Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

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On this page

• Raison d’être
• Mandate
• Role and operating context

Raison d’être

SSHRC funds research and research training that builds knowledge about people, past and present, with a view toward creating a better future. From questions on how technology is integrated into our lives and how we can adapt to a changing environment to concerns about family, jobs and security, research about people—how we live, what we think, how we act—informs new knowledge and insights on the issues that matter most to Canadians.

SSHRC plays a unique role within Canada’s science, technology and innovation system by awarding grants and scholarships to researchers, students and fellows who work as individuals, in small groups and in formal partnerships to develop talent, generate insights and build connections that address the needs of all sectors of society.

Mandate

SSHRC is an agency that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. It was created through an Act of Parliament in 1977 and is mandated to

• promote and support postsecondary-based research and training in the social sciences and humanities; and
• advise the minister on matters relating to social sciences and humanities research.

To fulfil its mandate, SSHRC pursues activities in two core responsibilities aimed at achieving the following departmental results:

1. Funding Social Sciences and Humanities Research and Training
   • Canada’s social sciences and humanities research is internationally competitive.
   • Canada has a pool of diverse and highly skilled people in the social sciences and humanities.
   • Canada’s social sciences and humanities research knowledge is used.
2. Institutional Support for the Indirect Costs of Research
   • Canada’s university and college research environments are strong.

Role and operating context

SSHRC offers funding opportunities that provide support to Canadian researchers and students through grants, scholarships and fellowships, respecting the terms of the federal Policy on Transfer Payments. SSHRC research grants and fellowships are awarded through an independent merit review process designed to ensure the highest standards of excellence and impartiality. Relying on close to 900 volunteer peer reviewers, the agency processes almost 14,000 applications for funding from researchers, students and postdoctoral fellows each year. 

SSHRC is also responsible for tri-agency programs, that is, programs shared with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Administered through the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, these programs provide grants to institutions in support of institutional capacity for research excellence. This includes the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program, the Canada 150 Research Chairs Program, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund and the Research Support Fund.

In addition, the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat also delivers the New Frontiers in Research Fund to support international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk / high-reward research and the Canada Biomedical Research Fund. SSHRC also collaborates with CIHR and NSERC to deliver the Canada Graduate Scholarships, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships programs. SSHRC and CIHR also participate in the College and Community Innovation Program, which is managed by NSERC.

SSHRC is governed by a council appointed by the federal government to represent the interests of the academic, public and private sectors. The governing council advises SSHRC’s president on strategy, risk management, performance management and stakeholder relations. The goal is to ensure that SSHRC’s priorities and programs support high-quality research, training and knowledge mobilization, and enable a strong, vibrant research community in the social sciences and humanities.

For more general information about the agency, consult SSHRC’s website.