Sponsor

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Program

Impact Awards

Description

SSHRC Impact Awards are designed to build on and sustain Canada’s research-based knowledge culture in the social sciences and humanities. The awards recognize outstanding researchers and celebrate their achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or completely by SSHRC. 

Award funds are to be used for activities that promote and extend the work being honoured. In recognition of the crucial role that postsecondary institutions play as researchers’ knowledge mobilization partners, at least 10 per cent of each award must be used to promote the recipient’s research achievements. Individual recipients and their institutions may choose to devote additional funds, including a higher percentage of the award funds, to these activities.

Each institution may submit only one nomination for each award in a given year. 

Gold Medal ($100,000) The Gold Medal is SSHRC’s highest research honour. It is awarded to an individual whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired students and colleagues alike.  The recipient’s achievements in research must have significantly advanced understanding in their respective fields of research in the social sciences and humanities. The exceptional quality and impact of the recipient’s research, and their ongoing efforts to share the results, of this work must have greatly enriched Canadian society, and contributed to social, cultural, economic and intellectual life in Canada and/or internationally.

Insight Award ($50,000) The Insight Award recognizes outstanding achievement arising from a research project funded partially or completely by SSHRC. It is given to an individual or a team of six people maximum (including the nominee) whose project has significantly contributed to knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world. The project’s research outcomes must have led to demonstrable impact within the nominee’s fields of research and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.  In the case of a team project, the nominee must be the project’s principal investigator. If successful, this person will receive the award on behalf of the team.

Connection Award ($50,000) The Connection Award recognizes an outstanding SSHRC funded initiative to facilitate the flow and exchange of research knowledge within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community. It is given to an individual or team whose project has engaged the campus and/or wider community, and has generated intellectual, cultural, social and/or economic impacts. In the case of a team project, the nominee must be the applicant / project director for the initiative. If successful, this person will receive the award on behalf of the team.

Partnership Award ($50,000) The Partnership Award recognizes a SSHRC‑funded formal partnership [1] for its outstanding achievement in advancing research,, research training or knowledge mobilization, or developing a new partnership approach to research and/or related activities. It is awarded to a formal partnership that, through mutual co-operation and shared intellectual leadership and resources, has demonstrated impact and influence within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.  For the Partnership Award, the nominee must be the project director. If successful, this person will receive the award on behalf of the partnership.

More information on the above mentioned awards can be found on the SSHRC Impact Awards website [2].

Program details and timeline are not yet confirmed. This information will be updated when the program launches.

Eligibility

A nominee must:

• be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada at the time of nomination;
• be an active social sciences and humanities researcher or student;
• hold or have held SSHRC funding pertinent to the award category;
• be in good standing with SSHRC;
• be affiliated with an institution eligible to administer SSHRC funds; and
• if the recipient of an award, maintain affiliation with an eligible institution for the duration of the award.

Nominees:

• cannot nominate themselves;
• can be nominated in two sequential years for the same award, following which two years must pass before they can next be nominated in the same category;
• can be nominated in only one category in any year; and
• can be nominated in a subsequent year for a different SSHRC Impact Award

Note: Current members of SSHRC’s governing council, as well as Impact Awards jury members, are not eligible to be nominated.

Prize

• Gold Medal ($100,000);
• Talent Award ($50,000);
• Insight Award ($50,000);
• Connection Award ($50,000); and
• Partnership Award ($50,000).

Special Notes

Each college is invited to submit up to two (2) nominations for each of the Gold Medal, Insight, Connection and Partnership Awards to the Office of Research Services.  Interested nominees should contact their Associate Dean of Research as soon as possible to explore nomination development. For full information on the nomination requirements, please refer to the SSHRC Impact Awards website [2], in particular the section on “The Nomination Package”. 

Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page [3].

How to Apply

The Vice-President (Research) encourages nominations for these prestigious awards. If you wish to nominate a colleague or to be considered for nomination, please alert your Associate Dean (Research) and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by the internal deadline. 

An Expression of Interest will include:

• A draft letter (two-three pages) addressed to the VPR  which outlines how you/your nominee meets the criteria outlined on the SSHRC Impact Awards website [2]
• an up-to-date CV (up to 10 pages) for nominee (and each member of the team, if applicable).

​EOIs will be reviewed by the Honours and Awards Advisory Committee which will make its recommendations to the VPR.

For More Information

For more information, contact research.honours@uoguelph.ca [4] or see the SSHRC Impact Awards website [2].