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SSHRC Insight Development Grant - February 2025 Competition

*Please notify Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer, as soon as possible if you are interested in applying.*

Description:

Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas. Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years that are proposed by individuals or teams.

Insight Development Grants foster research in its early stages but are not intended to support large-scale initiatives. Long-term support for research is offered through SSHRC’s Insight Grants.

Proposed projects can involve, but are not limited to, the following types of research activities:

  • case studies
  • pilot initiatives
  • critical analyses of existing research

Projects can also involve national and international research collaboration, and the exploration of new ways of producing, structuring and mobilizing knowledge within and across disciplines and sectors.

Funding is available for two distinct categories of scholars:

  • Emerging scholars who will develop new research questions and/or approaches. Such projects can build on and further the applicant’s (or team’s) graduate work and/or represent a continuation of their overall research trajectory.
  • Established scholars who will explore new research questions and/or approaches that are distinct from the applicant’s previous/ongoing research. Research projects should be clearly delimited and in the early stages of the research process. Insight Development Grant funding is not intended to support ongoing research for established scholars.

For the current competition, at least 50% of funds will be reserved for applications from emerging scholars.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Deadlines:

Office of Research Services (ORS) Comprehensive Review:  January 6, 2025* (optional)

  • ORS guarantees an in-depth review on all submitted proposal components (application form, proposal attachment, CCV, etc.).
  • ORS review is often well complemented by the review of a disciplinary expert who can further assess the merit of your proposal. You are therefore encouraged to also solicit colleagues to act as peer reviewers to help refine your grant proposal.

*A Grants Officer will aim to review applications received after the above Comprehensive Review deadline up until the Final Review deadline; however, please note that the level of review will depend on the volume of applicants for this competition. At a minimum, ORS will review your application and flag any high-level issues that need to be addressed prior to submission.

Faculty Internal Review Deadline: TBD

  • Send your complete application and RGA form to your dean for faculty review and internal approvals.

ORS Final Review: January 20, 2025 - (Mandatory for all applicants)

  • Administrative review of applications for completeness and to flag any issues that must be addressed prior to submission
  • Assistance with online submission

Complete, final applications must be submitted to ORS by this deadline for final review. Send a pdf of the complete application and all attachments by email to Ewa Stewart or submit your application in research portal.

Applications must be accompanied by a Research Grant Authorization Form signed by your Dean.

SSHRC Deadline: February 3, 2025 at 9 a.m. - (Mandatory for all applicants)

  • When applicants submit through the online system, the application comes to ORS for institutional approval prior to being submitted to SSHRC. 
  • Please submit applications in the online system by 9 a.m. to allow time for any last-minute technical issues.

Value:

$7,000 to $75,000

Duration:

1 to 2 years

Results Announced:

June 2025

How to Apply:

  1. Ewa Stewart as soon as possible if you are interested in applying. Ewa is available for 1:1 project/application consultations, as well as to review applications and proposals (please see below for deadlines).
  2. Review the program guidelines, including the evaluation criteria.
  3. Create/update your Canadian Common CV following the SSHRC CCV instructions.

Prepare and submit an application through the Research Portal following the application instructions.

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.

An application will be declared ineligible if it is determined that 30% or more of the requested budget has been allocated to non-eligible expenses.

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 (except postdoctoral fellows and PhD students) must be affiliated with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility at the time of application and before funding can be released. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian 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 fellows are eligible to be applicants for this grant. However, for SSHRC to release grant funds, successful applicants must formally establish an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution that meets the requirements for institutional eligibility within three months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2024 for the current competition) and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period. Additionally, if the salary of the postdoctoral fellow is paid from their supervisor’s tri-agency (SSHRC/NSERC/CIHR) grant, then the postdoctoral fellow is not eligible to hold any SSHRC grant as an applicant/co-applicant (according to the regulations set out in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration).

Co-applicants

Individuals (including postdoctoral fellows) are eligible to be co-applicants if they are formally affiliated with any of the following:

  • Canadian eligible postsecondary institutions; or
  • International postsecondary institutions.

International co-applicants must clearly outline, the rationale for international collaboration in the application.

Postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates are eligible to be co-applicants under the same conditions as those described in the Applicants section.

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.

 

Additional Information:

Multiple applications and holding multiple awards:

Individuals can apply, as an applicant, for only one Insight Development Grant at a time.

Researchers who applied unsuccessfully for an Insight Development Grant in February of a given year can apply for an Insight Grant in October of that same year. Therefore, researchers who apply for an Insight Development Grant in February 2025 and are not successful can apply for an Insight Grant in October 2025.

A researcher who applied for an Insight Grant in October 2024 can apply for an Insight Development Grant in February 2025, provided that the objectives of the research are significantly different.

See SSHRC’s regulations regarding multiple applications and holding multiple awards for more information.

 

New this year: Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) and Applicant Attestation

On January 16, 2024, the Government of Canada published its Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), which applies to this funding opportunity. Grant applications that involve conducting research and related activities that aim to advance a sensitive technology research area will not be funded if any of the researchers involved in activities supported by the grant are affiliated with, or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities that could pose a risk to Canada's national security. Read the tri-agency guidance on the STRAC policy to understand how this may impact your application.

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), all researchers involved in activities funded by a grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations (NROs) and attest that they are not affiliated with, or receiving funding or in-kind support from any listed NRO.

If your research activities are advancing a Sensitive Technology Research Area, you must submit attestation forms from the applicant, co-applicants and collaborators, as applicable, certifying that they have read, understand, and are compliant with this policy. Should your application be successful, you and your research team(s) will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant that aim to advance one or more STRAs.

Merit Review and Evaluation Criteria

Please read the Program Guidelines for details regarding the merit review, including committee selection and the evaluation criteria.

Resources/Attachments:

For examples of previously successful applications, please contact Ewa Stewart.

For more Information- SSHRC Webinars:

November 27, 2024 at 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. – Join via Teams

ORS Grants Officer:

Contact Ewa Stewart.

SSHRC Program Officer

Email: insightdevelopment@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Toll-free: +1.855.275.2861

ORS Information Session:

Please contact Ewa Stewart for a link to the 2023 ORS IDG Info Session recording. The session includes a Q&A with IDG evaluation committee members. Ewa is also available for individual consultations and for application reviews.