Sponsor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Program
Imagining Canada’s Future Ideas Lab: Canada and the Circular Economy
For More Information
For additional information, please visit the SSHRC ICF website for
- Program guidelines
- Application forms
- Evaluation criteria
Description
SSHRC invites letters of interest from researchers wanting to participate in a virtual, interactive and interdisciplinary research design workshop taking place over two weeks at the end of October 2021.
This virtual workshop is the first stage of the Imagining Canada’s Future (ICF) Ideas Lab, a multistep funding opportunity. At this workshop, up to 30 researchers will participate in facilitated activities before organizing themselves into multidisciplinary teams to develop and pitch innovative project ideas. During the second stage of the ICF Ideas Lab, teams whose partnerships and project ideas successfully met the evaluation criteria for workshop pitches will be invited to apply for funding to further develop their projects.
Global challenges, such as those identified through SSHRC’s Imagining Canada’s Future initiative, are best addressed through proactive, interdisciplinary collaborations. Ideas Labs create new research collaborations that transcend institutional and disciplinary silos and encourage different ways of thinking, and are therefore well suited to addressing these challenges.
Stage 1 of the ICF Ideas Lab will bring together researchers from across Canada to explore the theme of Canada and the Circular Economy, linked to the global challenge of Living Within Earth’s Carrying Capacity. By the end of the virtual workshop, participants will have developed preliminary proposals for groundbreaking research with the potential to inform policies and practices addressing the needs of diverse sectors throughout Canada, and which can also have wider global benefits.
Webinar for Stage 1: An English-language webinar will be held on May 19 to answer questions about the funding opportunity; more details will be posted on the Upcoming Webinar page shortly.
Following the workshop, teams with the most promising project ideas will be invited to apply for funding; up to three grants of up to $250,000 will be awarded by March 2022, for two years.
Eligibility
The ICF Ideas Lab is open to researchers from the social sciences and humanities as well as other disciplines.
Stage 1: Virtual workshop
The following are eligible to apply to participate in the ICF Ideas Lab workshop:
- researchers from the social sciences, humanities and other disciplines who are affiliated with an eligible Canadian institution (see SSHRC’s website for the list of eligible institutions);
- postdoctoral researchers who have formally established an affiliation with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility at the time of application;
- researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian post-secondary institution; and
- individuals affiliated with Indigenous not-for-profit organizations being assessed for or holding institutional eligibility to administer multiple grants over a five-year period.
Maximum Project Value
Stage 1: No research funding will be provided
Stage 2 (if invited): $250,000
Special Notes
Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Stage 1: Applicant to submit a copy of the application along with a complete OR5 form to: research.services@uoguelph.ca | |
External Deadline | Stage 1: Application will be submitted to SSHRC via the Convergence Portal by the Office of Research Services. Applicants must complete the application in accordance with the accompanying instructions. | |
Internal Deadline | Stage 2 if invited: Applicant to submit a copy of application to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. OR5 form from Stage 1 will be used for Stage 2 application | |
External Deadline | Stage 2 if invited: Application will be submitted to SSHRC by Office of Research Services. Application instructions will be provided.
|
How to Apply
Stage 1applications must include the following:
- a completed applicant eligibility profile;
- a letter of interest no longer than 2,000 words that explains how the applicant’s research interests, academic and professional experience, and past collaborations and knowledge mobilization activities will allow the applicant to contribute to this Ideas Lab; and
- a curriculum vitae (CV) no longer than 10 pages. The CV should highlight experiences and outputs that demonstrate innovation, interdisciplinarity, ability to collaborate and/or an interest in the workshop theme. Applicants are encouraged to review the evaluation criteria and scoring for applying to participate in the workshop when preparing their CVs.