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 2022 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 (Tables 1a and 1b; Figures 1a-1d).^{Footnote 6} The data distinguish between applications 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).

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

Application and award rates for major funding opportunities for competition year 2022 are outlined below as they relate to the four groups identified in the self-identification questionnaire. 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.

The collection of this data is still relatively new, and caution should be exercised in interpreting the data, particularly for competitions with low numbers of applications. As more data are collected in coming years, trends can be tracked and analyzed for a clearer picture of each group’s participation in the Canadian research enterprise and in accessing available funds.

**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	49.9%	53.1%	1.4%	1.6%	6.2%	6.4%	26.3%	25.1%
SSHRC Partnership Grants	59.3%	65.7%	3.1%	3.1%	8.8%	7.3%	19.1%	17.7%
NSERC Discovery Grants	24.6%	25.2%	0.7%	-	3.2%	3.1%	31.7%	29.4%
NSERC Partnership Grants	20.0%	19.9%	-	-	2.2%	2.0%	39.5%	38.7%
New Frontiers in Research Fund⁠^{Footnote *}	37.6%	40.0%	-	-	6.5%	8.2%	38.5%	37.9%
CIHR Project Grants	35.8%	35.8%	0.8%	1.7%	2.6%	2.2%	25.1%	22.3%
CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund	35.1%	34.9%	-	-	4.4%	5.1%	31.2%	30.7%
Training program	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate	App. rate	Award rate
Canada Graduate Scholarships—Master’s^{Footnote *}	61.5%	63.4%	2.1%	2.4%	10.8%	10.1%	27.8%	27.8%
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships^{Footnote *}	60.3%	60.2%	4.5%	8.4%	7.8%	12.0%	36.4%	38.6%
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships^{Footnote *}	48.3%	56.3%	-	-	5.7%	-	28.3%	-
SSHRC Doctoral Awards	65.9%	68.0%	4.9%	5.8%	17.0%	15.1%	22.9%	24.0%
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships	52.2%	52.7%	-	-	13.1%	9.9%	21.7%	18.7%
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships	34.5%	40.4%	-	-	6.9%	-	33.8%	32.5%
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships (Doctoral)	43.1%	46.7%	2.0%	3.3%	8.5%	7.9%	29.7%	29.2%
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships	55.8%	50.7%	-	-	3.5%	-	33.6%	30.1%
CIHR Doctoral Research Awards	67.6%	70.6%	2.5%	-	5.6%	4.5%	36.8%	33.2%
Footnote * Tri-agency funding opportunities Return to footnote * referrer

**Table 1b: Nominations and filled chair awards for the Canada Research Chairs Program**
	Women		Gender equity-seeking groups^{Footnote ***}		Indigenous Peoples		Persons with disabilities		Racialized individuals^{Footnote ****}
Program	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Program representation^{Footnote **}	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Program representation^{Footnote **}	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Program representation^{Footnote **}	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Program representation^{Footnote **}	Nominations^{Footnote *}	Program representation^{Footnote **}
Canada Research Chairs Program	49.5%	45.1%	1.5%	0.7%	6.3%	3.9%	7.5%	6.3%	34.4%	26.1%
Footnote * Nomination data includes all nominations submitted in cycles 2022-1 and 2022-2. Return to footnote * referrer Footnote Program representation as of March 2023. Return to footnote referrer Footnote * Includes respondents who self-identified as gender-fluid, nonbinary, trans, or Two-Spirit, as well as respondents who did not identify with any of the options provided in the self-identification questionnaire. Return to footnote * referrer Footnote ** The CRCP uses the term “racialized individuals” to report on the number of individuals who self-identify as members of a visible minority. 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 2022 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 80%.

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 49.9% and the award rate was 53.1%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 59.3% and the award rate was 65.7%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 24.6% and the award rate was 25.2%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 20% and the award rate was 19.9%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 37.6% and the award rate was 40%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 35.8% and the award rate was 35.8%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 35.1% and the award rate was 34.9%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 61.5% and the award rate was 63.4%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 60.3% and the award rate was 60.2%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 48.3% and the award rate was 56.3%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 65.9% and the award rate was 68%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 52.2% and the award rate was 55.7%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 34.5% and the award rate was 40.4%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 43.1% and the award rate was 46.7%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 55.8% and the award rate was 50.7%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 67.6% and the award rate was 70.6%.

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 2022 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 9%.

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 1.4% and the award rate was 1.6%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 3.1% and the award rate was 3.1%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 0.7% and the award rate was 0%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 0.8% and the award rate was 1.7%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 2.1% and the award rate was 2.4%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 4.5% and the award rate was 8.4%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 4.9% and the award rate was 5.8%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 2% and the award rate was 3%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 0% and the award rate was 0%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 2.5% and the award rate was 0%.

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 2022 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 18%.

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 6.2% and the award rate was 6.4%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 8.8% and the award rate was 7.3%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 3.2% and the award rate was 3.1%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 2.2% and the award rate was 2%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 6.5% and the award rate was 8.2%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 2.6% and the award rate was 2.2%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 4.4% and the award rate was 5.1%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 10.8% and the award rate was 10.1%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 7.8% and the award rate was 12%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 5.7% and the award rate was 0%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 17% and the award rate was 15.1%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 13.1% and the award rate was 9.9%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 6.9% and the award rate was 0%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 8.5% and the award rate was 7.9%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 3.5% and the award rate was 0%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 5.6% and the award rate was 4.5%.

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 2022 competition year. The y-axis lists the funding opportunities. The x-axis shows the percentages, from 0 to 45%.

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 26.3% and the award rate was 25.1%.
For SSHRC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 19.1% and the award rate was 17.7%.
For NSERC Discovery Grants, the application rate was 31.7% and the award rate was 29.4%.
For NSERC Partnership Grants, the application rate was 39.5% and the award rate was 38.7%.
For the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the application rate was 38.5% and the award rate was 37.9%.
For CIHR Project Grants, the application rate was 25.1% and the award rate was 22.3%.
For the CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the application rate was 31.2% and the award rate was 30.7%.
For the Canada Graduate Scholarships‒Master’s program, the application rate was 27.8% and the award rate was 27.8%.
For Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the application rate was 36.4% and the award rate was 38.6%.
For Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 28.3% and the award rate was 0%.
For SSHRC Doctoral Awards, the application rate was 22.9% and the award rate was 24%.
For SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 21.7% and the award rate was 18.7%.
For NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 33.8% and the award rate was 32.5%.
For the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships–Doctoral program, the application rate was 29.7% and the award rate was 29.2%.
For CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the application rate was 33.6% and the award rate was 30.1%.
For CIHR Doctoral Research Awards, the application rate was 36.8% and the award rate was 33.2%.

Notes:

A dash (‒) indicates categories where fewer than ten 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 2022 funding cycles and program representation as of March 2023. 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 percentage of nominations in all cycles of the reporting year (2022-1 and 2022-2) in which nominees self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group.
Program representation reflects the percentage of active chairs as of March 2023 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 most current, preferred or recommended terminology among equity-denied groups. The information presented in this annex aligns with the Act’s terms because these continue to be used in the self-identification questionnaire from which the data are derived. The Act is currently under modernization review by the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. (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 fellowships 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

Notes:

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