Sponsor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Program
Description
Partnership Engage Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research Partnerships program.
These grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and postsecondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.
SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.
For tools and resources to assist in the planning and implementation of your partnership, see SSHRC’s Partnerships Tool-Kit.
Types of partnerships
Following are some possible formal partnership approaches. Applicants are in no way limited to these approaches and are welcome to combine some of the features described below.
- Cross-sector co-creation of knowledge and understanding: Partnerships to foster innovative research, training and the co-creation of new knowledge on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance.
- Partnered knowledge mobilization: Partnerships designed to synthesize, apply and mobilize new and existing social sciences and humanities research knowledge in accessible ways to build institutional capacity and to increase the national and international impact and stature of Canadian research.
Joint initiatives
SSHRC collaborates with organizations from across the not-for-profit, private and public sectors to support and promote training, research and connection activities in the social sciences and humanities. SSHRC’s joint initiatives are designed to reflect its strategic objectives and mandate, inform decision-makers, and, in certain cases, address specific needs of its partners.
The following joint initiatives are associated with this funding opportunity:
Eligibility
Subject matter
Most SSHRC funding is awarded through open competitions. Proposals can involve any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for SSHRC funding. See the guidelines on subject matter eligibility for more information.
Projects whose primary objective is curriculum development, preparation of teaching materials, program evaluation, organization of a conference or workshop, digitization of a collection, or creation of a database are not eligible for funding under this funding opportunity.
Applicants
Applications can be submitted by an individual researcher or a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant and one or more co-applicants and/or collaborators).
Applicants must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution that holds institutional eligibility at the time of application. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant status.
Applicants who have received a SSHRC grant of any type but have failed to submit an achievement report by the deadline specified in their notice of award are not eligible to apply for another SSHRC grant until they have submitted the report.
Postdoctoral researchers are eligible to be applicants if they have formally established an affiliation with an eligible institution at the time of application, and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.
Before applying, postdoctoral researchers must confirm with their institution’s research grants officer that the institution can administer the funding if awarded.
Students are not eligible for applicant or co-applicant status on a Partnership Engage Grant.
At the time of application, applicants and academic co-applicants must have met all the requirements of any program of study (e.g., PhD), including all course work and any dissertation defence (when applicable) and have established a formal affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution.
Federal scientists who are affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution must demonstrate that their proposed research or research-related activity is not related to either the mandate of their employer or the normal duties for which they receive payment from that employer.
If the proposal falls within the mandate of the federal government and the research or research-related activity is performed in government facilities, funding can only be allocated for student salaries, stipends and travel costs.
Co-applicants
Individuals are eligible to be co-applicants if they are formally affiliated with any of the following:
- Canadian: eligible postsecondary institution; not-for-profit organization; philanthropic foundation; think tank; or municipal, territorial or provincial government.
- International: postsecondary institution.
Postdoctoral researchers who are affiliated with a postsecondary institution are eligible to be co-applicants.
Collaborators
Any individual who makes a significant contribution to the project is eligible to be a collaborator. Collaborators do not need to be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution.
Individuals from the private sector or federal government can participate only as collaborators.
Partner organizations
Only one Canadian or international organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector can be involved as a partner organization. Postsecondary institutions and scholarly associations are not eligible as partner organizations. Organizations collaborating with postsecondary institutions (e.g., a network) can be considered eligible as long as they are a separate entity from the postsecondary institution (i.e., a stand-alone organization in the not-for-profit, private or public sector). The partner organization must be at arm’s length (independent) from the academic institution and the applicant. A partner organization is not at arm’s length if the applicant or academic co-applicants:
- have an ownership position in the partner organization;
- are employed by the partner organization in any role, whether salaried or not;
- are related (i.e., connected by blood relationship, marriage or common-law partnership or adoption) to a person who controls, or who is a member of a governing board that controls, the partner organization; or,
- are a member of a governing board of the partner organization.
The partner organization must be under the effective day-to-day management control of someone other than the postsecondary institution, applicant, co-applicant(s) or other participant with financial authority on the grant (in a private sector organization this precludes these individuals from holding key executive positions, such as president, CEO, chief scientific officer or vice-president R&D).
If an applicant or academic co-applicant holds a position or role within a partner organization, they must fully disclose any such relationships or affiliations in the application under the Relevant experience section of their CV.
The applicant must also provide a clear explanation of how an arm’s-length relationship is maintained, including sufficient information regarding decision-making authority. Where applicable, applicants are also required to identify, minimize and manage any potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and should take all reasonable measures to avoid such situations.
While cash and/or in-kind contributions are not mandatory, partner organizations are expected to support the activities of the partnership through these contributions.
Researchers involved in formal partnerships that have more than one partner organization are encouraged to apply for Partnership Development Grants or Partnership Grants.
Multiple applications and holding multiple awards
Individuals can apply, as an applicant, for only one Partnership Engage Grant per calendar year. Current Partnership Engage Grant holders can submit a new application for the same type of grant, but only after their grant’s end date (end date on their original notice of award). Grant holders can do so whether or not they intend to ask for or use an extension year in order to finish work associated with the currently held grant.
See SSHRC’s regulations on Multiple applications for grants and fellowship and scholarship awards for more information.
Maximum Project Value
Partnership Engage Grants are valued at $10,000 to $50,000 for one year.
Indirect Costs
There are no indirect costs on the funding provided directly by SSHRC. The external partner(s) funds are subject to the applicable indirect cost rate as specified in the Full Cost of Research Policy.
Special Notes
Regulations, policies and related information
SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications, based on the information included. SSHRC also reserves the right to interpret the regulations and policies governing its funding opportunities.
All applicants and grant holders must comply with the Regulations Governing Grant Applications and the regulations set out in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. Applicants are advised to consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration to determine whether an expenditure is an appropriate use of grant funds.
Grant holders must also comply with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications (see the Open Access overview for more information) and the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, which, as of April 1, 2021, replaced SSHRC’s Research Data Archiving policy for all active grants.
All applicants and grant holders must also comply with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern and the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships.
Specific rules for the use of grant funds
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Grant funds cannot be used to remunerate team members regardless of an individual’s eligibility to apply for grants.* This includes postdoctoral fellows serving in any capacity as a member of the team.
*Exception to the above rule: In some cases, Indigenous team members may be compensated. For more information, see the Tri-agency guideline on remuneration for Indigenous people participating in funded projects. In such cases, the team member may not be delegated to authorize grant expenditures, and under no circumstances is the applicant/project director eligible to be compensated from grant funds.
- Grant funds cannot be used for salaries or stipends to individuals whose status would make them eligible to hold a grant from the agency.
- Grant funds cannot be used for course release time to allow an individual to engage in research activities.
- Grant funds (up to $50,000) can be used to develop partnership-related tools.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | For the March competition: PI to submit OR-5 form along with a copy of the full application to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. Please hit 'submit' on the SSHRC Portal on or before the internal deadline. | |
External Deadline | Application will be submitted to SSHRC electronically by the Research Services Office. | |
Internal Deadline | For the June competition: PI to submit OR-5 form along with a copy of the full application to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. Please hit 'submit' on the SSHRC Portal on or before the internal deadline. | |
External Deadline | Application will be submitted to SSHRC electronically by the Research Services Office. | |
Internal Deadline | For the September competition: PI to submit OR-5 form along with a copy of the full application to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. Please hit 'submit' on the SSHRC Portal on or before the internal deadline. | |
External Deadline | Application will be submitted to SSHRC electronically by the Research Services Office. | |
Internal Deadline | For the December competition: PI to submit OR-5 form along with a copy of the full application to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. Please hit 'submit' on the SSHRC Portal on or before the internal deadline. | |
External Deadline | Application will be submitted to SSHRC electronically by the Research Services Office. |
How to Apply
Instructions
Information For Co-applicants
If you need to meet a deadline set by the lead institution for this opportunity, please ensure that you provide the Research Services Office (RSO) with at least five days notice in advance of the lead institution’s deadline to review the application, or your proposed component of the project. Please email RSO at research.services@uoguelph.ca ahead of the deadline if it looks like it will be difficult for you to submit all the required documentation on time (i.e. budget, proposal, OR-5 Form).