Partnership Development Grants
Applicant Instructions

On this page

• Documents to read before applying
• Application process
• Applicant (project director)
• Activity details / research activities (mandatory)
• Invited partner organizations (mandatory)
• List of potential partner organizations and other contributors (if applicable)
• Summary of proposal (mandatory)
• Knowledge mobilization plan (mandatory)
• List of references or bibliography (mandatory)
• Expected outcomes (mandatory)
• Goal and project description (mandatory)
• Research-creation support material
• Description of formal partnership (mandatory)
• Contributions plan (mandatory)
• Participants’ involvement (mandatory)
• Training and mentoring (mandatory)
• Evidence of formal partnership (mandatory)
• Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)
• Budget justification (mandatory)
• Funds from other sources
• Total project cost
• Impact assessment—Appendix A
• Exclusion of potential reviewers (if applicable)
• Research contributions and relevant experience (mandatory)

Documents to read before applying

Application process

Accommodations and accessibility

If you need help completing online application forms due to circumstances arising from a disability, contact your institution (scholarship liaison officer, research grant office or other applicant support office) as early in the application process as possible to investigate available supports. If your institution cannot provide help, or needs SSHRC to collaborate on a solution, contact SSHRC at accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. You can also contact SSHRC if you have questions or are seeking specific adaptation arrangements. You do not need to share your medical or sensitive personal information, and, to protect your privacy, should avoid doing so.

Frequently requested accommodations include, but are not limited to:

• one-on-one phone or video appointments to clarify funding program information or the application process, or receive technical support;
• alternative formats of online materials to enable access using assistive technology; and
• submission of the application (in full or part) through alternate means or format (e.g., hard copy, voice recording, or data entry by SSHRC staff on the applicant’s behalf).

Applicant or project director responsibilities

By clicking “Submit,” the applicant or project director certifies that all information is accurate. They are also responsible for:

• completing all mandatory fields (bold labels);
• attaching mandatory electronic files (application);
• ensuring all co-applicants, co-directors and collaborators have submitted their Accept Invitation form;
• ensuring that invited partner organizations have submitted their Partner Invitation form;
• verifying and correcting the data until the Verification Report confirms verification; and
• clicking “Submit” (to research administrator) for approval by your institution’s or organization’s internal deadline. The electronic submission process ensures validation of the information by an institution’s or organization’s administrator before they forward your application to SSHRC on your behalf (status is “Forwarded”). Once processed by SSHRC, the status will change to “Received”.

Research or financial administrator responsibilities

By clicking “Forward” (Forward to SSHRC), the research administrator or designated financial administrator for not-for-profit organizations (institutional approval) certifies that:

• the applicant or project director:
  • is affiliated with the institution or organization; and
  • has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity;
    
    
• the postsecondary institution or not-for-profit organization:
  • is willing to administer any grant received according to SSHRC policies;
  • agrees to take the necessary steps to ensure machine-readable files or computer databases are preserved and accessible under conditions agreed to by the institution or organization and the researcher;
  • will release funds to the successful candidate once all necessary certification requirements and conditions have been met;
  • will notify SSHRC of any change in the grant holder’s status during the tenure of the grant; and
  • has verified that the budgetary estimates are in accordance with its rates and policies.

Electronic submission process and acknowledgement of receipt of applications

Applicants must allow enough time for their institution’s or organization’s internal approval process, as specified by the relevant authorities. SSHRC will acknowledge receipt of your electronic application form and will assign you an application number. Cite this number in all correspondence with us.

Attaching a document

Many modules in your application will require you to attach a PDF document. You must follow the specified requirements for margins and font size, or your application will be deemed ineligible. An error message will appear if the file you are trying to attach does not meet the required specifications for page length and file size. Once you have attached the electronic file, we recommend you click “View attached file” to ensure you have the proper file and that your file is not corrupted.

Identification (mandatory)

Application title

Provide a short, descriptive title for your proposal in non-technical terms. Restrict use of acronyms (e.g., UN, NATO). Use uppercase for only the first word of the title, proper nouns and acronyms.

Type of partnership

Indicate whether this is a new or existing partnership. A new partnership is one that was developed for the purposes of submitting an application to this funding opportunity.

Joint initiatives

See the funding search tool for a complete list of joint initiatives that may be relevant to your application.

If you want your project to be considered for one of these initiatives, select it in the drop-down list in the “Joint or special initiative” field in the Identification module.

