Goal
Context
Objectives
Funding opportunities
Related initiatives
Goal
The goal of the Connection program is to realize the potential of social sciences and humanities research for intellectual, cultural, social and economic influence, benefit and impact on and beyond the campus by supporting specific activities and tools that facilitate the flow and exchange of research knowledge.
Context
Knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities facilitates the multidirectional flow of research knowledge across academia and society as a whole, in order to inform Canadian and international research, debate, decisions and actions. Those who stand to benefit from publicly funded research results in the social sciences and humanities—diverse groups of researchers, policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators and the media—should, ideally, have the knowledge they need, when they need it, in useful forms.
The Connection program aims to support knowledge mobilization activities—such as networking, disseminating, exchanging and co-creating research-based knowledge—as an important element of publicly engaged scholarship, and as a means of strengthening research agendas. SSHRC also recognizes that rapidly evolving information and communications technologies provide new opportunities to engage a variety of audiences with an interest and/or involvement in social sciences and humanities scholarship.
Objectives
The objectives of the Connection program are to:
- facilitate the multidirectional flow of social sciences and humanities knowledge among researchers and between the campus and the larger community, in order to enhance intellectual, cultural, social and economic influence, benefit and impact;
- increase the accessibility and use of social sciences and humanities research knowledge among academic and non-academic audiences;
- support the building of reciprocal relationships among social sciences and humanities researchers, and between social sciences and humanities researchers and those in a position to either co-create or use research knowledge;
- support the development of social sciences and humanities research networks and tools designed to facilitate scholarly work; and
- make such networks and tools more accessible to non-academic audiences.
Note: The funding opportunities in this program are intended to complement, rather than replace, activities funded through the Talent and Insight programs. Proposals for research on the “topic” or “science” of knowledge mobilization or related areas, such as knowledge translation or knowledge and technology transfer, are welcome at SSHRC, and should be directed to the Insight program.
Funding opportunities
For the most up-to-date information on all funding opportunities, please consult the Funding page. Please note that SSHRC is committed to providing a range of adjudication options appropriate to its individual funding opportunities.
All applicants are invited to consider addressing in their research proposal one or more of the 16 future global challenges recently identified under SSHRC’s Imagining Canada’s Future.
SSHRC, in alignment with its Indigenous Research Statement of Principles, also welcomes applications involving Indigenous research. Interested applicants are invited to visit SSHRC’s Connecting with Society—Indigenous Research web page for more information.
For individuals or teams
SSHRC provides funding for research carried out by individual scholars and teams of researchers.
- Connection Grants are one year in duration and provide support for workshops, colloquiums, conferences, forums, summer institutes, or other events or outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives.
For formal partnerships
SSHRC provides funding for research, research training and knowledge mobilization carried out by new and existing formal partnerships.
- Partnership Engage Grants are one year in duration and provide timely support to partnerships between a postsecondary-based researcher and a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector.
- Partnership Development Grants are one to three years in duration and provide support to develop research and related activities by fostering new partnerships for research and related activities involving existing and/or potential partners, as well as to design and test new partnership approaches for research and/or related activities.
- Partnership Grants are institutional grants of four to seven years in duration that provide support for new and existing formal partnerships to advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization through mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership. These grants are intended for large teams working in formal collaboration between postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types.
SSHRC Impact Awards
SSHRC Impact Awards recognize outstanding researchers and students by celebrating their achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or completely by SSHRC. Postsecondary institutions eligible to administer SSHRC funding are invited to put forward nominations for the following awards: the Gold Medal, the Talent Award, the Insight Award, the Connection Award and the Partnership Award.
Related initiatives
SSHRC partners with other organizations to offer several joint initiatives and opportunities for collaboration that complement SSHRC’s Talent, Insight and Connection programs, as well as to foster links with social sciences and humanities students and researchers whose work is related to the organizations’ priorities. For a complete list of initiatives available through SSHRC’s funding opportunities, please consult the Funding page.
Societal Implications of Genomics Research
Societal Implications of Genomics Research is a joint initiative of SSHRC and Genome Canada. The initiative promotes social sciences and humanities research and related activities aimed at expanding understanding of the potential for new and emerging genomic innovations to profoundly affect society. Interested researchers should develop their applications through the applicable funding opportunities offered under SSHRC’s Insight and Connection programs.
Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics Research Data Centres Program
The Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics Research Data Centres Program is a joint initiative of SSHRC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in the application of social and health statistics. This initiative allows interested researchers to apply for access to confidential data owned by Statistics Canada at Research Data Centres located throughout the country.
Belmont Forum
The Belmont Forum is an opportunity for collaboration that co-ordinates funding across a number of research agencies around the world. While not offering additional or dedicated research funds, the Forum helps secure support for collaborative research projects related to global environmental change. SSHRC can assist interested Canadian researchers in developing proposals that involve international colleagues and partners. Researchers may then submit applications to funding opportunities offered under SSHRC’s Insight and Connection programs, or use their SSHRC grant to participate in a Belmont project.
Multi-agency Research Funding Collaboration
SSHRC also continues to work with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation to enhance co-ordination of the agencies’ programs, activities and policies. For more information, please consult Multi-agency Research Funding Collaboration.