Annex I: Self-identiﬁcation data collection in support of equity, diversity and inclusion

This annex represents a data set drawn from the self-identification questionnaire for tri-agency and agency-specific (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and CFI) major funding opportunities from the 2023 competition year.^{Footnote 1} The tables and figures from the data set present a snapshot of self-identification information regarding the four designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act: women, Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities^{Footnote 2} and persons with disabilities.^{Footnote 3} Completing the self-identification questionnaire is mandatory; however, all questions provide an option to select “I prefer not to answer.”

The data set presents a summary of the application and award rates^{Footnote 4},^{Footnote 5} of tri-agency and agency-specific major funding opportunities (Table 1a; Figures 1a-1d).^{Footnote 6} The data distinguish between application and award rates for research and training programs, and provide an overview of the nominations and active chairs awards for the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) (Table 1b), as well as an overview of the team leaders for the CFI Innovation Fund (Table 1c).

Application and award rates for tri-agency and agency-specific major funding opportunities

Application and award rates for major funding opportunities for competition year 2023 are outlined below. The data are collected from the questionnaires completed by the individual who has the primary responsibility for the application. Data were suppressed for the application and award rates when the numerator was less than 10.

Table 1a: Summary of application and award rates for tri-agency and agency-specific major funding opportunities
	Women		Indigenous Peoples		Persons with disabilities		Members of visible minorities
Research Program	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate
SSHRC Insight Grants	49.0%	50.7%	1.8%	2.2%	6.9%	6.7%	26.7%	23.9%
SSHRC Partnership Grants	61.0%	63.9%	2.1%	-	8.8%	8.4%	21.7%	19.6%
NSERC Discovery Grants	23.6%	23.9%	0.6%	0.6%	3.2%	2.8%	33.1%	29.3%
NSERC Partnership Grants^{Footnote *}	25.2%	23.7%	0.4%	-	2.5%	2.8%	35.3%	35.7%
New Frontiers in Research Fund^{Footnote **}	38.5%	46.1%	-	-	5.6%	10.3%	41.6%	29.1%
CIHR Project Grants	36.3%	37.4%	0.8%	-	5.0%	3.9%	26.1%	21.4%
CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund	45.0%	46.0%	-	-	5.7%	6.6%	34.2%	32.7%
Training Program	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate
Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's^{Footnote **}	61.8%	64.8%	2.8%	2.8%	12.3%	12.0%	28.4%	27.8%
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships^{Footnote **}	58.6%	53.6%	5.6%	6.6%	13.3%	13.3%	40.3%	39.2%
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships^{Footnote **}	38.7%	34.3%	-	-	8.9%	-	32.8%	31.4%
SSHRC Doctoral Awards	64.6%	66.2%	4.8%	3.3%	18.5%	17.8%	24.2%	25.1%
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships	56.8%	58.7%	-	-	12.9%	-	21.6%	19.3%
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships	34.2%	40.3%	-	-	7.4%	-	35.4%	35.9%
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships (Doctoral)	42.8%	45.8%	1.7%	2.5%	9.4%	8.4%	31.1%	29.6%
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships	53.8%	48.3%	-	-	6.7%	8.2%	34.5%	30.6%
CIHR Doctoral Research Awards	65.7%	64.5%	2.6%	-	12.5%	11.8%	37.1%	42.4%
Footnote * In this data set, the figures for NSERC Partnership Grants include the following funding opportunities: Alliance, Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants and the tri-agency College and Community Innovation program. Return to footnote * referrer Footnote Tri-agency funding opportunities Return to footnote referrer

Table 1b: Nominations and representation for the Canada Research Chairs Program
	Women and individuals from gender equity seeking groups		Indigenous Peoples		Persons with disabilities		Racialized individuals
Program	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Representation (March 2024)	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Representation (March 2024)	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Representation (March 2024)	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Representation (March 2024)
Canada Research Chairs Program	56.8%^{Footnote **}	48.6%	6.8%	4.1%	7.6%	7.8%	39.3%	29.4%
Footnote * Nomination data includes all nominations submitted in cycles 2023-1 and 2023-2. Return to footnote * referrer Footnote Does not include individuals from gender equity seeking groups. Return to footnote referrer

Table 1c: Team leaders^{Footnote *} for the CFI Innovation Fund
	Women		Indigenous Peoples		Persons with disabilities		Visible minorities
Program	Application %	Award %	Application %	Award %	Application %	Award %	Application %	Award %
CFI Innovation Fund	30.5%	30.3%	-	-	5.6%	8.4%	23.6%	21.3%
Footnote * Institutions have the option to select up to two team leaders for each Innovation Fund project, instead of a single project leader, to compose a more inclusive research team. The statistics above refer to the total number of team leaders (n=518), rather than the total number of applications (n=297). Of the 297 applications, 100 projects were awarded. Return to footnote * referrer

Note: Figures 1a-1d below are visual representations of the data provided in Table 1a, above.

Figure 1a: Application and award rates for women by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Description of Figure 1a

This horizontal bar graph shows, in percentages, the application and award rates for women by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunity for the 2023 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 100%.

The New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are each marked with an asterisk to indicate they are tri-agency funding opportunities. All other funding opportunities listed are agency-specific.

The horizontal bar graph shows the application and award rates for women, by funding opportunity, as follows:

For SSHRC Insight Grants, the application rate was 49.0% and the award rate was 50.7%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 61.0% and the award rate was 63.9%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 23.6% and the award rate was 23.9%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 25.2% and the award rate was 23.7%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 38.5% and the award rate was 46.1%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 36.3% and the award rate was 37.4%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 45.0% and the award rate was 46.0%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 61.8% and the award rate was 64.8%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 58.6% and the award rate was 53.6%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 38.7% and the award rate was 34.3%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 64.6% and the award rate was 66.2%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 56.8% and the award rate was 58.7%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 34.2% and the award rate was 40.3%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 42.8% and the award rate was 45.8%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 53.8% and the award rate was 48.3%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 65.7% and the award rate was 64.5%.

Application and award rates for Indigenous peoples by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities — Figure 1b: Application and award rates for Indigenous Peoples by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Description of Figure 1b

This horizontal bar graph shows, in percentages, the application and award rates for Indigenous Peoples, by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunity for the 2023 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 10%.

The New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are each marked with an asterisk to indicate they are tri-agency funding opportunities. All other funding opportunities listed are agency-specific.

The horizontal bar graph shows the application and award rates for Indigenous Peoples, by funding opportunity, as follows:

For SSHRC Insight Grants, the application rate was 1.8% and the award rate was 2.2%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 2.1% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 0.6% and the award rate was 0.6%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 0.4% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 0.8% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 2.8% and the award rate was 2.8%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 5.6% and the award rate was 6.6%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 4.8% and the award rate was 3.3%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 1.7% and the award rate was 2.5%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate is represented by a dash and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 2.6% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.

Figure 1c: Application and award rates for persons with disabilities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Description of Figure 1c

This horizontal bar graph shows, in percentages, the application and award rates for persons with disabilities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunity for the 2023 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 20%.

The New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are each marked with an asterisk to indicate they are tri-agency funding opportunities. All other funding opportunities listed are agency-specific.

The horizontal bar graph shows the application and award rates for persons with disabilities, by funding opportunity, as follows:

For SSHRC Insight Grants, the application rate was 6.9% and the award rate was 6.7%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 8.8% and the award rate was 8.4%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 3.2% and the award rate was 2.8%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 2.5% and the award rate was 2.8%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 5.6% and the award rate was 10.3%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 5.0% and the award rate was 3.9%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 5.7% and the award rate was 6.6%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 12.3% and the award rate was 12.0%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 13.3% and the award rate was 13.3%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 8.9% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 18.5% and the award rate was 17.8%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 12.9% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 7.4% and the award rate is represented by a dash. A dash indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 9.4% and the award rate was 8.4%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 6.7% and the award rate was 8.2%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 12.5% and the award rate was 11.8%.

Figure 1d: Application and award rates for members of visible minorities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Description of Figure 1d

This horizontal bar graph shows, in percentages, the application and award rates for members of visible minorities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunity for the 2023 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 50%.

The New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are each marked with an asterisk to indicate they are tri-agency funding opportunities. All other funding opportunities listed are agency-specific.

The horizontal bar graph shows the application and award rates for members of visible minorities, by funding opportunity, as follows:

For SSHRC Insight Grants, the application rate was 26.7% and the award rate was 23.9%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 21.7% and the award rate was 19.6%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 33.1% and the award rate was 29.3%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 35.3% and the award rate was 35.7%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 41.6% and the award rate was 29.1%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 26.1% and the award rate was 21.4%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 34.2% and the award rate was 32.7%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 28.4% and the award rate was 27.8%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 40.3% and the award rate was 39.2%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 32.8% and the award rate was 31.4%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 24.2% and the award rate was 25.1%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 21.6% and the award rate was 19.3%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 35.4% and the award rate was 35.9%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 31.1% and the award rate was 29.6%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 34.5% and the award rate was 30.6%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 37.1% and the award rate was 42.4%.

Notes:

A dash (‒) indicates categories where fewer than 10 responses were received.
The CRCP requires that all nominees submit a self-identification form as part of a complete nomination package; as such, the data presented in this table correspond to the nomination rate in 2023 funding cycles and program representation as of March 2024. This data must not be used to calculate award rates or success rates. For additional program statistics, consult the program website.
The CRC nominations represent the number of nominations in all cycles of the reporting year (e.g. 2023-1 and 2023-2) in which nominees self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group.
Program representation reflects the percentage of active chairs as of March 2024 who self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group.

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Competition year is defined by the fiscal year in which the first award payment for a competition is anticipated. Applications may be received in the previous fiscal year, and/or some awardees may receive their first payment in the subsequent fiscal year, but all application and award data for a given competition year will be kept together.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

Although the terms “members of visible minorities” and “visible minorities” are used in legal and statistical contexts in Canada, they are considered outdated and can be inaccurate in a general context as they do not always reflect provincial, territorial or other regional demographic compositions in Canada. Also, the word “visible” suggests that being white is the standard and the word “minority” limits the concept to numbers, when it is in fact more often about the power that is held by a dominant group. In general contexts, it is preferable to use the term “racialized group” or “racialized individuals.”

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Footnote 3

It is widely recognized that certain terms used in the Employment Equity Act do not reflect the preferred or recommended terminology among equity-denied groups. The information presented in this annex is structured according to the Act’s current terms. In December 2023, the federal government announced an initial commitment to change the language and definitions in the Act per the recommendations put forth by the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force in its final report. Further consultations will be undertaken by the federal government before legislation is introduced to amend the Act. (Source for footnotes 2 and 3: Government of Canada Guide on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Terminology)

Return to footnote 3 referrer

Footnote 4

The application rate is calculated by dividing the number of applications in the competition year where the individual responsible for the application self-identifies as a member of an underrepresented group by the total number of applications in the competition year, multiplied by 100 (to calculate a percentage).

Return to footnote 4 referrer

Footnote 5

The award rate is calculated by dividing the total number of awardees from a competition year who identify as a member of an underrepresented group by the total number of awardees who received funding in a competition year, multiplied by 100 (to calculate a percentage). Here, awardees are the individuals responsible for the application and do not include their colleagues who are part of research teams, where applicable.

Return to footnote 5 referrer

Footnote 6

This first data set represents the individual identified as having the primary responsibility for the overall intellectual direction of the research, research-related activity or partnership; generally, the agencies refer to this person in various ways, such as the “principal investigator”, “project director” and “(nominated) principal applicant”; this also includes students and postdoctoral fellows who submit applications to the scholarships and fellowship programs.

Return to footnote 6 referrer

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Annex I: Self-identiﬁcation data collection in support of equity, diversity and inclusion

Application and award rates for tri-agency and agency-specific major funding opportunities

Figure 1a: Application and award rates for women by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Figure 1b: Application and award rates for Indigenous Peoples by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Figure 1c: Application and award rates for persons with disabilities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

Figure 1d: Application and award rates for members of visible minorities by tri-agency and agency-specific funding opportunities

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