitation to participate.
1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years
Outline your research contributions within six years of the application deadline date. In the case of those candidates claiming career interruptions (see 4. below), you may include publications drawn from your most recent periods of research activity to an overall total of six years.
Provide details, as appropriate, about the contributions you listed, as follows:
- In the left margin, identify with an asterisk (*) research contributions that resulted from previous SSHRC support.
- Specify your role in co-authored publications.
- For published contributions, provide complete bibliographic notices (including co-authors, title, publisher, journal, volume, date of publication and number of pages) as they appear in the original publication.
- For publications in languages other than French or English, provide a translation of the title and the name of the publication.
- For recent graduates, list theses.
Group your contributions by category in the following order, as applicable, listing your most recent contributions first.
Refereed contributions
Examples include books (where applicable, subdivide according to those that are single-authored, co-authored and edited works), monographs, book chapters, articles in scholarly refereed journals and conference proceedings.
Be aware that a “refereed work” involves its assessment:
- in its entirety—not merely an abstract or extract;
- before publication; and
- by independent (at arm’s length from the author), anonymous, qualified experts.
Other refereed contributions
Examples include papers presented at scholarly meetings or conferences and articles in professional or trade journals.
Non-refereed contributions
Examples include book reviews, published reviews of work, research reports, policy papers and public lectures.
Forthcoming contributions
Indicate one of the following statuses: “Submitted,” “Revised and submitted,” “Accepted” or “In press.” Provide the name of the journal or book publisher and the number of pages. Contributions not yet submitted should not be listed.
Creative outputs
Examples of creative outputs may include exhibitions, performances, publications, presentations, and film, video and audio recordings. List your most recent and significant achievements grouped by category. Creative outputs will be evaluated according to established disciplinary standards and creative and/or artistic merit.
If applicable, you can include a website link. SSHRC cannot guarantee that links will be accessed.
2. Other research contributions
Describe any other contributions to research and the advancement of knowledge within the last six years, including your research contributions to non-academic audiences (e.g., public, policy-makers, private sector and not-for-profit organizations).
3. Most significant career research contributions
List and rank up to five of your most significant contributions over your entire career. The six-year rule does not apply to this section. Therefore, contributions listed here may differ from those listed in other sections of your CV. Ensure that you explain briefly the significance of the contributions listed.
4. Career interruptions and special circumstances
Career interruptions occur when researchers are taken away from their research work for an extended period of time for health, administrative, family, COVID-19 or other reasons. In these cases, as explained above in the Relevant research contributions over the last six years section, explain the interruption(s) and ask that an overall total of six years of research activity be considered by the adjudicating committee.
Special circumstances involve slowdowns in research productivity created by health (and/or disability-related), administrative, family, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19 or other reasons (i.e., the researcher was not completely taken away from research work). Applicants from small institutions may indicate their teaching load in this section if the change in workload impacted their research output.
Indigenous applicants can use the “Special circumstances” section of their application form to describe special circumstances that may have had an impact on their academic or career paths.
SSHRC asks its adjudication committees to consider career interruptions and special circumstances that may have affected candidates’ record of research achievements. In doing so, adjudication committee members will be able to more accurately estimate the productivity of each researcher, independent of any career interruptions or special circumstances in the last six years. Previous productivity is one element that may predict the success of the proposed research project.
All information provided to SSHRC is subject to the Privacy Act. Applicants are reminded that the information included in this section of their application will be shared with both external assessors and adjudication committee members for consideration as part of their application. For more information, see merit review. All SSHRC merit reviewers are subject to the Tri-Agency Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy, and are prohibited from sharing this information outside of the merit review process.
5. Contributions to training
Provide the following information on students you have helped train within the last six years.
- Indicate your role in supervising or co-supervising ongoing and/or completed theses, listing these by the student’s level of studies.
- Describe efforts you have made to involve students (e.g., doctoral, master’s or undergraduate) in your research activities.
- Specify if opportunities for such contributions have been limited because your postsecondary institution does not have graduate degree programs in your field or discipline.
6. Relevant experience
In the Relevant experience section, non-academic and academic project directors can describe their previous experience that is relevant to the topic and objectives they are investigating in the application, including their experience in engaging in and/or leading formal partnerships and collaborative research. Justify how this experience will aid you in the proposed activity.
Examples of relevant experience include: working within or with communities and/or organizations (e.g., not-for-profit, public and private sector organizations), non-academic career information, or voluntary work. Include:
- your experience in engaging in and/or leading formal partnerships and collaborative research;
- a brief description of the nature of the work you performed;
- an explanation of how this work has prepared you for your role in the project; and
- a description of the skills you developed (e.g., training, mentoring, analysis, networking).
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