Sponsor

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

For More Information

Please visit the SSHRC IDG website [1] for:

• Program guidelines
• Application forms
• Eligibility criteria
• Evaluation criteria

See 'Special Notes' section for SSHRC Insight Development Grant webinars on November 27, 2024.

Description

Insight Development Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Insight Research [2] program.

Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas. Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years that are proposed by individuals or teams.

Insight Development Grants foster research in its early stages but are not intended to support large-scale initiatives. Long-term support for research is offered through SSHRC’s Insight Grants [3].

Proposed projects can involve, but are not limited to, the following types of research activities:

• Case studies
• Pilot initiatives
• Critical analyses of existing research

Projects can also involve national and international research collaboration, and the exploration of new ways of producing, structuring and mobilizing knowledge within and across disciplines and sectors.

Funding is available for two distinct categories of scholars:

• Emerging scholars [4] who will develop new research questions and/or approaches. Such projects can build on and further the applicant’s (or team’s) graduate work and/or represent a continuation of their overall research trajectory.
• Established scholars [5] who will explore new research questions and/or approaches that are distinct from the applicant’s previous/ongoing research. Research projects should be clearly delimited and in the early stages of the research process. Insight Development Grant funding is not intended to support ongoing research for established scholars.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research [6], as well as those involving research-creation [7].

Eligibility

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 [8] 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.

An application will be declared ineligible if it is determined that 30% or more of the requested budget has been allocated to non-eligible expenses.

Applicants:

Applications can be submitted by an individual researcher or a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant [9] and one or more co-applicants [10] and/or collaborators [11]).

Applicants (except postdoctoral fellows and PhD students) must be affiliated with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility [12] at the time of application and before funding can be released. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian institution, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant [9] status.

Applicants who have received a SSHRC grant of any type but have failed to submit an achievement report [13] by the deadline specified in their notice of award are not eligible to apply for another SSHRC grant until they have submitted the report.

Postdoctoral fellows are eligible to be applicants for this grant. However, for SSHRC to release grant funds, successful applicants must formally establish an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution that meets the requirements for institutional eligibility [12] within three months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2025 for the current competition) and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.

Students enrolled in a program of study are not eligible to apply. However, a PhD candidate is eligible to apply if they:

• will have met all requirements for the PhD before the grant is awarded, including all course work and successful defence of their dissertation; and
• establish a formal affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution within three months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2025 for the current competition) and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.

Eligible PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to make inquiries with the Research Grants Office of the eligible institution(s) at which they will be seeking affiliation early in the process.

Federal scientists who are affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution must demonstrate that their proposed research or research-related activity is not related to either the mandate of their employer or the normal duties for which they receive payment from that employer.

If the proposal falls within the mandate of the federal government and the research or research-related activity is performed in government facilities, funding can only be allocated for student salaries, stipends and travel costs.

Institutions:

Grant funds can be administered only by an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution [14]. Institutions proposing to administer a grant awarded under this funding opportunity must hold or obtain institutional eligibility [12].

Institutions must contact institution.eligibility@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca [15] to begin the institutional application process or if they have questions about institutional eligibility.

Co-applicants:

Individuals (including postdoctoral fellows) are eligible to be co-applicants [10] if they are formally affiliated with any of the following:

• Canadian eligible postsecondary institutions; or
• International postsecondary institutions.

When international co-applicants are included, the application must clearly outline the rationale for international collaboration.

Postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates are eligible to be co-applicants under the same conditions as those described in the Applicants [16] section.

Only a person who was named as a co-applicant in the original application can replace an applicant (principal investigator) for an Insight Development Grant-funded project. Such replacement, however, remains subject to program approval.

Collaborators:

Any individual who makes a significant contribution to the project is eligible to be a collaborator [11]. Collaborators do not need to be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution.

Maximum Project Value

Insight Development Grants are valued at $7,000 to $75,000 over one to two years. A minimum budget of $7,000 is required in at least one of the years.

For the current competition, at least 50% of funds will be reserved for applications from emerging scholars [4].

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 [17].

Project Duration

Up to 2 years

Special Notes

Specific rules for the use of grant funds

• Insight Development Grant funds cannot be used for remuneration and/or travel and subsistence costs of presenters or guest speakers.
• Tri-agency grant funds cannot be used to remunerate team members (applicant, co-applicant or collaborator). This includes postdoctoral fellows serving in any of these capacities.
• Insight Development Grant funds cannot be used for collaborators’ research costs. However, their travel and subsistence expenses related to research planning and exchanging information with the grantee, or for disseminating research results, are considered eligible.
• Consultation fees are eligible for expert and/or professional and technical services that contribute directly to the proposed research so long as the service is not being provided by a team member or other persons whose status would make them eligible to apply for a SSHRC grant.

Upcoming Webinars [18] (Link to SSHRC webinars main information page)

Insight Development Grants - French [19]

Wednesday, November 27, 2024
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Insight Development Grants - English [20]

Wednesday, November 27, 2024
1 to 3 p.m.

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 Office of Research 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 be in touch with the Office of Research (contact information below) 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).