Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements, Doctoral Award Supplements — Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research

From: Canadian Heritage

Canadian Heritage is partnering with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to provide research and research training supplements through two arm’s-length funding opportunities: SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships and SSHRC Doctoral Awards (Canada Graduate Scholarships– Doctoral Scholarships and SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships). This funding provides assistance to selected postsecondary institution-affiliated researchers, postdoctoral scholars and students to conduct research related to online disinformation and other online harms as well as their impact in the Canadian context. Comparative approaches to these themes that are inclusive of, but extend beyond, the Canadian context are also eligible for supplementary funding.

The Joint Initiative has 3 broad objectives:

to promote Canadian research that will develop better understanding — based on empirical evidence — of the impacts of online disinformation in Canada in order to better inform programs and policies;
to build Canada's capacity to conduct research on and related to countering online disinformation and other related online harms, specifically in the target areas described below; and
to help foster a community of research in the digital citizenship and online disinformation space in Canada.

Who can apply

Initiative for Digital Citizen Research supplements are open to students, postdoctoral scholars, individual researchers and research teams who are eligible to apply to the following SSHRC competitions: Postdoctoral Fellowships, or Doctoral Awards.

To be offered a supplement under this initiative, applicants must first be successful in the SSHRC competition to which they applied, and they must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution that SSHRC considers to be eligible to administer funds awarded through its funding opportunities.

Eligible projects

In addition to adhering to SSHRC’s policies and regulations pertaining to SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, or SSHRC Doctoral Awards, as applicable, proposals to the Joint Initiative must address the broad objectives described above.

Proposals should also focus on at least 1 of the following specific areas of research:

Creators and propagators of online disinformation in a Canadian context.
Digital techniques used to spread online disinformation in a Canadian context.
Sectors of Canadian society more or less vulnerable to online disinformation, including how disinformation may specifically affect marginalized, minority and Indigenous communities.
Effects of exposure to information and online disinformation on Canadians’ individual beliefs and behavior as well as overall mental health.
Different impacts of online disinformation in Canada and on Canada, including on democratic institutions and elections.
Government responses to online disinformation.
Disinformation outside of the internet/not online in a Canadian context.

Canadian Heritage will consider supplemental funding for:

holders of a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship or a SSHRC Doctoral Award (Canada Graduate Scholarships Program – Doctoral Scholarship or SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship) who propose a program of research relevant to its policy priorities.

Value and Duration

The Joint Initiative’s Postdoctoral Fellowship supplements and Doctoral Award supplements, worth $10,000 and tenable for 12 months, are available to SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship and SSHRC Doctoral Award holders, in addition to the value of their award.

For descriptions of SSHRC terms, see Definitions of Terms.

Application deadline

The Application deadline date is expected to be announced in the near future. Please ensure that you visit this webpage in the coming months.

How to apply

To be considered for funding under this initiative, applicants must:

select the “Initiative for Digital Citizen Research” option from the drop-down menu in their SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, or SSHRC Doctoral Awards application form; and
attach to their application a justification (maximum one page) that explains how their proposed research project addresses one or more of the specific areas of research listed in the“Eligible projects” section above.

Applicants needing help to prepare their application should contact SSHRC well in advance of the application deadline.

Funding terms

Applications are adjudicated first by the relevant SSHRC selection committee. SSHRC committees do not review the justification submitted as part of the Joint Initiative application.

If the application is successful in the SSHRC competition and includes the required justification, it is referred to the Canadian Heritage Digital Citizen Initiative’s governance committees, which assesses whether the proposed research adequately meets the funding opportunity's objectives and target areas.

The Canadian Heritage Digital Citizen Initiative’s governance committees’ decisions cannot be appealed.

All supplement holders are expected to use their supplement funding to produce a short paper summarizing the key findings of their research and participate at the annual Conference on Digital Citizen Research to be organized by Canadian Heritage. Postdoctoral Fellowship and Doctoral Award supplement holders may be eligible for additional funding to offset lodging and travel expenses related to the conference, as determined on a case-by-case basis.

Contact us

Please contact the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for more information on how to apply for the Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research supplements:

Telephone: 613-996-6976

Postdoctoral Fellowship and Doctoral Award supplements

Email: fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-943-7777

Please contact Canadian Heritage for more information on the Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research:

Address: Department of Canadian Heritage
Digital Citizen Initiative
25 Eddy Street, 7th Floor
Gatineau QC J8X 4B5
Email: icn-dci@pch.gc.ca
Telephone: 1-866-811-0055 (toll-free)
TTY: 1-888-997-3123 (toll-free)

Agents are available to answer your questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm (ET).

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