Partnership Grants—Stage 1 –
Applicant Instructions

Documents to read before applying

Application process

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, refer to the Accessibility in programs and services webpage for information on requesting assistance or contact accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca directly. 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;”
• ensuring that invited partner organizations have submitted their “Partner 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;”

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:

• the applicant or project director:
  • is affiliated with the institution or organization; and
  • has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity; and
    
    
• the postsecondary institution or not-for-profit organization:
  • is willing to administer any grant received according to SSHRC policies;
  • agrees to take the necessary steps to ensure machine-readable files or computer databases are preserved and accessible under conditions agreed to by the institution or organization 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
  • 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.

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, click “View attached file” to ensure you have the proper file and that it is not corrupted.

Identification (mandatory)

Program name

Select the Research partnerships program if your proposal focuses on partnered research activities and/or partnered knowledge mobilization activities. Select the Research training and talent development program only if your proposal is a partnered research training initiative.

Application title

Provide a short, descriptive title for your proposal in non-technical terms. Restrict use of acronyms (e.g., UN, NATO). Use uppercase only for 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 applying 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,” see Research contributions and relevant experience and the Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for instructions about creative outputs and support material.

Does your proposal involve Indigenous research, as defined by SSHRC?

Select “Yes” if you wish to signal to the merit review 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—Stage 1 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 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.

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)

Maximum two pages

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.

Organization information (not-for-profit organizations only)

Maximum two pages

When a not-for-profit organization is the administering organization and proposes to manage the funds, you must include the following:

• 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.

Activity details / research activities (mandatory)

Sensitive Technology Research Areas

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), the applicant must indicate whether research and related activities funded by this grant aim to advance any of the areas in the Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRAs) List.

• The STRA list includes technologies at various stages of development, notably where the concern is the advancement of a STRA during the course of the research and related activities.
• Research that will merely use an existing application of technology is not considered as aiming to advance any of the listed areas.
• Research areas outside the listed sub-categories are not considered sensitive for the purposes of this policy.

For more information, read the Tri-agency guidance for this policy.

If you answered “Yes”, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application (in the STRAC Attestation, module) to comply with the policy.

If you answered “No”, no further steps are required under this policy.

Ethics

State whether or not your proposal involves human beings as research subjects. If so, select “Yes,” consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and submit your proposal to your organization’s research ethics board.

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” and type your approach in the box provided.

Approaches available within the Partnership Grants can include, but are not limited to:

• 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).

Previous SSHRC funding (if applicable)

Maximum one page

If the proposed partnerships’ activities are the result of previous SSHRC-funded activities, explain how they differ from those previously financed through SSHRC grants. Describe the results and impacts of past SSHRC-funded activities and explain how these could influence the new activities in your proposal. Describe any potential or perceived overlaps with, as well as value added for, other continued SSHRC funding. Also describe any links developed with the partner organizations as part of previous SSHRC-funded activities.

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) share intellectual leadership. 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.

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 that 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.

Participants

Invited participants in this module do not submit SSHRC CVs in Stage 1.

Participant categories 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 before 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 that 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.

Description of team (mandatory)

Maximum three pages

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.

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 the responsibility of each invited partner organization contact to complete, verify and submit their Accept Invitation form, including their letter of engagement (maximum two pages). 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)

Maximum two pages

Attach a list of potential partner organizations and other contributors you plan to engage during the term of your grant. Include email addresses and website links, if available.

The list should be divided into:

• Potential partner organizations
  Indicate whether each partner listed has been invited to participate.
• Other contributors
  Other contributors are those likely to provide cash and/or in-kind contributions during the term of your grant. They can be individuals or organizations (e.g., philanthropic foundations, private sector organizations) that are not invited partners.

Summary of proposal (mandatory)

Maximum one page

Provide a clear summary of your proposal indicating:

• 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.

List of references or bibliography (mandatory)

Maximum five pages

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.

Goal and project description (mandatory)

Maximum eight pages

Before writing your proposal, consult the evaluation criteria in the funding opportunity description. Consider using 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:

• Clearly justify your proposal in the stated program objectives (i.e., Research partnerships or Research training and talent development, as applicable) and partnership approaches, and state the overall goal and specific objectives that the partnership will address during the term of the grant. Show the relevance and significance of these objectives for all 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.
• Show the appropriateness of the theoretical and methodological approaches that will be chosen to meet the objectives. Include a literature review. If applicable, consider discussing 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, in particular, the EDI in research design section). A rationale must be provided when 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, 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 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 used to ensure 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 considered in the team composition and will continue to be if the team changes during the duration of the grant. Refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications and, particularly the EDI in Research Practice section.
• 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) and project director share intellectual leadership, 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, particularly the EDI in Research Design section). A rationale must be provided when a research team believes EDI considerations are not applicable to the design of knowledge mobilization plans.
• For partnered research training initiatives only:
  • 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 each year; and
  • briefly indicate how the training of each group will be structured and managed.

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, among others. To learn more, see Open Access overview.

Research-creation support material (if applicable)

Maximum one page

If in the Identification screen you have self-identified your project as research-creation, you must include a website link to provide examples of work that best illustrate the qualifications of the team and/or the nature of the proposed research-creation.

