SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants: 2025-26 Competitions

Sponsor

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Program

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants (PEG)

Description

Partnership Engage Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research Partnerships program.

These grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and postsecondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.

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

For tools and resources to assist in the planning and implementation of your partnership, see SSHRC’s Partnerships Tool-Kit.

Types of Partnerships

Following are some possible formal partnership approaches. Applicants are in no way limited to these approaches and are welcome to combine some of the features described below.

• Cross-sector co-creation of knowledge and understanding: Partnerships to foster innovative research, training and the co-creation of new knowledge on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance.
• Partnered knowledge mobilization: Partnerships designed to synthesize, apply and mobilize new and existing social sciences and humanities research knowledge in accessible ways to build institutional capacity and to increase the national and international impact and stature of Canadian research.

Joint Initiatives

SSHRC collaborates with organizations from across the not-for-profit, private and public sectors to support and promote training, research and connection activities in the social sciences and humanities. SSHRC’s joint initiatives are designed to reflect its strategic objectives and mandate, inform decision-makers, and, in certain cases, address specific needs of its partners.

The following joint initiatives are associated with this funding opportunity:

• Mitacs Accelerate

Future Challenge Areas

SSHRC invites all applicants to review Imagining Canada’s Future’s 16 future global challenges and to consider addressing one or more of these areas in their research proposal. This is not an evaluation criterion for merit review and does not offer additional or dedicated research funds for this funding opportunity.

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.

Maximum Project Value

Partnership Engage Grants are valued at $7,000 to $25,000 for one year.

Indirect Costs

There are no indirect costs on the funding provided directly by SSHRC. The external partner(s) funds are subject to the applicable indirect cost rate as specified in the Full Cost of Research Policy.

Special Notes

Salary Research Allowance

A salary research allowance can be requested for not-for-profit organizations involved in the partnership with an applicant, co-director or co-applicant on the team to release them from duties to their organization.

Specific Rules for the Use of Grant Funds

• SSHRC grant funds cannot be used to provide salaries or stipends to applicants, co-applicants or collaborators, regardless of an individual’s eligibility to apply for grants.
• SSHRC grant funds cannot be used to provide salaries or stipends to the grantee or to other individuals whose status would make them eligible to apply for grants from the agency.
• SSHRC grant funds cannot be used for course release time to allow an individual to engage in research.
• Tri-agency grant funds cannot be used to remunerate team members (applicant, co-applicant or collaborator). This includes postdoctoral researchers serving in any of these capacities.

Guidelines and Related Support Material

All applicants for SSHRC funding should consult the following guidelines while preparing their applications:

• SSHRC’s Definitions of Terms for terms used in the grant application process;
• The Guidelines for Effective Research Training, which can also be useful to reviewers and postsecondary institutions;
• SSHRC’s Indigenous Research Statement of Principles and Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research for applications involving Indigenous research;
• SSHRC’s definition of knowledge mobilization and its Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization for guidance on connecting with research users to create impact; and
• SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities, for clarification on how applicants can include up to $7,000 of funding for research and research-related tools in any SSHRC grant application.

Information For Co-applicants

If you need to meet a deadline set by the lead institution for this opportunity, please ensure that you provide the Research Services Office (RSO) with at least five days notice in advance of the lead institution’s deadline to review the application, or your proposed component of the project. Please email RSO at research.services@uoguelph.ca ahead of the deadline if it looks like it will be difficult for you to submit all the required documentation on time (i.e. budget, proposal, OR-5 Form).