Research Common

SSHRC Explore Grants:

• support researchers with modest research funding requirements at any career stage;
• allow for small-scale innovation and experimentation by providing funding to develop a research project or to conduct pilot work; and
• enable researchers to hire students to participate in their research projects.

Application Materials

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Challenge — The aim and importance of the endeavour (40%)

• originality, significance, and expected contribution to knowledge;
• clarity of objectives;
• appropriateness of the literature review;
• appropriateness of the theoretical and methodological approaches;
• chosen method(s) demonstrates how the objectives will be met;
• quality and specificity of the EDI considerations;
• potential for the project results to have influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community; and
• if applicable, quality of training and mentoring to be provided to students (as well as emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel (HQP) as appropriate) and opportunities for them to contribute

Feasibility — The plan to achieve excellence (40%)

• appropriateness of the proposed work plan and probability that the objectives will be met;
• appropriateness of the requested budget and justification of proposed costs;
• appropriateness of the research design and strategies for conducting the proposed activities;
• quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange, and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable; and
• appropriateness of the data management plan (DMP)

Capability —The expertise to succeed (20%)

• quality, quantity, and significance of past research experience and published and/or creative outputs of the applicant and any co-applicants, relative to their roles in the project and to their stages of career;
• evidence of other knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., films, commissioned reports, knowledge syntheses, collaboration/other interactions with stakeholders, contributions to public debate) and of impacts on professional practice, social services, and policies, etc.;
• evidence of contributions to the development, training, and mentoring of students, postdoctoral researchers, and other highly qualified personnel (HQP) and to emerging scholars relative to stages of career; and
• potential of the applicant and any co-applicants to make future contributions and secure external grants

SSHRC Exchange Grants:

• support the organization of small-scale knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., workshops, seminars) to encourage collaboration and the dissemination of research results both within and beyond the academic community; and
• allow researchers to attend or present their research at scholarly conferences and other dissemination venues to encourage the exchange of ideas and research results at the national and international level.

Application Materials

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Challenge — The aim and importance of the endeavour (40%)

• clarity of the stated objectives and defined scope of the knowledge mobilization activity, including use of open access (OA) forms of mobilization (e.g., open access publications, websites, publicly accessible databases, institutional repositories) as appropriate;
• evidence of the quality and significance of the research results to be mobilized, including a clear delineation of a well-defined body of knowledge to be mobilized;
• evidence of the quality and significance of the knowledge mobilization activity (including effective dissemination, exchange, and engagement with stakeholders as appropriate), its scope and potential contribution, and the degree to which the activity attracts appropriate participants;
• potential for the project results to have influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community;
• if applicable, quality and specificity of the EDI considerations; and
• If applicable, quality of training and mentoring to be provided to students (as well as emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel (HQP) as appropriate) and opportunities for them to contribute

Feasibility — The plan to achieve excellence (40%)

• appropriateness of the proposed timeline and probability that the objectives will be met; and
• appropriateness of the requested budget and justification of proposed costs

Capability —The expertise to succeed (20%)

• quality, quantity, and significance of past research experience and published and/or creative outputs of the applicant and any co-applicants, relative to their roles in the project and to their stages of career;
• evidence of previous knowledge mobilization activities and of impacts on professional practice, social services, policies, etc.; and
• potential of the applicant and any co-applicants to make future contributions and secure external grants

Grants in Aid of Open Access Publishing:

• support the dissemination of research results in open access (OA) peer-reviewed venues; and
• allow researchers to pay article processing charges (APCs) or book/chapter processing charges (BPCs/CPCs).

Application Materials

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• target venue is reputable and follows a peer-review process with a level of rigor suitable to the relevant discipline/genre; and
• sufficient proof of manuscript acceptance, the associated article processing charge (APC) or book/chapter processing charge (BPC/CPC), and payment of the fee

Guidelines

Application Forms