May 2013
“SSHRC-supported research enhances our collective understanding of social, cultural, technological, environmental and economic issues. It enriches our knowledge about who we are as human beings, what we need to thrive in complex and challenging times, and where we are headed in the decades to come.” Strengthening Canada’s Cultures of Innovation
This spring, SSHRC released Strengthening Canada’s Cultures of Innovation, its strategic plan for 2013-16. Strengthening builds on SSHRC’s preceding Framing Our Direction plans by reinforcing our strategic ambitions and setting a clear path for strengthening our support for research innovation and talent development.
The plan focuses on SSHRC’s strategic outcome of making Canada a world leader in social sciences and humanities research and research training. It comes into play at a time when SSHRC is well poised to see this objective through.
Highlights from SSHRC's 2012-13 Competitions
In fiscal year 2012-13, some 546 individuals participated in Talent, Insight and Connection adjudication committees, and over 4,500 external assessments of proposals were received, in addition to thousands of reference letters for scholarship and fellowship applications. All of these individuals make it possible for SSHRC to maintain its internationally recognized standards of excellence in merit review.
This year, SSHRC received over 12,500 applications, with many requesting more funding than in the past. In light of the growing volume of applications, relative to the available budget, SSHRC plans to engage in a dialogue with the research community to explore options to enhance co-ordination with institutions in relation to the submission process.
Once again, we would like to remind applicants to take particular care in developing their proposed grant budgets, only requesting what is absolutely necessary and bearing in mind that SSHRC considers an appropriately crafted budget an essential component of excellence.
The results of recent competitions will be officially announced later this spring. Competition highlights include the following:
- Partnership Development Grants applications in competition year 2012-13 were reviewed by four multidisciplinary, multisectoral committees from March 4 to 6, 2013. The 58 successful proposals involved a total of 297 distinct partners: 72 per cent of the successful proposals included at least one postsecondary institution partner; 71 per cent at least one not-for-profit organization; 48 per cent at least one government organization; 19 per cent at least one industry partner; and 12 per cent at least one foreign/international organization. On average, the grant holders are—through partner contributions and funds from other sources—leveraging $1.05 for every $1 of SSHRC funding.
- Formal applications for Partnership Grants in competition year 2012-13were reviewed by a multidisciplinary, multisectoral committee between February 25 and 27, 2013. Applications were by invitation only, following last year’s rigorous screening of letters of intent. The 20 successful proposals involved 405 distinct partners: 85 per cent included at least one not-for-profit organization; 75 per cent at least one government organization; 55 per cent at least one industry partner; and 35 per cent at least one foreign/international organization. On average, the grant holders are—through in-kind contributions from partners and funds from other sources—leveraging $0.61 for every $1 of SSHRC funding.
- Insight Grants received 2,183 eligible applications in competition year 2013-14, compared with 1,799 the previous year. During the week of March 4, 2013, applications were reviewed by 22 multidisciplinary and thematic committees. From among the 461 successful proposals, 162 (35 per cent) were for three years, 122 (27 per cent) were for four years, and 177 (38 per cent) were for five years of funding. The number of awards is down slightly; however, the amount of funding awarded increased from the previous year.
- The Partnership Grants Letter of Intent competition received 100 eligible applications in 2012-13, which led to 30 awards. In 2013-14, the Letter of Intent competition has received 84 applications. These will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary, multisectoral committee in early May 2013. The 2013-14 competition also received 18 International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies applications (see Joint Initiatives below).
- The 2013-14 Insight Development Grants competition received 1,028 applications by the February 1, 2013 deadline. Of these, 68 per cent came from emerging scholars. Adjudication by 12 disciplinary, multidisciplinary and thematic committees took place in late April and early May 2013.
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Doctoral Scholarships and SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships applications in the 2013-14 national competition were adjudicated in mid- to late March 2013 by five multidisciplinary committees, broken down into 26 subcommittees. Notices were released to applicants in late April.
- Following the selection committee adjudication from January 30 to 31, 2013, 55 SSHRC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships were awarded in competition year 2013-14.
- Twenty-four Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships were awarded in competition year 2013-14, following adjudication by a multidisciplinary selection committee on January 28 and 29, 2013.
- Adjudication by the multidisciplinary committee for the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Program Master’s Scholarships took place April 12, 2013. Notices to successful applicants are expected to go out in mid-May.
- One hundred and thirty-two SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships were awarded in competition year 2013-14, following adjudication by six multidisciplinary committees December 6 to 15, 2012.
- Following an administrative review stage, 134 CGS Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements were awarded to eligible applicants in competition year 2012-13.
- On April 1, 2012, SSHRC began accepting applications for Connection Grants. The continuous intake competition received 359 eligible applications, awarding 230 grants in support of short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives such as events and outreach. Due to the tremendous interest in, and success of, the opportunity, the competition had to be temporarily put on hold as of February 2013, but will reopen in summer 2013.
