The University of Alberta ranks second in SSHRC funding across Canada

When the Maclean’s 2026 rankings were released, one detail spoke volumes: the University of Alberta was ranked second in Canada for faculty success in securing Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) research funding.

SSHRC funding supports research in the social sciences and humanities — work that examines how societies function, how policies affect communities, how cultures and histories are documented, and how knowledge is shared.

In the 2025 SSHRC competition, U of A researchers were awarded a record number of new grants, outperforming the national average in every category. Nearly $9 million in funding supports 64 projects across the university. This research spans disciplines, faculties and communities. Projects range from Indigenous language revitalization and archival justice to public policy, migration, equity, ethics, arts and cultural studies, and the social dimensions of technology.

“I am very proud to say that the Faculty of Arts is home to a highly active and successful researcher constituency, and our faculty members are continuously bringing distinction to themselves and to the U of A through their externally funded and award-winning research and creative activity,” said Dr. Marie Carrière, Vice-Dean, Research in the Faculty of Arts.

Since 2023, Carrière said, the Arts research office has run a SSHRC Incentivization program, awarding a one-time teaching release to successful IG and IDG applicants, with the awardable area of community-engaged and Indigenous approaches to research added this year. 

External grant success in Arts continues to rise. In 2025, the overall success rate reached 56%, with SSHRC results above the national average — 48% for Insight Grants and 60% for Insight Development Grants.

“In terms of SSHRC funding in the U15 context, U of A is obviously doing well, and Arts continues to play an essential role in bringing in SSHRC revenue and increasing our institutional success rate,” said Carrière.

Dr. Denise Larsen, Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Education, says SSHRC funding has the added benefit of enhancing the Faculty’s international reputation.

"The Faculty of Education has well over a decade of nationally top-ranked funding success with SSHRC, a record that contributes institutional revenue while also helping to earn a consistent top 100 placement for the Faculty in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject,” says Larsen.

"As a long-serving associate dean, research, I am privileged to witness the deep commitment and expertise of Education researchers as they attract funding and awards from diverse sources and collaborate across sectors to make lasting social impact for the public good."

While many of these grants are based in the faculties of Arts, Business, Education and Law in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), the projects involve collaborators from across the U of A, demonstrating the interdisciplinary connections encouraged through the One University approach. 

And being ranked second in the country reflects both the volume and quality of SSHRC applications coming from the U of A, as well as the coordinated supports in place to help researchers develop competitive proposals.

“This result is a testament to the world-class research being done at the University of Alberta, “ says Dr. Temitope Oriola, the Associate Dean, Research, for CSSH. “Colleagues in our college are national and global leaders in their fields with cutting-edge interdisciplinary projects. We are delighted to witness the fruits of the layered supports available across the university, from peer review and debriefs to the boot camp and budget-justification review.”

He adds, “It takes an engaged and hugely talented academic community to achieve outcomes like these. We are pleased with the continuing robustness of support from and expertise of teams across the university — including the VPR, RPNet, and college and faculty research offices — in achieving this extraordinary outcome.”

The result is a broad portfolio of social sciences and humanities research that is contributing to national conversations, informing policy and practice, and strengthening partnerships across Canada and beyond. 

This companion story highlights those projects in more detail.

Pishshapmishko,

Chris Andersen

Dean and Vice-Provost of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities