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Ontario Tech University SSHRC Small Grants (SSG) Program – 2025 Competition

  • SSHRC Explore Grants
  • SSHRC Exchange Grants

Deadline: Monday, January 20, 2025

The Office of Research Services (ORS) secured funds from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Institutional Grant program to support and strengthen Ontario Tech University’s research capacity in the social sciences and humanities.

More specifically, these funds will be used to support research activities that will enhance the research programs and expertise of Ontario Tech researchers, leading to the development of competitive applications to external SSHRC programs, or to effectively mobilize social sciences and humanities research knowledge within and beyond the academic community.

In the 2025 round, the SSHRC Institutional Grant funds will be awarded to Ontario Tech researchers in SSHRC-eligible disciplines through the SSHRC Small Grants (SSG) program in two streams:

  • SSHRC Explore Grants – up to $7,000 for small-scale innovation, experimentation and pilot research
  • SSHRC Exchange Grants – up to $2,000 for small-scale knowledge mobilization activities

The total number of grants awarded in each stream will depend on the total funding available and the number of quality applications submitted in each stream.

For applicant eligibility, and grant terms and conditions, please refer to the full SSHRC Small Grant Guidelines.

Important Notes for the 2025 SSG Competition

  • On the recommendation of previous SSG review committee members, the 2025 review committee will continue to prioritize Explore and Exchange proposals from emerging scholars (provided they satisfy all the merit-review criteria), and will strive to allocate at least 50% of the funding for those two streams to emerging scholars.
  • Applicants can only apply to one of the three streams per competition due to limited funding.

SSHRC Explore Grants

SSHRC Explore Grants are meant to:

  • Support social sciences and humanities researchers with modest research funding requirements at any stage of career;
  • Allow for small-scale innovation and experimentation by providing funding to develop a research project or conduct pilot work; and
  • Enable researchers to hire students at any level to participate in their research projects thereby contributing to their professional development.

Amount - up to $7,000

Duration - one year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026) 

To apply for a SSHRC Explore Grant, follow these steps:

  1. Review the SSG program guidelines and ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
  2. Complete the SSHRC Explore Grant Application Form and obtain the required signatures.
  3. Prepare the required attachments according to the application instructions.
  4. Submit the application and attachments by email to ewa.stewart@ontariotechu.ca by 5 p.m. on January 20, 2025.

SSHRC Exchange Grants

SSHRC Exchange Grants are meant to:

  • Support the organization of small-scale knowledge mobilization activities, such as workshops and seminars (both in-person and virtual), in order to encourage collaboration and the dissemination of research results both within and beyond the academic community.
  • Allow researchers to attend or present their research at scholarly conferences and other dissemination venues that align with SSHRC’s mandate in order to advance their careers and encourage the exchange of ideas and research results at the national and international level.

Amount - up to $2,000

Duration - one year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026)

To apply for a SSHRC Exchange Grant, follow these steps:

  1. Review the SSG program guidelines and ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
  2. Complete the SSHRC Exchange Grant Application Form and obtain the required signatures.
  3. Prepare the required attachments according to the application instructions.
  4. Submit the application and attachments by email to ewa.stewart@ontariotechu.ca by 5 p.m. on January 20, 2025.

Adjudication Process

Applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary Selection Committee comprised of:

  • Two or three faculty members in SSHRC-related disciplines
  • One faculty member at-large
  • Office of Research Services representatives (non-voting)

All committee decisions are subject to the approval of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation or designate. There is no process to appeal the SSHRC Small Grants competition results.

Achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive research enterprise at Ontario Tech University is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. As such, the SSHRC Small Grant Selection Committee will be required to undergo unconscious bias training prior to application review. Please consult SSHRC’s pilot Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications for more information.

Questions?

Please contact:
Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer,
Office of Research Services
ewa.stewart@ontariotechu.ca