By participating in a joint initiative, you acknowledge that SSHRC will share your application, committee evaluation documents and SSHRC’s funding decision with the joint initiative partner organization.

Research-creation proposals

Before you select “Yes,” refer to the definition of research-creation for more information and examples of fields involving research-creation.

If you select “Yes,” see Research contributions and relevant experience and the Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for instructions about creative outputs and support material.

Does your proposal involve Indigenous research, as defined by SSHRC?

Select “Yes” if you wish to signal to the merit review committee that your application should be reviewed in the context of SSHRC’s definition of Indigenous research and its Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research.

Applicant (project director)

Names and initials

This information has automatically been transferred from your account. To change your family name or first name, you must contact webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. To change your initials, you must return to the “My Account” section of your portfolio to update the information.

Organization

The organization has automatically been transferred from the “current position” screen of your CV. To have a different affiliation on record for this application, click “List…” and make the necessary selection.

Administering organization

Only an eligible Canadian institution or organization can administer grant funds. Institutions or not-for-profit organizations interested in administering SSHRC individual grants must meet the institutional eligibility requirements for the administration of grants and awards for the three federal research granting agencies, which is independent of the application process.

Organization information (not-for-profit organizations only)

When a not-for-profit organization is the administering organization and proposes to manage the funds, you must include the following information:

• the mandate of the organization;
• descriptions of the staff position(s) assigned to the proposed project and the qualifications of individuals in these positions;
• an overview of the organization’s outcomes and, if applicable, specific outcomes related to research;
• discussion of research protocols, including the freedom to conduct research and publish findings;
• proof of incorporation; and
• the organization’s website.

Activity details / research activities (mandatory)

Ethics

State whether or not your proposal involves human beings as research subjects. If it does, select “Yes” and consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and submit your proposal to your organization’s research ethics board.

Impact assessment

The Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) must be completed and submitted with grant applications ONLY if at least one of the following situations applies to your research or research-related activities, as per the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (IAA):

• any phase of the proposed research takes place on federal lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, as interpreted in section 2 of the IAA;^{Footnote *}
• any phase of the proposed research takes place in a country other than Canada;
• the grant funds permit a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) to be carried out in whole or in part; or
• any phase of the proposed research depends on a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) being led or carried out by an organization other than SSHRC.

If none of the above situations apply to your research or research-related activities, Appendix A is not needed.

For more information, see SSHRC’s Guidelines on Impact Assessment.

Keywords

List keywords, separated by semicolons, that best describe your proposal.

Disciplines, areas of research, temporal periods, geographical regions and countries

Indicate and rank each entry relevant to your proposal, with Entry 1 as the most relevant and the last entry the least relevant.

Partnership approaches

Partnership arrangements are defined by the nature of the activity/activities to be carried out. Select one or more possible formal partnership approaches in the drop-down menu. If your approach is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type your approach in the box provided.

Approaches available within the Partnership Development Grants can include, but are not limited to, the following, as well as a combination thereof:

• cross-sector co-creation of knowledge and understanding;
• disciplinary and interdisciplinary research partnerships;
• networks for research and/or related activities; and
• partnered knowledge mobilization.

Previous SSHRC funding (if applicable)
Maximum one page

If the proposed partnerships’ activities are the result of previous SSHRC-funded activities, explain how they differ from those previously financed through SSHRC grants. Describe the results and impacts of past SSHRC-funded activities, and explain how these could influence the new activities offered in your proposal. Describe any potential or perceived overlaps with, as well as value added for, other continued SSHRC funding. Also describe any links developed with the partner organizations as part of previous SSHRC-funded activities.

Participants

The categories of co-applicant, co-director and collaborator accord with financial regulations outlined in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration, so project directors are encouraged to discuss roles and involvement in the team at the outset and to be clear about whether participants will have access to research funds prior to inviting them for a particular role.

Participant invitation process:

• Select the role.
• If applicable, select academic or non-academic.
• Enter the family name. If you incorrectly type in a participant’s family name, you will receive an error message. The system will recognize the discrepancy only after the co-applicant or collaborator has accepted the invitation. For your application to be successfully verified, the participant’s family name must be identical to the family name found in SSHRC’s database.
• Enter the email address.
• Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each person, inviting them to participate in the application.

SSHRC CV

Co-applicants and co-directors must submit a full or partial SSHRC CV, following the Co-applicants with SSHRC CV instructions. To complete the SSHRC CV, they must follow the instructions for co-applicants or the instructions for co-directors, as the case may be.

Research contributions and relevant experience attachment

In addition to meeting the CV requirements above, co-applicants and co-directors must also attach a document describing their research contributions and relevant experience. Co-applicants and co-directors may choose to devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of their past contributions and experience (for example, those from non-academic sectors may choose to have a larger Relevant experience section).

A copy of the co-applicant or co-director’s CV will be attached to the Accept Invitation form on creation. As the applicant or project director, you will then be able to view each co-applicant’s or co-director’s CV as applicable. See Relevant experience for details.

Invited partner organizations (mandatory)

Partner organization invitation process:

• Enter the family name, first name and email address of each partner organization contact.
• Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each contact person, inviting them to participate in the application.

It is the responsibility of each invited partner organization contact to complete, verify and submit their Accept Invitation form, including their Letter of Engagement. Each letter should be written on official letterhead and include the following:

• the relevance and significance of the project objectives for the partner organization;
• the exact nature of the involvement of the partner organization during the lifespan of the project, including the intellectual leadership and governance of the partnership, where appropriate;
• precise details on the financial and/or in-kind contributions to be provided by the partner (see note); and
• the expected outcomes that the partner organization wishes to achieve.

By submitting, the partner organization is acknowledging that it has read and agrees in principle with the objective(s) of the proposal.

List of potential partner organizations and other contributors (if applicable)

Attach a list of the potential partner organizations and other contributors you plan to engage during the lifetime of your grant. Include email addresses and website links, if available.

The list should be divided into the following categories:

• Potential partner organizations
  Indicate whether each partner listed has been invited to participate.
• Other contributors
  Other contributors include organizations (e.g., philanthropic foundations, private sector organizations) or individuals who are not invited partners, but who are likely to provide cash and/or in-kind contributions during the lifetime of your grant.

Summary of proposal (mandatory)

Provide a clear summary of your proposal indicating:

• the challenges or issues to be addressed;
• the overall goal and objectives of the proposed partnership;
• the breadth of the partnership; and
• the meaningful engagement of the partner organizations involved.

Knowledge mobilization plan (mandatory)

In planning your research project, consider the ways in which merit reviewers assess knowledge mobilization activities. For example, reviewers are advised to evaluate, under the Feasibility criterion, the “quality and appropriateness of the knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable.”

SSHRC encourages its funding recipients to disseminate research knowledge in both official languages, whenever feasible and/or appropriate.

Include a plan to increase knowledge uptake by target audiences, and anticipated outputs, outcomes and/or impacts of social sciences and humanities knowledge among various appropriate audiences or participants (academic and/or non-academic), including:

• methodologies and approaches to engage appropriate target audiences or participants, including, as applicable, diverse groups of researchers, policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators, media, international audiences, practitioners, decision-makers and the general public;
• timeframes or a schedule for the intended knowledge mobilization activities; and
• justifications for how the above points fit within the project’s particular knowledge mobilization objectives.

Open access and data management

Grant holders must follow the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications. To the extent possible, and in keeping with this policy and SSHRC’s endorsement of open access forms of knowledge dissemination, grant holders should make their research results openly available through, for example, open access publications, websites, publicly accessible databases and/or institutional repositories. To learn more, see Open Access overview.

List of references or bibliography (mandatory)

List all references cited or works referred to in your proposal. SSHRC recognizes and allows the use of different referencing styles.

If you have included references by the project director, co-directors, co-applicants or collaborators, indicate these in bold type.

Expected outcomes (mandatory)

The project’s expected outcomes are essential for the merit review of the proposal and are part of the Challenge evaluation criterion. Elaborate on the potential benefits and/or outcomes of your proposed project. You will be able to share how your outcomes have evolved in follow-up achievement reports.

Outcomes

Research and related outcomes include enhanced curriculum and teaching material, enriched public discourse, improved public policies, enhanced business strategies and increased innovations in every sector of society, as well as graduate supervision opportunities. Research outcomes, which are facilitated by the effective mobilization of knowledge, then permeate daily life in the form of new thinking and behaviour that lead to improvements in our economic, social, cultural and intellectual well-being.

