This funding opportunity is no longer offered. For information on currently offered SSHRC funding opportunities, see Funding
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
Canadian Environmental Issues— Special Call
Research Development Initiatives
Context
Objectives
Description
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Administrative Regulations
More Information
Context
Developing high-quality inter-disciplinary research on Canadian environmental issues depends on establishing and promoting the conditions necessary for the generation of knowledge through experimentation in new methods, approaches and ideas. This includes innovative ways of analyzing, structuring, integrating and transferring knowledge. Such development requires theoretical and methodological experimentation in the early stages of the research process. Accordingly, the Research Development Initiatives (RDI) program supports research that both assesses and elicits the changing directions of research and the evolution of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. The program provides short-term support that enables grant holders to develop their research to a point where they are able to submit fully developed proposals to other programs with the aim of producing and effectively disseminating advanced research findings.
In order to support inter-disciplinary research in topics related to Canadian environmental issues, this special call will offer funding to individual researchers in the social sciences or humanities, or to teams composed of researchers (from natural sciences, engineering, health, humanities and social sciences) led by a principal investigator with a record of research achievements in the social sciences or humanities. The special call especially encourages the team approach to the extent that it will allow the intellectual conduct of projects to benefit from the variety of disciplinary and multi-disciplinary expertise of a number of investigators.
Objectives
The overall objective of this RDI program is to support original research in its initial, developmental stages to the point where the research results are sufficiently advanced to enable the submission of proposals to other research support programs in order to conduct more advanced inter-disciplinary research. Projects are expected to develop new knowledge specifically with respect to issues addressed in the Canadian Environmental Issues special call. Projects are also expected to:
- develop new research questions;
- explore conceptual and methodological perspectives and directions;
- critically analyze and assess research (including its achievements, impacts, strengths and state of development).
In addition, for this targeted call, topics and questions must demonstrably relate to the general purpose, scope and objectives of Canadian Environmental Issues special call. Moreover, for this call, the research proposals must clearly demonstrate that they are using an inter-disciplinary approach in the development research used to bring about initial and original research results.
Description
SSHRC invites proposals that meet the program's overall objective of supporting innovative research in its initial stages that will lead to the development of mature research projects. Proposals should not be full-fledged, stand-alone projects that aim at advanced research results, as this type of research is already supported by SSHRc's Standard Research Grants and other programs. Nor are RDI grants intended to support ongoing programs of research. Applicants must clearly distinguish their RDI project from previous or ongoing research. The proposal should address and develop a distinct, delimited research issue, present clearly defined plans for the research, and propose a budget that is fully justified by those plans.
The program supports research activities that can lead to the development of innovative programs of research. These activities may include, but are not limited to, case studies, pilot projects, critical analyses, research collaboration and new ways of producing, structuring, and mobilizing knowledge. Please note that SSHRC has a separate funding program for workshops and conferences, the Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada program.
Value and Duration
The maximum value of this RDI grant is $80,000 over one year.
This is a one-time call for proposals.
Eligibility
Applicants
Applicants may be individual researchers or groups of researchers affiliated with Canadian universities or other postsecondary institutions, as well as scholarly associations in the humanities and social sciences. Foreign researchers not affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution are eligible to apply as co-applicants.
Researchers from other organizations, as well as the organizations themselves, are also eligible to apply, provided that the proposed research requires significant involvement of researchers affiliated with Canadian postsecondary institutions.
Institutional Eligibility
Institutions that propose to administer any grant awarded under this program must meet the requirements for managing SSHRC funds and must hold or obtain institutional eligibility.
Evaluation and Adjudication
An inter-disciplinary selection committee with broad expertise will assess and adjudicate all RDI proposals according to the following criteria:
- Relevance to the objectives of SSHRC's Canadian Environmental Issues special call;
- Significance, and originality of the proposed research;
- Quality of the plans for the proposed research;
- Individual and collective qualifications for carrying out the proposed inter-disciplinary research;
- Feasibility of the proposed research activities to meet this program's objectives;
- Interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research; and
- Appropriateness of the budget requested.
All applicants will receive, together with Council's notice of decision, a summary of the adjudication committee's comments.
Administrative Regulations
All applicants and grant holders must comply with the Regulations Governing Grant Applications and with the regulations set out in the Grant Holder’s Guide.
Note: SSHRC's plans for Canadian Environmental Issues special call funding are subject to final approval by the Treasury Board of Canada.
More Information
For more information, please contact:
Mathieu Ravignat
Senior Program Officer
Strategic Grants and Joint Initiatives Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4
Tel.: 613-947-3724
Fax: 613-947-0223
E-mail: mathieu.ravignat@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca