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SSHRC Insight Grant

Sponsor/Agency: SSHRC

Program: Insight Grants

Description:

Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. Funding is available to both emerging and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years. Stable support for long-term research initiatives is central to advancing knowledge. It enables scholars to address complex issues pertaining to individuals and societies, and to further our collective understanding.

Insight Grants support research proposed by scholars and judged worthy of funding by their peers and/or other experts. Insight Grant research initiatives may be undertaken by an individual researcher or a team of researchers working in collaboration.

Applicants choose from one of two streams, depending on the amount of funding required. Both streams will be adjudicated by the same committees, and will receive the same rigorous level of merit review. The deadlines and application process are identical for both; however, the targeted success rate for Stream A is higher than for Stream B.

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


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 subject matter eligibility for more information.

Projects whose primary objective is curriculum development, program evaluation, preparation of teaching materials, organization of a conference or workshop, digitization of a collection, or creation of a database are not eligible for funding under this funding opportunity. SSHRC funds social sciences and humanities research involving any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas that align with the SSHRC mandate. SSHRC places restrictions on health-related research, and will not fund research which is considered better aligned with the other two agencies (NSERC or CIHR).

If you are not sure of the eligibility of your proposed research under this funding opportunity, please contact Ewa Stewart as soon as possible to consult about subject matter eligibility.

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


Eligibility - Applicants:

One or more co-applicants and/or collaborators). Applicants (except postdoctoral researchers and PhD students) must be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution at the time of application and before funding can be released. 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 end-of-grant 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.

Individuals may apply, as an applicant, for only one Insight Grant at a time. (An individual can be listed as a co-applicant or collaborator on any number of applications.) Individuals listed as co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as Applicants. 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.

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 five months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2025 for the current competition), and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.

Normally, researchers may not apply as an applicant for an Insight Grant and an Insight Development Grant within the same calendar year. However, in 2017, SSHRC approved an exception to this regulation to allow researchers who applied unsuccessfully for an Insight Development Grant in February to apply for an Insight Grant in October. SSHRC will extend this exception to the multiple applications regulations for the foreseeable future. Therefore, researchers who applied for an Insight Development Grant in February 2024 and were not successful may apply for an Insight Grant in October 2024. A researcher who applies for an Insight Grant in October 2024 may apply for an Insight Development Grant in February 2025, provided that the objectives of the research are significantly different.

Deadlines:

ORS Comprehensive Review (optional): September 4, 2024
FBIT and FSSH Faculty Deadline: September 18, 2024
ORS Administrative Review (mandatory): September 23, 2024
SSHRC Deadline: October 1, 2024

Office of Research Services (ORS) Comprehensive Review - September 4, 2024

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

*NOTE* A Grants Officer will aim to review applications received after the above Comprehensive Review deadline up until the Final Review deadline. However, the level of review will depend on the volume of applications 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.

*NOTE* If you are reapplying after an unsuccessful submission, please include your past Evaluation Group comments along with your draft

 

Internal Faculty Review deadline (Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Business and IT) - September 20, 2023

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

ORS Final Review - September 25, 2023 at 9 a.m. - 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

Submit your application by email to Ewa Stewart

Applications must be accompanied by a Research Grant/Contract Authorization (RGA) form signed by your Dean.

SSHRC Deadline - October 2, 2023 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.
  • Submit applications through the online system by 9 a.m. to allow time to resolve any last-minute technical issues.

Results Announced

April 2025

Value:

Stream A: $7,000 to $100,000
Stream B: $100,001 to $400,000

Duration:

2 to 5 years

How to Apply:

  1. Notify Ewa Stewart Grant Officer of your intention to apply.
  2. Review the program guidelines and application instructions.
  3. Create and complete an application and SSHRC CV in the SSHRC Web Portal. We encourage you to consult Ewa as necessary with any questions during proposal development and take advantage of ORS comprehensive review and/or peer review honorarium program. 
  4. Submit the full application and RGA form signed by your Dean to Ewa for mandatory internal administrative review by September 23, 2024, at the latest.
  5. Submit the application to SSHRC on or before October 1, 2024.

 

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.

ORS Information Session:

ORS is holding a virtual information session featuring a brief program overview, followed by an in-depth discussion and Q&A session with SSHRC IG Merit Review Committee Member Dr. Meghann Lloyd, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences  (Committee 435-12A: Education).

Date:  Thursday, August 15, 2023 - 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Meeting link

Please notify Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer, if you plan to attend.

SSHRC Webinars

SSHRC will hold a webinar to provide information concerning the upcoming competition via WebEx, including a question-and-answer session on August 22, 2024, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (advance registration is not required). 

For More Information:

Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer

SSHRC Insight Grant Program Officer


Resources:

Questions:

Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer: Ewa.stewart@ontariotechu.ca
SSHRC Insight Grant Program Officer: insightgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
 
SSHRC Online Application Help:  Phone: 613-995-4273
E-mail: webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca