Research on Research Joint Initiative

2024-25 competition

A joint initiative of SSHRC, CIHR, and Michael Smith Health Research BC

On this page

• Description
• Value and duration
• Eligibility
• Application process
• Merit Review
• Regulations, policies and related information
• Contact information

Description

Research on research, also known as metaresearch, is the application of rigorous methods and analysis to the practice of research itself—its methods, standards and evaluation (see expanded definition below). Founded in 2019, the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) is a consortium of research funders and institutes that undertakes projects that can support the work of funding organizations. RoRI gathers evidence and data; undertakes experiments; and develops tools to improve how research is funded, practiced, communicated and evaluated.

The three Canadian core partners of RoRI—SSHRC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Michael Smith Health Research BC—have together made this joint initiative available as part of ongoing efforts to support metaresearch in the Canadian context. The goal of this joint initiative is to enhance national capacity for metaresearch, and bring Canadian expertise and perspectives into the international dialogue on improving research funding practices. Metaresearch is a vital element of social sciences and humanities research, as well as multidisciplinary research, as it allows greater insight into the ways in which research is conducted, evaluated and supported.

For the purposes of this joint initiative, metaresearch (also known in different contexts as research on research, metascience or the science of science) is defined as a field of research that draws on old and new disciplinary and methodological approaches to test, evaluate and experiment with different aspects of research systems, cultures and decision-making. It aims to ensure the full potential of research can be realized in ways that are rigorous, transparent, fair and evidence-informed. Metaresearch can be conducted by researchers in any disciplinary field.

This joint initiative aims to:

• build knowledge and understanding on metaresearch, i.e., the application of rigorous methods and analysis to the practice of research itself—its methods, incentives, standards and evaluation—and the practices of how that research is funded, communicated, applied and evaluated
• produce data on metaresearch that may have impacts on research and innovation policy and funding practices in Canada and other jurisdictions
• take part in knowledge mobilization among Canadian and international researchers, including members of RoRI’s consortium, to contribute to the development of research and innovation policies and research funding practices;
• provide training for students and highly qualified personnel
• build collaborations among researchers working on metaresearch, both in Canada and internationally

Applications that align with RoRI priority areas as identified in the list of current RoRI projects (whether or not directly linked to those current RoRI projects) are welcome in this joint initiative, but the alignment is not mandatory. Applicants are invited to submit applications dealing with metaresearch in any disciplinary context. Possible research areas supported within the objectives of this joint initiative may include (but are not limited to):

• research on talent and professional development, including studying the effectiveness of interventions in: training and skills, talent retention, encouragement of entrepreneurship, and/or training and professional development assessment methods in research contexts
• research on allocation of research funding, including different peer review methodologies and different modes of funding (e.g., scholarships, fellowships, research grants), and their impacts on the distribution of research funds and associated research and career outcomes
• research integrity, including issues of reproducibility and the impact of interventions such as preregistration, open data, research data management, and reproducible code
• research on research infrastructure, including physical, digital and human infrastructures
• improving the dissemination of research outputs and their impact, including the role of technology transfer offices, varying publication practices, conferences and knowledge dissemination platforms
• understanding research impact, including improving the nuance with which the impact of research projects and programs can be defined and measured, and under what conditions various approaches to research facilitate meaningful use of evidence
• understanding the impacts of AI on the research ecosystem

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Value and duration

Research on Research Joint Initiative grants are valued at up to $200,000 per grant over three years. SSHRC, CIHR and Health Research BC aim to fund approximately nine grants.

Successful applicants will be required to reserve funds to travel and participate in a knowledge mobilization event or conference to share findings of the research (details to be provided to successful applicants). Successful applicants will also be required to produce open access knowledge synthesis reports or briefs to be shared with the agencies.

Eligibility

Subject matter

Proposals may be led by researchers from any discipline, and may involve any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas, provided the primary discipline and objective of the proposal is metaresearch.

Projects whose primary objective is curriculum development, preparation of teaching materials, organization of a conference or workshop, digitization of a collection or creation of a database are not eligible for funding under this funding opportunity.

If proposed projects wish to include analysis of granting agency administrative data, data use agreements will need to be established with SSHRC, CIHR and/or the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC). The agencies regularly contribute data to the Open Government portal. Applicants should first check the portal to determine whether the data they plan to request is available there. Otherwise, applicants must reach out to the agencies at least three weeks before the application deadline to confirm the feasibility of the proposed use of administrative data in advance of applying. Applicants wishing to inquire about Health Research BC data should contact Health Research BC directly. The agencies and Health Research BC cannot guarantee data can be made available. Should data be determined shareable, neither SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC nor Health Research BC will be considered a research partner or collaborator, and projects will still be assessed via merit review.

Email CIHR

Email SSHRC

Email NSERC

Email Health Research BC

Applicants

Applications can be submitted by an individual applicant or a team (consisting of one primary applicant and one or more partners, co-applicants and/or collaborators).

Applicants must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution that holds institutional eligibility at the time of application. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant status. To be eligible for Health Research BC funding, applicants and/or co-applicants must be affiliated with a British Columbia-based institution eligible to receive Health Research BC funding.

Institutions

Grant funds can be administered only by an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution. Institutions proposing to administer a grant awarded under this funding opportunity must hold or obtain institutional eligibility. Institutions must contact institutional.eligibility@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca to begin the institutional application process or if they have questions about institutional eligibility.

Institutions that are eligible for CIHR or Health Research BC funding, but not SSHRC funding, are eligible to hold grants, but must first contact institutional.eligibility@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca to receive eligibility.

