Sponsor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Program
Insight Development Grant
For More Information
For additional information, please visit the SSHRC IDG website for
- Program guidelines
- Application forms
- Eligibility criteria
- Evaluation criteria
See 'Special Notes' section for SSHRC Insight Development Grant webinars on December 7, 2023.
Description
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.
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 who will develop new research questions and/or approaches. Such projects may build on and further the applicant’s (or team’s) graduate work and/or represent a continuation of their overall research trajectory.
- Established scholars 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 as well as those involving research-creation.
Eligibility
Applicants
Applications may be submitted by an individual researcher or a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant and one or more co-applicants and/or collaborators).
Applicants (except postdoctoral researchers and PhD students) must be affiliated with an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution at the time of application and before funding can be released. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian post-secondary institution, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian post-secondary institution, are not eligible for applicant status.
Applicants who have received a SSHRC grant of any type but have failed to submit an achievement report 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 researchers are eligible to be applicants for this grant. However, for SSHRC to release grant funds, successful applicants must formally establish an affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution within three months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2024 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 post-secondary institution within three months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2024 for the current competition) and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.
Co-applicants
An individual is eligible to be a co-applicant if they are formally affiliated with any of the following:
- Canadian: Eligible post-secondary institution
- International: Post-secondary institution
In the case of international co-applicants, the rationale for international collaboration must be clearly outlined in the application.
Postdoctoral researchers are eligible to be co-applicants under the same conditions as those described under Applicants.
Collaborators
Any individual who makes a significant contribution to the project is eligible to be a collaborator. Collaborators do not need to be affiliated with an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution.
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.
An application will be declared ineligible if it is determined 30% or more of the requested budget has been allocated to ineligible expenses.
Maximum Project Value
Insight Development Grants are valued at up to $75,000 over one to two years. A minimum budget of $7,000 in at least one of the years is required.
For the current competition, at least 50% of funds will be reserved for applications from emerging scholars.
Indirect Costs
0%
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 or for research costs of collaborators.
- No team members (applicant, co-applicant or collaborator) can be remunerated with grant funds. This includes postdoctoral researchers 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 as 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.
Insight Development Grants - English
Thursday, December 7, 2023
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (eastern)
Insight Development Grants - French
Thursday, December 7, 2023
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (eastern)
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Applicant postdoctoral researcher (if applying through University of Guelph) to submit a copy of application along with a complete OR5 form to research.services@uoguelph.ca. Postdoctoral researcher (if applicant) must submit a complete OR5 form signed by the supervisor, Chair and ADR. Applicant must hit 'submit' on the on-line SSHRC portal on or before the internal deadline. | |
External Deadline | Applicants must complete the application form in accordance with accompanying instructions. Applications will be submitted electronically to SSHRC by the Office of Research Services. For more information on the Insight Development Grant application forms and process, please read the Research Portal FAQs and Canadian Common CV FAQs. Eligible postdoctoral researchers may submit their applications directly to SSHRC. |
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 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).