Joint Initiatives
- SSHRC awarded Automotive Partnerships Canada funding to its first social sciences and humanities funding recipient in 2012-13. The five-year, $2.1 million grant was awarded to a partnership researching automotive-related policy issues, including the role municipal, provincial and federal governments play in supporting Canada’s automotive industry.
- To increase innovation at the community and/or regional level, the College and Community Innovation Program, managed by NSERC in collaboration with CIHR, supports applied research and collaborations that facilitate commercialization, as well as technology transfer and adaptation, and adoption of new technologies. In 2012-13, the program received two SSHRC applications, providing two SSHRC grants.
Joint Initiatives Embedded in SSHRC’s Program Architecture
- In 2012-13, SSHRC began offering access to the Belmont Forum as a tool through which Canadian researchers can develop funding proposals involving international colleagues and partners, and then submit their applications to SSHRC Insight and Connection program funding opportunities. In 2012-13, three applications for SSHRC grants were Belmont Forum applications.
- Of the total number of Partnership Grants Letter of Intent applications received for the 2013-14 competition, 18 were International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies applications. The joint initiative with the International Development Research Centre supports international partnerships between partners and researchers in Canada and selected low- and middle-income countries.
- Within SSHRC’s Insight and Connection programs, the Kanishka Project provides grant funding from Public Safety Canada and SSHRC to support research on pressing questions for Canada related to terrorism and counter-terrorism. In 2012-13, one application within the Insight and Connection programs was identified by applicants as a Kanishka Project application, resulting in one award.
Thank you to all of the many volunteers who participated as assessors, observers and reviewers in this year’s competitions.
Renewal of SSHRC's Talent Opportunities is Underway
The renewal of SSHRC’s program architecture is entering its final stage of initial implementation: the renewal of opportunities within SSHRC’s Talent program.
Following consultations with the community, SSHRC posted its Talent Renewal implementation plan, along with a tentative timeline. Along with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research, SSHRC has also established a tri-agency office—headed by SSHRC’s Gordana Krcevinac—to harmonize the Canada Graduate Scholarships and introduce a single-window application system over the next two years.
The first element of the Talent renewal was launched in 2012-13, with the introduction of partnered research training initiatives as an eligible partnership approach within the Partnership Grants Letter of Intent competition. The next steps will be establishing and consistently applying guidelines for evaluating “effective research training” across all SSHRC funding opportunities, and implementing changes to the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships opportunity.
Research for a Better Life: The Storytellers
SSHRC’s first-ever Storytellers challenge attracted entries from postsecondary students across Canada. Entrants were asked to create a three-minute / 300-word digital presentation to show Canadians how a SSHRC-funded research project at their institution is affecting our lives, our world and our future prosperity. Every Tuesday through May 21, SSHRC is posting three of the top 25 entries to its website. Each of the 25 received a prize valued at $3,000, an invitation to a communications workshop at Congress 2013, and the chance to be one of five featured presenters at the World Social Science Forum in Montréal in October.
Budget 2013: Provides $7 million in Additional Funding
Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013, announced in March, proposes to provide further support for partnerships between businesses and academic researchers, including an additional $37 million in 2013–14 and ongoing to the three federal research granting councils for partnered research. As part of this, it provides SSHRC with a funding increase of $7 million per year. The budget states “This funding will in part support research related to the labour market participation of persons with disabilities.”
New Collaborative Research Networks Competition Launched
The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Secretariat has launched a competition to fund new networks. NCEs bring together a critical mass of multidisciplinary research talent to address important Canadian issues. National, academic-led networks mobilize public and private sector partners, in Canada and abroad, to accelerate the creation and application of new knowledge in a specific area. Deadline for notifications of intent is June 14, 2013.
Roll-Out Continues for New Grants Management System
SSHRC’s 2012-13 Insight Development Grants competition was the first funding opportunity to use the new Research Portal application tool. The portal’s launch was a success, receiving positive responses, as well as feedback that will help in the next phase of the roll-out.
The Research Portal—and the related, administrative “back-end” of the overall grants management system of which it is a part—is a joint venture between SSHRC and NSERC. It has been developed to simplify and streamline the application process, as well as administration for institutions and the two agencies.
Onboarding of SSHRC programs will continue through 2013 and 2014.
The Canadian Common CV
Federal funding agencies are continuing to move their funding opportunities to use the Canadian Common CV (CCV). The CCV will gradually be incorporated into the application process for SSHRC opportunities over the coming years, to coincide with each opportunity’s onboarding to the Research Portal application tool.
We recognize that transition to the CCV is a major endeavour, and continue to encourage everyone using the CCV to start filling it out as early as possible. In the meantime, SSHRC is continuing to pursue opportunities for improvements to ensure that the new CCV fully meets the needs of its users.
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