Co-applicants

Individuals (including postdoctoral fellows) are eligible to be co-applicants if they are formally affiliated with any of the following:

• Canadian eligible postsecondary institution; not-for-profit organization; philanthropic organization; think tank; or municipal, territorial, or provincial government.
• International postsecondary institution.

International co-applicants must clearly outline the rationale for international collaboration in the application.

Collaborators

Any individual who makes a significant contribution to the project is eligible to be a collaborator. Collaborators do not need to be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution.

Partner organizations

Partner organizations can be Canadian or international institutions or organizations (public, private, not-for-profit) of any type.

Multiple applications

Individuals can apply, as a primary applicant, for only one grant within the joint initiative at a time. Individuals may be co-applicants and/or collaborators on multiple applications.

Monitoring

Grant holders will be expected to report on the use of grant funds for funded activities undertaken during the grant period, and on outcomes. Successful applicants will be informed of reporting requirements when they receive their Notice of Award.

Application process

Applicants must complete the application form in accordance with accompanying instructions. Applications must be submitted electronically by an authorized research grants officer, or equivalent, from the applicant’s institution.

Applicants needing further help while preparing their application should communicate with SSHRC well in advance of the application deadline.

Merit Review

Applications are reviewed, and available funds awarded, through a competitive merit review process. Committee discussions are guided by the principle of minimum essential funding.

Before the merit review, applications will undergo an eligibility review. This includes (but is not limited to) a review of subject matter eligibility, eligibility of team members and administering organizations to hold funds, and budget eligibility.

Evaluation criteria and scoring

The following criteria and scoring scheme are used to evaluate the applications:

1. Challenge—The aim and importance of the endeavour (50%):
   • relevance to the aim and objectives of the Research on Research Joint Initiative funding opportunity;
   • originality, significance and expected contribution to knowledge;
   • appropriateness of the theoretical approach or framework;
   • appropriateness of the methods/approach, including the literature review (as applicable);
   • quality of training and mentoring to be provided to students, emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel, and opportunities for them to contribute; and
   • potential for the project results to have influence and impact, including use and applicability, within the research and metaresearch communities.
2. Feasibility—The plan to achieve excellence (20%):
   • appropriateness of the proposed timeline and probability that the objectives will be met;
   • expertise and appropriateness of the applicant or team, including appropriateness of formal partnership and associated governance and management arrangements and leadership (if applicable), in relation to the proposed research;
   • appropriateness of the requested budget, justification of proposed costs, and, where applicable, other financial and/or in-kind contributions; and
   • quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including for effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with interested parties within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable.
3. Capability—The expertise to succeed (30%):
   • quality and significance of past experience and published and/or creative outputs of the applicant and any co-applicants, relative to their roles in the project and the stage of their career; and
   • quality of past contributions to the development of effective research training and mentoring of students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel.

Merit reviewers will consider information on only the last six years of research contributions. Any career interruptions, however, will be taken into consideration, as will diversity in career paths and experiences.

Scoring table

Merit review committee members assign a score for each of the three criteria listed above, based on the following scoring table. The appropriate weighting is then applied to arrive at a final score. Applications must receive a score of 3.0 or higher for each of the three criteria to be recommended for funding.

Communication of results

SSHRC makes competition results available to applicants through the applicant’s Research Portal account, and institutions through the Grants and Scholarships Administration Portal. SSHRC, CIHR and Health Research BC will publicly announce the results of the competition after the results have been communicated to successful applicants.

All applicants will be provided, in addition to a notice of decision, a summary of the merit review evaluation of their proposal, where applicable.

Regulations, policies and related information

SSHRC and its partners reserve the right to determine the eligibility of applications, based on the information included. SSHRC also reserves the right to interpret the regulations and policies governing its funding opportunities.

All applicants and grant holders must comply with the Regulations Governing the Use of SSHRC Grant Funds and with the regulations set out in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

Grant holders must also comply with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (see the Open Access overview for more information) and the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy.

On January 16, 2024, the Government of Canada published its Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), which applies to this funding opportunity. Grant applications that involve conducting research and related activities that aim to advance a sensitive technology research area will not be funded if any of the researchers involved in activities supported by the grant are affiliated with, or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities that could pose a risk to Canada's national security. Read the tri-agency guidance on the STRAC policy to understand how this may impact your application.

Specific rules for the use of grant funds

• Grant funds cannot be used to provide salaries or stipends to applicants, co-directors, co-applicants or collaborators, regardless of an individual’s eligibility to apply for grants.
• Grant funds cannot be used to provide salaries or stipends to the grantee or to other individuals whose status would make them eligible to apply for grants from the agency.
• Course release time to allow an individual to engage in research is not an eligible expense.
• 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 provided by a team member or others eligible to apply for a tri-agency grant.
• Refer to the Statement on equity, diversity and inclusion and the use of grant funds in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration. Expenses to facilitate equitable, inclusive and accessible participation in the research are eligible.

Guidelines and related support material

All applicants for SSHRC funding should consult the following guidelines while preparing their applications:

• SSHRC’s Definitions of Terms for terms used in the grant application process;
• Guidelines for Effective Research Training, which can also be useful to reviewers and postsecondary institutions;
• SSHRC’s Indigenous Research Statement of Principles and Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research for applications involving Indigenous research;
• SSHRC’s definition of knowledge mobilization and Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization for guidance on connecting with knowledge users to create impact;
• SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities for applicants requiring funding for research and research-related tools;
• SSHRC’s Resource Centre for information on preparing applications involving research-creation;
• SSHRC’s Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions;
• SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications; and
• the tri-agency guidance on the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern.

Contact information

For more information, contact:

Email: partnerships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Toll-free: 1-855-275-2861

Date modified:

2024-10-08