When including a website link:

• Provide the complete and exact URL and indicate the path to access the intended support material on the website.
• Include 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.

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 reviewed according to the appropriateness of the requested budget and 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.

Enter amounts rounded to the nearest dollar without any spaces or commas (e.g., 2000). For blank entries, leave 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.

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. Travel and 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 if the budget justification shows expert advice is needed.

Supplies

You may 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.

Nondisposable 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 nondisposable equipment

Purchase or rental of equipment (e.g., audio or video equipment) is allowable only if it is not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Other—Salary research allowances

Salary research allowances are an eligible expense. These stipends are paid to a Canadian not-for-profit organization to cover up to 50% of the annual salary of an employee who is being temporarily replaced because they will be devoting their time as an applicant, co-director or 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 applicants, co-directors or co-applicants listed on the grant team. Postsecondary institutions and governmental organizations are not eligible for salary research allowances.

A salary research allowance is not a salary for the project director, co-director or co-applicant, but is paid to the Canadian not-for-profit organization to offset the costs of replacing its employee.

Other expenses

Specify other research and/or related expenses.

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., software, equipment, and professional and technical services) into this category. You must 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.

Budget justification (mandatory)

Maximum one pages

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.

Funds from other sources

List all contributors (e.g., host institution or organization, individuals, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic foundations and private sector organizations) providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposal. Indicate if these 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 source (i.e., cash or in-kind) and 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 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.

Contributions plan (mandatory)

Maximum one page

Before filling out this section, see the exclusions in the Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions.

In Stage 2, you must show 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 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 term 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 can 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)

Maximum one page

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 consider it when selecting 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)

Maximum five pages

The project director must attach Research contributions and relevant experience. You have five pages 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:

1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years
2. Other research contributions
3. Most significant career research contributions
4. Contributions to training
5. Relevant experience

1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years

Outline your research contributions within six years of the application deadline date. Candidates claiming career interruptions (see Career interruptions and special circumstances section), may include publications drawn from their 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 by single-authored, co-authored and edited works), monographs, book chapters, articles in scholarly refereed journals and conference proceedings.

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.

Nonrefereed 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. Do not list contributions not yet submitted.

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 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. Explain briefly the significance of the contributions listed.

4. Contributions to training

Provide the following information about students you have helped train within the last six years:

• your role in supervising or co-supervising ongoing and/or completed theses, listing these by the student’s level of studies.
• 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 institution does not have graduate degree programs in your field or discipline.

5. Relevant experience

In the Relevant experience section, non-academic and academic project directors can describe previous experience relevant to the topic and objectives they are investigating in the application, including experience in engaging in and/or leading formal partnerships and collaborative research. Justify how this experience will help 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).

Career interruptions and special circumstances

Maximum one page

SSHRC asks its merit review committees to consider career interruptions and special circumstances that have affected candidates’ record of research. In doing so, merit review committee members will be able to assess the productivity of each researcher more accurately and equitably, independent of any career interruptions or special circumstances in the last six years. Previous productivity is one element that can predict the success of the proposed research project.

All information provided to SSHRC is subject to the Privacy Act. The information included in this section of your application will be shared with both external assessors and merit review committee members for consideration as part of their assessment. Research Office Administrators will also have access to your application when submitting on behalf of the administering organization. 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 the merit review process.

Career interruptions occur when researchers are taken away from their research work for an extended time for health, administrative, family or other reasons, or reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special circumstances involve slowdowns in research productivity or any circumstances that affect the progression of academic careers in a distinctive way. Researchers can use this section to indicate that health (and/or disability), administrative, family, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19, or other factors hindered their research work. For example, applicants from small institutions could indicate their teaching load in this section if the change in workload reduced their research output. Indigenous applicants can use the “Special Circumstances” section to describe special circumstances that may have affected their academic or career paths.

Use this optional section to outline any career interruptions or special circumstances that have affected your research activities. Provide dates of interruptions and indicate the reason for the delay in general terms (e.g., illness, disability, family loss or illness, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19).

When considering how to describe your career interruptions and/or special circumstances, applicants should note:

• they do not need to disclose any personal details of the career interruption or special circumstance.
• they should indicate how their research was affected by delays to enable the reviewers to equitably assess the excellence of their research contributions while taking into account the impact the interruption or special circumstances had on their research production.
• they are asked to quantify the impact on their research production as best they can, providing estimates of time or opportunities lost due to the interruption or special circumstances. For example, the amount of time and effort involved in seeking and receiving accommodations would help inform the committee’s assessment by supporting the estimated impact the special circumstances had on the applicant’s research production.

Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) Attestation Attachment Module

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), all researchers involved in activities funded by a grant that aim to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations (NROs) and attest that they are not affiliated with, or receiving funding or in-kind support from any listed NRO.

You must submit attestation forms from the applicant, co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators, as applicable, certifying that they have read, understand, and are compliant with this policy. Should your application be successful, you and your research team(s) will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant that aims to advance one or more STRAs.

The attestation forms may be shared with Government of Canada departments and agencies, for the purpose of national security assessment and to validate compliance with the policy.

For more information, read the Tri-agency guidance for this policy.