For “Scholarly benefits,” “Social benefits” and “Audiences,” indicate and rank selections in order of importance. If the information is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type the information in the box provided.

Expected outcomes summary
Maximum one page

Describe the potential long-term benefits and outcomes (e.g., evolution, effects, potential learning and implications) that could emerge from the proposed project as a result of knowledge mobilization activities.

Goal and project description (mandatory)

Before writing your proposal, consult the evaluation criteria in the funding opportunity description. SSHRC encourages the use of tables and charts, as they are often the most effective and efficient way to capture the proposed structure and co-ordination of formal partnerships and activities.

Provide the following information in your description:

• State the overall goal and specific objectives that the partnership will address and demonstrate the relevance and significance of these objectives for the partner organizations.
• Describe the originality, significance (economic, social, cultural and intellectual) and expected contribution to knowledge in the social sciences and/or humanities of the proposed project.
• Demonstrate the appropriateness of the theoretical and methodological approaches that will be chosen to meet the stated objectives. Include a literature review. SSHRC encourages applicants to discuss, if applicable, how research data arising from the project will be managed, including collection, preservation and sharing.
• Describe the project’s potential influence and impacts and identify the progress indicators for measuring the project’s objectives, including its key milestones, timelines and deliverables.
• Address the appropriateness of the duration (one to three years) chosen to achieve the objectives.

Research-creation support material

If in the Identification screen you have self-identified yours as a research-creation project, you can include a website link to provide samples of work that best illustrate the qualifications of the team and/or the nature of the proposed research-creation.

When including a website link, follow these instructions:

• Provide the complete and exact URL and indicate the path to access the intended support material on the website.
• Include a list of up to three works or excerpts of works to which you would like to direct the reviewers (e.g., images, audio, video, written material). Provide titles, dates of creation/production and a brief context for the works presented. Explain why you are including these items and how they relate to your proposed project.
• Ensure the website and all links involved will be operational up to six months after the application deadline.
• Specify the browser and version that should be used.

Description of formal partnership (mandatory)

Define and fully describe the partnership, so committee members can clearly understand that your proposal is a genuine formal partnership. In this attachment, explain:

• why a partnership approach is appropriate for the proposed activities, and demonstrate, specifically, how such a partnership adds value beyond what could be achieved through other approaches;
• the partnership’s governance structure, clearly demonstrating the involvement of key partner organizations in the decision-making process and explaining the conditions, if any, under which they are participating (you may wish to include a diagram to illustrate the governance structure);
• how the partner organizations will participate in the intellectual leadership of the partnership;
• the anticipated challenges in building the partnership, and how these will be addressed;
• how partner organizations will benefit from participating in the partnership; and
• how your application integrates the expertise of all partner organizations in the conduct of the activities.

Contributions plan (mandatory)

Detail your plan to secure cash and/or in-kind contributions. The plan must describe:

• the confirmed contributions of the applicant’s institution/organization;
• the confirmed or proposed contributions from partner organizations and/or other sources;
• how you will continue to seek and to secure cash and/or in-kind support during the life of the grant (one to three years); and
• how the support will benefit the partnership.

See SSHRC’s Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions for more information.

Participants’ involvement (mandatory)

Explain the different types of expertise needed to ensure the partnership’s success. Describe the roles, responsibilities and contributions of the applicant and key co-applicants and/or co-directors and/or collaborators, as well as other key participants. Clearly indicate, where appropriate, whether they are from an academic or a non-academic sector (e.g., not-for-profit organization, philanthropic foundation, public or private sector organization), and how the activities and expertise of each member will support and enhance the proposed partnership.

Training and mentoring (mandatory)

It is expected that students, emerging scholars (e.g., postdoctoral researchers and other scholars in similar situations) and/or other highly qualified personnel (e.g., practitioners, subject matter experts, Indigenous Elders) will meaningfully participate in the proposed initiatives. Clearly describe the specific roles and responsibilities of students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel, indicating the work they will be undertaking.

Consult the Guidelines for Effective Research Training in preparing this section of the application. These guidelines will also be provided to reviewers.

Include:

• the nature and extent of training, mentoring and employability activities;
• the capacity of the project director and team members to provide the proposed training, mentoring and employability activities;
• the anticipated number of students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel (where applicable, indicate the level of study—i.e., undergraduate, master’s or doctoral) to be trained and mentored;
• the nature and level of specialized skills that the students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel will develop as a result of their participation; and
• any career development opportunities for students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel.

Mitacs Accelerate internship(s) summary information

If you selected Mitacs Accelerate as a Joint or special initiative under Identification, use the Training and mentoring section to provide summary information about the proposed internship(s), such as the objectives of the internship(s), the planned activities, and the anticipated benefits to the SSHRC project, to the organization(s) that will host the internship(s), and to the student(s) and/or postdoctoral researcher(s) involved. You will also need to submit the Mitacs Accelerate application form directly to Mitacs. You can obtain this form from a Mitacs Advisor.

Evidence of formal partnership (mandatory)

You must provide documented evidence that demonstrates the quality, commitment and agreement of the formal partnership. Evidence can include, but is not limited to:

• governance frameworks;
• agreements (e.g., intellectual property, conflict resolution);
• strategic plans; and/or
• other relevant documentation.

Do not provide letters of engagement from partner organizations in this section, as these will already be included elsewhere in your application.

Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)

For each budget year, estimate the costs you are asking SSHRC to fund. All budget costs must conform to the rates and regulations of the applicant’s or project director’s institution or not-for-profit organization and take into account the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration’s principles governing the appropriate use of funds. All costs must be justified in terms of the needs of the project, including costs for organizing and integrating team activities and for communicating results to audiences, stakeholders and the public. The budget will be reviewed according to the appropriateness of the requested budget, and to the justification of other planned resources (e.g., time, human and financial), including cash and in-kind support already or to be secured from partner organizations.

If you selected Mitacs Accelerate as a joint or special initiative under Identification, you may not request SSHRC funding for these internships. Funding for these internships must be requested via the Mitacs Accelerate application form. In addition, SSHRC funds may not be requested or used to cover the cost to the organization of hosting the Mitacs Accelerate internships.

Enter amounts rounded to the nearest dollar without any spaces or commas (e.g., 2000). For blank entries, leave the “0” value.

Personnel costs

For each of the categories below, enter the number of students and non-students you plan to hire, whether as salaried employees or as recipients of stipends.

Student and non-student salaries and benefits

For each applicable category, enter the number of students and non-students to be hired. Specify the total amount to be paid. When students are paid by wage, the amounts should follow the institution’s collective agreement or policy.

Student stipends

You may request stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Stipends must be justified in terms of the research, research training and/or research-related objectives. The work performed by stipend recipients should be an integral part of the project. Stipend rates are set by the institution concerned.

Other—Salary research allowances

Salary research allowances are an eligible expense. These stipends are paid to a Canadian not-for-profit organization to cover up to 50% of the annual salary of an employee who is being temporarily replaced because they will be devoting their time as a project director, co-director or co-applicant on a SSHRC-funded research project. The request for a salary research allowance must be justified in the proposal.

Salary research allowances can be used only by not-for-profit organizations that have a project director, co-directors or co-applicants listed on the grant team. Postsecondary institutions and governmental organizations are not eligible for salary research allowances.

A salary research allowance is not a salary for the project director, co-director or co-applicant, but is paid to the Canadian not-for-profit organization to offset the costs of replacing its employee.

Travel and subsistence costs

Enter, by budget year, the total amounts requested for travel abroad and within Canada for both the research team and student personnel. Travel and subsistence costs must be based on rates approved by the institution or organization that will administer the funds.

Other expenses

Professional or technical services

Consulting fees for professional and technical services are eligible expenditures if the budget justification demonstrates expert advice is needed.

Supplies

You can include other supply items (e.g., software, stationery, postage and telephone calls) only if they directly relate to the research and are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Nondisposable equipment—computer hardware

Purchase or rental of computers and associated hardware is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Other nondisposable equipment

Purchase or rental of equipment (e.g., audio or video equipment) is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Other expenses

Specify other research and/or related expenses not already included.

Tools for research and related activities

For tools for research and related activities, select “Other expenses” and specify “Tools.” You must combine all requested expenses related to tools (i.e., for software, equipment, and professional and technical services) in this category. You must then elaborate on these items in the Budget justification section. Consult SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities and SSHRC’s Partnerships Tool-Kit for more information on social sciences and humanities tools.

Budget justification (mandatory)

Using the categories listed on the Funds requested from SSHRC page, explain how you will use the funds in each budget category to achieve the project objectives. For example, under the Student and non-student salaries and benefits categories, explain why these people need to be hired to meet the project’s objectives. Applicants are reminded of SSHRC’s mandate to provide training opportunities for students, emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel, as applicable. Justify any funds that appear in the category “Other.”

Ensure your budget requests match the level of funding that is essential to complete the proposed activities. Note that the merit review committee may deem your application less competitive if it finds that you are requesting non-essential funding.

Funds from other sources

List all contributors (e.g., host institution or organization, individuals, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic foundations and private-sector organizations), apart from confirmed partners, that are providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposal. Indicate whether or not these funds have been confirmed.

Contributions from partner organizations should not be included in this section. If you selected Mitacs Accelerate as a joint or special initiative under Identification, the portion of the stipend cost provided by Mitacs may not be considered as a contribution in the SSHRC application.

If a funding source is not listed, select “Other” using the “List…” button. Type in the source name and amount and identify the contribution type.

If you have received more than one contribution of the same type from a single funding source (i.e., cash or in-kind) and with the same confirmation status, you must combine these into one entry (e.g., two confirmed $20,000 cash contributions from a university become one confirmed $40,000 cash contribution). Enter amounts rounded off to the nearest dollar—in Canadian currency—without spaces or commas (e.g., 40000). For blank entries, leave in the “0” value.

When you save the data, five new blank entry lines will be added to the screen to allow you to enter additional funding entries, if necessary.

Include a description of funds from other sources in the Budget justification section.

Total project cost

Each partner organization will complete a “Contributions from partner organization” page (i.e., budget) indicating whether each budget item has been confirmed. When all Contributions from partner organization pages have been submitted, the amounts from each budget item will be automatically totalled. After the data are saved, the system will automatically display these totals in a PDF version of this page of the application form.

A. Total of all partner organizations’ contributions
The system will total the values entered for “Cash” and “In-kind.”

B. Total funds from other sources
Once you complete the “Funds from other sources” screen and save the data, the system will display the totals on line B.

C. Total funds requested from SSHRC
For each year, the amounts from “Student salaries and benefits / Stipends” to “Other expenses (specify)” will be automatically totalled. After the data are saved, the system will automatically display the totals on line C.

Total cost of project (A + B + C)
The system will automatically add lines A, B and C.

Impact assessment—Appendix A

If you have selected “Yes” to at least one of the questions in the Impact assessment section on the Activity details screen, you must complete the “Impact Assessment Form” (Appendix A) and upload it to the Impact assessment page.

Exclusion of potential reviewers (if applicable)

List potential reviewers who, in your opinion, would be unlikely to provide an impartial review. Provide a justification for excluding potential reviewers (e.g., experts with whom you or members of your research team have had serious disputes). While SSHRC cannot be bound by this information, it will take it into consideration in the selection of reviewers.

This information will not be provided to external reviewers or members of the merit review committee. Any exclusion should be renewed with any subsequent applications, if still relevant.

Research contributions and relevant experience (mandatory)

Applicants must attach Research contributions and relevant experience. You have five pages in total to address the sections below, as applicable. You may choose to devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of your past contributions and experience (for example, non-academic applicants may choose to have a larger “Relevant experience” section). The attachment should be presented in this order, as applicable:

1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years
2. Other research contributions
3. Most significant career research contributions
4. Contributions to training
5. Relevant experience

1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years

Outline your research contributions within six years of the application deadline date. In the case of those candidates claiming career interruptions (Career interruptions and special circumstances), you may include publications drawn from your most recent periods of research activity to an overall total of six years.

Provide details, as appropriate, about the contributions you listed, as follows:

• In the left margin, identify with an asterisk (*) research contributions that resulted from previous SSHRC support.
• Specify your role in co-authored publications.
• For published contributions, provide complete bibliographic notices (including co-authors, title, publisher, journal, volume, date of publication and number of pages) as they appear in the original publication.
• For publications in languages other than French or English, provide a translation of the title and the name of the publication.
• For recent graduates, list theses.

Group your contributions by category in the following order, as applicable, listing your most recent contributions first.

Refereed contributions

Examples include books (where applicable, subdivide according to those that are single-authored, co-authored and edited works), monographs, book chapters, articles in scholarly refereed journals and conference proceedings.

A “refereed work” involves its assessment:

• in its entirety—not merely an abstract or extract;
• before publication; and
• by independent (at arm’s length from the author), anonymous, qualified experts.

Other refereed contributions

Examples include papers presented at scholarly meetings or conferences and articles in professional or trade journals.

Nonrefereed contributions

Examples include book reviews, published reviews of work, research reports, policy papers and public lectures.

Forthcoming contributions

Indicate one of the following statuses: “Submitted,” “Revised and submitted,” “Accepted” or “In press.” Provide the name of the journal or book publisher and the number of pages. Do not list contributions not yet submitted.

Creative outputs

Examples of creative outputs may include exhibitions, performances, publications, presentations, and film, video and audio recordings. List your most recent and significant achievements grouped by category. Creative outputs will be evaluated according to established disciplinary standards and creative and/or artistic merit.

If applicable, you can include a website link. SSHRC cannot guarantee links will be accessed.

2. Other research contributions

Describe any other contributions to research and the advancement of knowledge within the last six years, including your research contributions to non-academic audiences (e.g., public, policy-makers, private sector and not-for-profit organizations).

3. Most significant career research contributions

List and rank up to five of your most significant contributions over your entire career. The six-year rule does not apply to this section. Therefore, contributions listed here may differ from those listed in other sections of your CV. Explain briefly the significance of the contributions listed.

4. Contributions to training

Provide the following information on students you have helped train within the last six years.

• Indicate your role in supervising or co-supervising ongoing and/or completed theses, listing these by the student’s level of studies.
• Describe efforts you have made to involve students (e.g., doctoral, master’s or undergraduate) in your research activities.
• Specify if opportunities for such contributions have been limited because your institution does not have graduate degree programs in your field or discipline.

5. Relevant experience

In the Relevant experience section, non-academic and academic applicants can describe their previous experience relevant to the topic and objectives they are investigating in the application, including their experience in engaging in and/or leading formal partnerships and collaborative research. Justify how this experience will aid you in the proposed activity.

Examples of relevant experience include: working within or with communities and/or organizations (e.g., not-for-profit, public and private sector organizations), non-academic career information, or voluntary work. Include:

• your experience in engaging in and/or leading formal partnerships and collaborative research;
• a brief description of the nature of the work you performed;
• an explanation of how this work has prepared you for your role in the project; and
• a description of the skills you developed (e.g., training, mentoring, analysis, networking).

Career interruptions and special circumstances

SSHRC asks its merit review committees to consider career interruptions and special circumstances that have affected candidates’ record of research. In doing so, merit review committee members will be able to assess the productivity of each researcher more accurately and equitably, independent of any career interruptions or special circumstances in the last six years. Previous productivity is one element that can predict the success of the proposed research project.

All information provided to SSHRC is subject to the Privacy Act. The information included in this section of your application will be shared with both external assessors and merit review committee members for consideration as part of their assessment. Research Office Administrators will also have access to your application when submitting on behalf of the administering organization. For more information, see merit review. All SSHRC merit reviewers are subject to the Tri-Agency Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy, and are prohibited from sharing this information outside of the merit review process.

Career interruptions occur when researchers are taken away from their research work for an extended period of time for health, administrative, family or other reasons, or reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special circumstances involve slowdowns in research productivity or any circumstances that impact the progression of academic careers in a distinctive way. Researchers can use this section to indicate their research work was impacted by circumstances related to health (and/or disability), administrative, family, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19, or other factors. For example, applicants from small institutions could indicate their teaching load in this section if the change in workload impacted their research output. Indigenous applicants can use the “Special Circumstances” section of their application form to describe special circumstances that may have had an impact on their academic or career paths.

Use this optional section to outline any career interruptions or special circumstances that have affected your research activities. Provide dates of interruptions and indicate the reason for the delay in general terms (e.g., illness, disability, family loss or illness, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19).

SSHRC offers the following information for your awareness when considering how to describe your details of career interruptions and/or special circumstances:

• Applicants do not need to disclose any personal details of the career interruption or special circumstance.
• Applicants are asked to indicate how their research was impacted by delays to enable the reviewers to make an equitable assessment of the excellence of their research contributions while taking into account the impact of the interruption or special circumstances on their research production.
• Applicants are asked to quantify the impact on their research production as best they can, providing estimates of time or opportunities lost due to the interruption or special circumstances. For example, the amount of time and effort involved in seeking and receiving accommodations would be helpful to inform the committee’s assessment, by accounting for the impact of the special circumstances on the applicant’s research production.