Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) hosts a variety of funding competitions for researchers operating both individually and in teams or groups, with deadlines occurring throughout the year. For more information on upcoming deadlines, please review the Annual, and Episodic deadlines tables below, or consult SSHRC’s Upcoming Deadlines page. Please note that barring very few exceptions, grant applications require a 'new project request' in your Researcher Home Page, and the RAS institutional review team's internal deadline standard is five (5) to eight (8) business days prior to the external deadline, depending on the volume of applications to be processed.

Annual, recurring SSHRC deadlines, at a glance

Unique, episodic grants of relevance to SSH researchers

Funding Research Tools

Check out the SSHRC's full roster of grant opportunities. UAlberta's Funding Opportunities Database lists grants from a wide range of sponsors in addition to SSHRC.

Who Can Help Me?

The University of Alberta’s Research Partner Network (RPNet) and the VPRI's various Centres of Expertise offer proposal development assistance to U of A researchers interested in applying for SSHRC grants. In addition, the College of Social Sciences and Humanities' Office of Research, and your various faculty Associate Deans of Research provide a range of targeted supports.

For more information about the specific assistance programs available to you, please contact your Research Partner. They provide the expertise you need to succeed, and will connect you to college and faculty-based supports as well. For SSHRC researchers, the research partners available to you are:

• Sylvia Ijeoma Madueke, PhD, Research Partner, Business, Law, and Francophonie.

  • Ask her about the Insight Development and Partnership Engage Grants. Key contact for Alberta School of Business, Faculty of Law, Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, et quiconque préfère communiquer en français.

• Ayantika Mukherjee, MA, AbD, Research Partner, Creative and Community-Engaged Research.

  • Ask her about Connection and Alberta Foundation for the Arts grants. Key contact for Art & Design, Digital Humanities, English & Film Studies, Media and Technology Studies, and Music.

• Craig Taylor, PhD. Research Partner, Humanities & Social Sciences Research (major competitions).

  • Ask him about the Insight and Partnership research opportunities. Key contact for the Faculty of Education, and most of the Faculty of Arts (except those in Madueke's or Mukerjee's portfolios).

Research Development Supports Available for SSHRC Competitions

The University of Alberta’s RPNet and Centres of Expertise offer various supports and services to help you with your SSHRC funding competition applications, including, but not limited to:

• Workshops, bootcamps, and retreats
• Expert advice and hands on support for SSHRC competitions
• In-depth review of applications before institutional sign-off
• Proprietary grant excellence support materials
• Curated Successful Grants Library

Several online resources are also available to researchers interested in applying to SSHRC grants, including an SSHRC Resource Bank, workshop materials, video recordings, tip sheets, curated grants-crafting readings, and a Successful Grants Library. New supports, such as the Research Whisperer Hour and grant-specific proposal development or revision sessions, such as the Lemons-to-Lemonade ReVision Retreat, or Forensic Reviews of unsuccessful applications, are also now available. Please contact a Research Partner and subscribe to <sshrcUofA> Research Forum for the latest information.

In collaboration with the Research Partners, the team in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities offers a range of supports, including four research coordinators to assist with grant-related needs, quick video tips for success from an experienced SSHRC committee member, and the all-important peer review of applications to SSHRC competitions. Peer review is conducted by members of the Panel of SSHRC Peer Reviewers, and is available to anyone applying to SSHRC, regardless of their home faculty.

This calendar of activities convened by the Research Partner Network will help you plan your application preparation activities. Please note this list is not exhaustive. Check the Research Partner Network's Events & Deadlines page for details and dates on these and more recent additions:

Stay Informed

The following means of communication are the best ways to stay up-to-date on SSHRC grants and related research support activities:

• Subscribe to the SSH Researchers Forum (<sshrcUofA>): This is where most information on grant application competitions, deadlines, and support opportunities will be shared.
• Bookmark our Events Calendar and the Research Partner Network Events & Deadlines page
• Access Resources from the Education and Research Archive (ERA): SSHRC workshop materials, tip sheets, newsletters, and examples of successful grants are all housed in a dedicated ERA digital folder
• Subscribe to the SSHRC’s eNewsletter: This brings you the latest news regarding the SSHRC, its funding programs, and social sciences and humanities research in Canada

SSHRC Merit Review

SSHRC's merit review system is internationally acclaimed. SSHRC is always seeking volunteer expert reviewers. Faculty members are encouraged to serve by contacting SSHRC. Merit review committee membership is protected during the competition, but are public the year after the adjudication. You can review past committees here, and search competition statistics here. Following public announcement of results by the federal government, SSHRC posts competition results here. In the interim, SSHRC will inform Research Administrative Services of the competition results, and they will share that information with faculty members as quickly as possible. While most merit review is aligned to disciplines, multidisciplinary (humanities or social sciences) and even tri-agency interdisciplinary review is possible for IDG and IG competitions. Applicants considering a multi- or interdisciplinary review are advised to confer with a Research Partner well in advance of starting to write the proposal.

Quick Links

• SSHRC Homepage
• Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions
• New version of Financial Administration Guide
• Guide d'administration financière des trois organismes
• Renewal of the Tri-Agency Financial Administration - U of A part of pilot
• Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency
• SSHRC Definitions of Terms
• SSHRC Regulations Governing Grant Applications
• SSHRC Merit Review Process
• SSHRC Resource Centre
• SSHRC Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities
• SSHRC Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization
• SSHRC Indigenous Research Statement of Principles
• SSHRC Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research
• SSHRC Research Portal
• RPNet Contact Page
• Researcher Home Page Login