SSHRC Information Session

1. SSHRC Information Session Office of Research Services June 2010

2. Office of Research Services (ORS) Kathy Charters, Executive Director Mary Ferguson, Assistant Director, Institutional Initiatives Unit Sherisse Webb, Senior Grants Advisor and Acting Assistant Director, Grants Unit • SSHRC Liaison

3. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Provides funding for research and training in the humanities and social sciences that adds to our understanding and knowledge of individuals, groups and societies. Priority funding areas for 2010/2011: Aboriginal research The environment The North New media Innovation, leadership and prosperity Research/creation in the fine arts

4. SSHRCIneligible Research Research is not eligible for SSHRC funding if it: • is primarily intended to • improve health, • produce more effective health services and products, and/or • strengthen the Canadian health care system • involves clinical trials • is eligible under the mandate of CIHR or NSERC • CIHR Open Operating Grant • Registration deadline: August 15, 2010 (to be confirmed) • Application deadline: September 15, 2010 (to be confirmed)

5. SSHRC Fall 2010 Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences (ARWC) Workshops: Up to $25,000 for 1 year Conferences: Up to $50,000 for 1 year Deadline: November 1st Standard Research Grants (SRG) Up to $250,000 for three years (maximum of $100,000 in any one year) Deadline: October 15th

6. SSHRC Standard Research Grants (SRG) • Support independent and collaborative research activities in the social sciences and humanities • Peer-reviewed programs of research • Training for future researchers • New theoretical or methodological approaches • Disciplinary and multidisciplinary research • Communication of research results both within and beyond the academic community

7. SRG Eligibility Criteria • Must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution • Applicants who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of Canada must be employed in teaching or research by the sponsoring institution for the entire duration of the award • Previous SRG holders must have submitted their final research report

8. SRG Eligible Expenses • Direct costs of conducting research and communicating research results including: • Personnel (e.g. students’ and research assistants’ salaries and stipends) • Professional and technical services and contracts (e.g. computer services, consultants) • Communication of results (e.g. translation, illustrations and/or photographs for manuscript) • Travel and subsistence (e.g. scholarly meetings, travel to archives) • Research equipment and supplies (e.g. computer hardware and software, books)

9. SRG Ineligible Expenses • Research time stipends • Indirect costs or administrative overhead • Curriculum development • Entertainment and hospitality costs • Payments of stipends to students who already hold a master’s scholarship, a doctoral award or postdoctoral fellowship from SSHRC, CIHR or NSERC

10. SSHRC SRG Online Application • SSHRC online CV https://webapps.nserc.ca/SSHRC/faces/logon.jsp • User name and ID required • SSHRC SRG online application form • Set of electronic attachments (in PDF) • Detailed description of program of research • List of references • Description of research team, proposed student training and previous output • Budget justification • Exclusion of potential assessors • Research contributions

14. Attaching the SSHRC CV Applicant/Principal Investigator • Complete and verify your CV • Research contributions are attached directly to the SRG online application form • When you submit electronically your SRG application, the system will automatically attach a copy of your CV

15. Attaching the SSHRC CV Co-applicant/collaborator • Complete and verify your CV • Attach Research Contributions in PDF to the Accept Invitation form • When the applicant submits the SRG application, a copy of the CVs and research contributions of co-applicants and collaborators will automatically be attached to the application

16. Application Process • When you click the “submit” button, the system attaches a copy of your CV and forwards the application to the Office of Research Services (ORS) • Once the electronic copy of your application and approval from your Department Chair and Faculty Dean have been received by ORS, ORS will submit your application electronically to SSHRC

17. Application Process • By clicking the “submit” button you confirm that all information provided is accurate and that you accept the Terms of Use. • For applicants, the act of “submitting” an application to ORS constitutes your electronic approval and replaces your handwritten signature. • For co-applicants/collaborators, the act of “accepting” an electronic invitation constitutes your electronic approval and replaces your handwritten signature.

18. SSHRC 2011Changes to Program Architecture • All funding opportunities will fit within three umbrella programs: • Talent • Scholarships, fellowships and research grants for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows • Insight • Supports ongoing or new research activities of individual researchers, research teams and formal partnerships • Connection • Supports workshops, conferences, outreach activities, tools, publications and knowledge mobilization activities

19. SSHRCInsight Program • Research Grants • Formerly Standard Research Grants (SRG), Aboriginal Research, International Opportunities Fund (IOF), and Image, Text, Sound & Technology (ITST) • Provide support to maintain and further develop vigorous disciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sector research activities • $7,000 to $500,000 over 3 to 5 years • Anticipated start date: September 15, 2011

20. SSHRCInsight Program • Research Development Grants • Formerly Research Development Initiatives (RDI), Aboriginal Research Development and International Opportunities Fund (IOF) Development • Provide short-term funding for the purpose of supporting research in its initial stages, and developing new research questions and approaches • $7,000 to $100,000 over 1 to 3 years • Anticipated start date: March 1, 2011

21. SSHRCInsight Program • Partnership Grants • Formerly Strategic Knowledge Clusters, Knowledge Impact in Society, Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) and Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) • Provide support to existing or new formal partnerships for initiatives focused on research, including the co-creation of knowledge, knowledge mobilization or a combination thereof • Minimum value of $500,000, with no upper limit, over 4 to 7 years • Anticipated start date: Fall 2010 or Winter 2011

22. SSHRCInsight Program • Partnership Development Grants • Provide support for the development of new and existing formal partnerships to develop new partnership activities, and/or design and test new partnership methodologies and approaches with the potential for replication • $25,000 to $500,000 over 1 to 3 years • Anticipated start date: Fall 2010 or Winter 2011

23. 2010 SRG Competition Results National • 2,717 applications • 927 grants (34.1%) • 832 recommended but not funded (30.6%) McMaster • 59 applications • 29 grants (49.2%) • 16 recommended but not funded (27.1%)

24. SSHRC SRG Success Rates

25. SSHRC Application Strategies Carefully read and follow the instructions Review an example of a successful application Ask colleagues to review application Include role for graduate students Consider collaborating with other researchers Apply for a grant from the Arts Research Board (ARB) Submit application to ORS for review by internal deadline (2-3 weeks prior to agency deadline)

26. SSHRCApplication Strategies • Dr. Mark Rowe, Religious Studies • Dr. Stephen Heathorn, History • Dr. Vishwanath Baba, Human Resources & Management

27. SSHRC Standard Research Grants: A view from inside an Adjudication Committee Vishwanath Baba DeGroote School of Business

28. Road Map Who gets to adjudicate? How is funding allocated to the adjudication committee (the macro picture)? How do I get the funding (the micro picture)? On what am I adjudicated? How am I adjudicated – the process? What drives the outcome of this process? What are the takeaways?

29. Profile of an Adjudicator A successful grant holder Fulfills SSHRC criteria: Regional representation Nature of institution: S, M, L & affiliated Subject area expertise Nominated by parent institution Functionally bilingual Capacity for detail work Ability to work in a team Three year appointment

30. Formula for funding allocation For each Committee, SSHRC calculates the average grant $ requested This average amount is then multiplied by the number of files that would be funded with a 30% success rate The resulting amount is cut by 30%, which becomes the funding envelope

31. Funding allocation All committees have a preliminary success rate of 30% (This changes slightly every year) The adjudication committees rank and recommend budgets for each file recommended for funding Funds are distributed amongst the ranked files until the envelope is exhausted. It follows that committees can fund fewer or more than 30% of the files, depending on their budget cuts.

32. Adjudication Form: Program of Research Originality and expected contribution to knowledge of the program Literature review Theoretical approach or framework Methodology Plan for research training

33. Adjudication Form: Record of Research Achievement Quantity of Publications Quality of Publications Other issues: Impact of contributions inside and outside academia, Contributions to student training

34. Adjudication Process For each application, 2-3 external reviews are obtained For each application 2 readers (A&B) are appointed from the committee based on their subject expertise. The entire committee meets by teleconference to decide on bench mark files and establish a consensus for scoring The readers independently rank the application on a 6-point scale based on the criteria for Research program and Research record, sends it to SSHRC prior to meeting (60/40 split for New Scholars) All applications are ranked on the basis of the preliminary scores and made available at the meeting SSHRC announces the size of the envelope and sets the macro cut offs General discussion with privilege on the top 15% and bottom 15% The readers present the application to the committee in alphabetical order, new scholars first, for discussion and decision and ranks can and do change. Budget tentatively determined A running tab is maintained on the overhead excel spread sheet t guide allocation Last day, “sur le glace” applicants, general equity issues, and policy issues are discussed and the list & budgets are finalized.

35. Adjudication Codes Should aim at publishing in higher quality, top tier journals Question team’s expertise to complete the research Inadequate or lopsided review of the literature Underlying theory and/or conceptual framework weak or missing-proposal lacks solid theoretical underpinning Concepts have not been well defined Lacking in originality and contribution to knowledge

36. Adjudication Codes Methodology unclear or insufficiently explained? Whether the candidate had the methodological skills to carry out the research? Methodology is flawed or inappropriate Potential problem with access to data or research site(s) Project proposal is an ad hoc proposal Program is too ambitious/unrealistic Insufficient contribution to knowledge in the field of research

37. Some Pointers Pay attention to the one page summary Keep the budget simple and justified Choose your referees carefully. Bad reference hurts badly. Balance sections of your proposal. Programs are better than projects but some confusion exists. Provide a perspective Justify your team. For senior scholars, productivity matters and impact matters more Refereed publications are more important than Conferences and Proceedings If you are not successful, try again and again