Indigenous Capacity and Leadership in Research Connection Grants: September 2025 Competition—Applicant Instructions

Co-directors and co-applicants: You must complete the information requested in the My Information section of the application, including uploading a tri-agency CV. Once you have done so, your portion of the application is complete. You can exit the Convergence Portal.

Note: For the purposes of these instructions, the terms “applicant” and “project director” are used to refer to individual applicants and the person acting on behalf of an institutional applicant.

On this page

• Documents to read before applying
• Accommodations and accessibility
• Collection and use of personal information
• Self-identification information
• Open access and data management
• Am I eligible to apply?
• Application process
• Applicant or project director responsibilities
• Research or financial administrator responsibilities
• Electronic submission process and acknowledgement of receipt of applications
• Application deadline
• Using the Convergence Portal to prepare your application
• Applicant eligibility (to be completed by applicant / project director)
• Completing the application
• Application Details (mandatory)
• Invitations
• Participants
• Partner organizations (required)
• Fields of Research (mandatory)
• Keywords (mandatory)
• Summary of Proposal (mandatory)
• Proposed Budget (mandatory)
• Certifications, Licenses and Permits
• Reviewer Exclusions (if applicable)
• Supporting documents
• Project description (mandatory)
• List of references or bibliography (maximum 2 pages) (mandatory)
• Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)
• Budget justification (maximum two pages) (mandatory)
• Funds from other sources
• Letters of support from partner organizations (maximum 2 pages per partner) (mandatory)
• List of potential partner organizations (maximum 2 pages) (if applicable)
• Impact assessment (Appendix A) (if applicable)
• Tri-agency CV Document
• Submitting the application
• How to connect to ORCID (optional)

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Documents to read before applying

Important links

• Indigenous Research Capacity and Leadership Connection Grants funding opportunity
• Research partnerships program description

For all grant applicants

• Institutional eligibility—guidelines and requirements
• Policies, regulations and guidelines
• Help: online application form support
• Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions
• Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization
• Guidelines for Effective Research Training
• Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research
• Definitions of terms used in the grant application process
• Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
• Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy
• Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications

Helpful tips

Write your proposal in clear, plain language. Use nontechnical terms that can be understood by a range of audiences with varied areas of expertise.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) advocates for the practices listed below when applicable in your application. In addition, costs related to these activities are eligible:

• responsible research data management strategies;
• open access publishing activities;
• dissemination in both official languages;
• promotion and support of official language minority communities; and
• effective research training.

If you experience technical difficulties, contact the helpdesk as early as possible in the application process. The helpdesk has a higher volume of requests during peak periods (i.e., September 1 to December 1) and on deadline days.

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Accommodations and accessibility

If you need help completing online application forms due to circumstances arising from a disability, contact your institution (scholarship liaison officer, research grant office or other applicant support office) as early in the application process as possible to investigate available supports. If your institution cannot provide help, or needs SSHRC to collaborate on a solution, refer to the Accessibility in programs and services webpage for information on requesting assistance or contact accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca directly. You can also contact SSHRC if you have questions or are seeking specific adaptation arrangements. You do not need to share your medical or sensitive personal information, and, to protect your privacy, should avoid doing so.

Frequently requested accommodations include, but are not limited to:

• one-on-one phone or video appointments to clarify funding program information or the application process, or receive technical support;
• alternative formats of online materials to enable access using assistive technology; and
• submission of the application (in full or part) through alternate means or format (e.g., hard copy, voice recording, or data entry by SSHRC staff on the applicant’s behalf).

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Collection and use of personal information

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Act and stored in a series of SSHRC data banks described in the information about programs and information holdings. Details on the use and disclosure of this information are described on the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information SSHRC page, in the Convergence Portal, and below. The information is used in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

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Self-identification information

You must complete the self-identification form to apply for SSHRC funding. However, you can select “Prefer not to answer” for any or all questions. SSHRC appreciates your participation, which supports the federal granting agencies (SSHRC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) in monitoring the equity of their programs and strengthening equity, diversity and inclusion in the research enterprise.

The self-identification information is collected as part of your user profile when you register in the Convergence Portal. It is not part of your application and is neither accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or merit review committee members.

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Open access and data management

Grant holders must follow the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications. To the extent possible, and in keeping with this policy and SSHRC’s endorsement of open access forms of knowledge dissemination, grant holders should make their research results openly available, through, e.g., open access publications, websites, publicly accessible databases and/or institutional repositories. To learn more, see Open Access overview.

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Am I eligible to apply?

Consult the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity description to ensure you can participate in this grant program as an applicant, co-director, co-applicant or collaborator.

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Application process

Creating an account and application on the Convergence Portal

Creating an account

If you are a new user, you need to create a Convergence Portal account:

• navigate to the Convergence Portal;
• select your preferred language;
• on the log in page, select “Create my portal account;” and
• follow the instructions on the site and in your confirmation email to finish creating your account.

For information on connecting to ORCID, see below.

Creating an application

• Once you have created your account, click the home icon. Select the “Funding Opportunities” tab.
• Find the funding opportunity or joint initiative you are applying for. Click “Create Application”.
• Answer the Participant Eligibility questions. Once you have answered all questions, click “Accept” on the Terms and Conditions page.
• Click “View Application” to navigate to the application just created.
• Complete the “My Information” section of the application by selecting existing entries in your profile or by adding them directly. There are four main sections:
  • CV Education
  • CV Affiliations
  • CV Interruptions and Special Circumstances (optional)
  • Tri-agency CV Document
• Verify your documents to ensure they have been uploaded correctly and their content is viewable. See further details in the Tri-agency CV Document section below.
• Please note that once the “Finalize Information” button has been clicked for the CV information included in the “My Information” section, it will not be possible to make any changes to your attachments.
• Once you have completed your application, click “Finalize and Submit”.
• Read and “Accept” the terms and conditions of the application.

If you leave the Portal before completing and submitting your application, you can find your draft application listed under the “Applications” tab when you log back in.

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Applicant or project director responsibilities

By accepting the terms and conditions, the applicant or project director certifies that all information is accurate.

You are also responsible for:

• completing all mandatory fields;
• attaching mandatory supporting documents; and
• clicking “Accept” for approval by your institution’s or organization’s internal deadline. The electronic submission process ensures validation of the information by an institution’s or organization’s administrator before they forward your application to SSHRC on your behalf (the application’s status will change from “In progress” to “Received by administrator”). You must accept the terms and conditions to submit.

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Research or financial administrator responsibilities

By clicking “Forward to Agency”, the research administrator or designated financial administrator for not-for-profit organizations (institutional approval) certifies:

• the primary applicant:
  • is affiliated with the institution or organization; and
  • has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity.
• the postsecondary institution or not-for-profit organization:
  • is willing to administer any grant received following SSHRC policies;
  • agrees to take the necessary steps to ensure machine-readable files or computer databases are preserved and accessible under conditions agreed to by the institution and the researcher;
  • will release funds to the successful candidate once all necessary certification requirements and conditions have been met;
  • will notify SSHRC of any change in the grant holder’s status during the tenure of the grant;
  • will notify SSHRC of any changes during the tenure of the grant, such as the addition of new co-applicants and/or collaborators; and
  • has verified that the budgetary estimates are in accordance with its rates and policies.

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Electronic submission process and acknowledgement of receipt of applications

Applicants must allow enough time for their institution’s or organization’s internal approval process, as specified by the relevant authorities.

Applications will remain available for download, via the Convergence system, for a period  following the application deadline.

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Application deadline

Your completed application must be received at SSHRC by 8:00 p.m. (eastern) on September 23, 2025. You will not be able to access your application for further editing once it is submitted.

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Using the Convergence Portal to prepare your application

Complete the application using the Convergence Portal. The Convergence Portal is supported on only the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. The portal might appear to function in other browsers, but can malfunction: for example, the information entered might not be properly captured in the system, without you being aware. Use of an unsupported browser is strongly discouraged.

• Sign in to the Convergence Portal. If you currently have an account on the Research Portal, use these existing credentials to sign into the Convergence Portal.
• Select Funding Opportunities.
• Select the initiative you wish to apply to.

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Applicant eligibility (to be completed by applicant / project director)

• Step 1—Applicant / project director eligibility: Read the eligibility section of the funding opportunity description and answer the portal-generated question to confirm the eligibility of your proposal.
• Step 2—Affiliations: List all your current affiliations and identify your primary affiliation. Select from the drop-down list the institution that will administer the grant. If the name of the institution with which you are applying is not in the list, contact partnerships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
• Step 3—Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): Complete the self-identification form, as required, to apply for SSHRC funding; however, you can select “Prefer not to answer” for any or all questions (see Self-identification information for more information).
• Step 4—Fields of research: Select your fields of research and indicate one as a primary area of research.
• Step 5—Keywords: Provide a minimum of five keywords that best describe, overall, your areas of research.
• Terms and conditions: Accept the terms and conditions to begin the application process.
• Begin application: Complete all sections, including uploading your tri-agency CV (a PDF attachment) based on the tri-agency CV instructions.

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Completing the application

Before writing your proposal, consult the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity description. The headings below match the application sections in the Convergence Portal. Follow the instructions provided in this document, along with the instructions provided onscreen in the Convergence Portal, to complete the application.

As the applicant / project director, you are responsible for completing all sections of the application and submitting it to the research administrator once complete. While co-directors and co-applicants must complete their own profiles, as the applicant / project director you must verify this has been done before submitting. You must remove any co-directors or co-applicants who have not completed their profiles before you can Finalize and Submit the application.

As the applicant / project director, you are responsible for verifying the page lengths and proper formatting of any uploaded attachments. If an application contains one or more attachments that do not comply with the page limits or formatting standards, the application could be withdrawn from the competition.

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Application Details (mandatory)

Application title

Provide a short, descriptive title for your proposal in nontechnical terms. Restrict use of acronyms (e.g., UN, NATO). Use uppercase for only the first word of the title and for proper nouns and acronyms.

Language of the application

Choose the language in which the application will be submitted.

Choose the type of grant you are applying for (mandatory) 

Choose the type of grant that will be submitted: Institutional grant or Individual grant.

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Invitations

Invite the co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators for this application. Those invited will receive an email, which will include your name and email address (as the applicant / project director), and the application title, as well as a link to the Convergence Portal. Once they have selected Accept Invitation and completed their own eligibility profile, the co-directors’, co-applicants’ and collaborators’ names will be displayed in the Participants section of your application.

Co-directors and co-applicants must upload a tri-agency CV, following the instructions below.

Ensure co-directors and co-applicants invited in this section are eligible for that role by consulting the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity description.

The Convergence system does not verify email addresses or register bounce-backs. We strongly recommend you follow up directly with invited participants if an individual has not accepted your invitation in a timely manner. When accepting an invitation, individuals will be redirected to the Convergence Portal to log in (or create an account), verify their eligibility and complete the participant content.

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Participants

This section lists co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators who have been invited to join the application. If a participant has not accepted the invitation, follow up with them to confirm they have received it. If a participant is listed as Pending Eligibility, this means they have accepted your invitation but not yet completed their eligibility profile.

Once a participant has uploaded their tri-agency CV in the Tri-Agency CV Document module and completed the My Information section, their status will be listed as Information not finalized. The applicant must then click on “Finalize information” to add the co-director or co-applicant to the application. It is important to review the information of the participant to ensure correctness as this action cannot be undone.

Participant statuses will show as Complete when the required information has been finalized.

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Partner organizations (required)

List the partner organizations that have agreed to participate. Include the contact information of each partner organization contact person. If the organization to which the applicant is affiliated wishes to participate as a partner organization, the project director must list it in this section.

Upload letters of support from each partner organization and include cash and in-kind contributions in the Supporting Documents section as outlined below.

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Fields of Research (mandatory)

List the fields of research that best describe this specific application according to the 2020 version of the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) (Version 2.0). You must provide one primary field of research. You may add up to a maximum of five fields of research directly related to the project.

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Keywords (mandatory)

List between one and 10 keyword entries that best describe this specific application. Commas are accepted as part of multiple words that make up one keyword. Use the Enter key to add your keyword.

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Summary of Proposal (mandatory)

As investment to this funding opportunity is contingent upon distributions of funds among Métis and First Nations communities, proposals must indicate to which funding stream they are applying. In the first line of the Summary section please add the name of one of the following funding streams:

• Métis Stream
• First Nations Stream
• Multiple Indigenous Communities Stream, serving more than one distinction

Provide a clear summary of your proposal, indicating:

• a description of the event and/or outreach activity;
• the significance and expected contributions to growing capacity and leadership in research as related to wholistic and distinctions-based approaches; and
• an overview of members of the team and their expected contributions/roles.

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Proposed Budget (mandatory)

Enter the amount requested for the year. Ensure your proposed budget does not exceed the maximum amount of $50,000 that can be requested for the one year of funding.

Additional budget details are required in the Supporting documents section (i.e., “Funds requested from SSHRC” and “Budget justification” attachments). Ensure the total amounts requested from SSHRC correspond with those submitted in the “Funds requested from SSHRC” detailed budget table in the Supporting documents section.

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Certifications, Licenses and Permits

Complete this section by answering the questions as they relate to the proposed research project.
State whether or not your proposal involves human beings as research subjects. If it does, select “Yes”, consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and submit your proposal to your organization’s research ethics board.

If none of the above situations apply to your proposed research activities, you do not need to complete or submit the Impact Assessment Form in the Supporting documents section.

The Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) must be completed and submitted with grant applications only if at least one of the following situations applies to your research or research-related activities, as per the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (IAA):

• any phase of the proposed research takes place on federal lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, as interpreted in section 2 of the IAA;
• any phase of the proposed research takes place in a country other than Canada;
• the grant funds permit a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) to be carried out in whole or in part; or
• any phase of the proposed research depends on a designated project (listed in the Physical Activities Regulations) being led or carried out by an organization other than SSHRC.

The first two points apply only to designated projects / physical activities listed in the Physical Activities Regulations (e.g., projects that involve physical work / alterations to the land or environment).

If none of the above situations apply to your proposed research or research-related activities, Appendix A is not needed in the Supporting documents  section.

For more information, see SSHRC’s Guidelines on Impact Assessment.

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Reviewer Exclusions (if applicable)

List potential reviewers who, in your opinion, would be unlikely to provide an impartial review. While SSHRC cannot be bound by this information, it will be taken into consideration in the selection of reviewers. This information will be held in strictest confidence and will not be provided to members of the adjudication committee.

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Supporting documents

Instructions for attachments

Prepare your supporting documents, which will be separate attachments, following these requirements (for the tri-agency CV, see the tri-agency CV page):

1. Explain any acronyms and abbreviations.
2. Size all pages to 8 ½" x 11" (216 mm x 279 mm).
3. Use a minimum of single line spacing (no narrow spacing).
4. Put all text in 12 pt, Arial, black font with standard (not condensed) character spacing.
5. Apply any different fonts and sizes only in tables, figures and legends. However, all text must be clear and readable when the page is displayed at its normal size of 100%. Do not use condensed fonts.
6. Set minimum margins of 0.79″ (2 cm) around all pages.
7. Number pages sequentially in multipage attachments.
8. Include the application identification number (e.g., 876-2025-xxxxx) at the top of each page of each attachment.
9. Include the document name at the top of the first page of each attachment (e.g., Proposal).
10. Respect the maximum number of pages allowed for each attachment (if applicable).
11. Before uploading, save/export your attachment as an unprotected PDF (i.e., without security measures locking or password protecting the document).
12. Each uploaded PDF cannot exceed 5 MB.

Convert the documents

All attachments must be converted to portable document format (PDF) before you can attach them to the application. The conversion process varies with the operating system and word processing software you are using. If you have questions about converting your documents to PDF, contact your institution’s technical support staff.

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Project description (mandatory)

You must attach a PDF copy of your research program description. Before writing your proposal, consult the eligibility criteria in the funding opportunity description. Write your proposal in clear, plain language for a multidisciplinary review committee. Avoid jargon, acronyms and highly technical terms.

The following sections must be addressed in one document and uploaded following the instructions for attachments above. The page limits indicated for each section are suggestions, but the maximum limit of 10 pages is firm. You must follow the order of the sections. Use of headings is highly encouraged.

Goal and project description (six pages)

Provide the following information in your description:

• a description of the proposed event or outreach activity (this can include a draft program or agenda, if applicable);
• a statement regarding the overall goal and specific objectives, including the significance and expected contributions to growing First Nations and/or Métis capacity and leadership;
• a description of the research you will be disseminating, transferring, exchanging or mobilizing;
• a description of your main audience(s) (e.g., community members, scholars, practitioners, etc.) and the importance of connecting with the specified audience(s);
• an overview of the team and their respective roles and contributions related to the themes of the event or outreach activity and the objectives of this funding opportunity to support capacity and leadership, such as details on training and mentoring; and
• details on how all activities can be undertaken within one year, including a work plan, timelines, and description of proposed approach.

If applicable, SSHRC encourages applicants to discuss how project results will be managed, including collection, preservation and sharing. See Data management plan section.

Expected outcomes (two pages)

The project’s expected outcomes are essential for the merit review of the proposal and are part of the Challenge evaluation criterion. Describe the potential benefits and outcomes that could emerge from the proposed project as a result of knowledge mobilization activities. Project outcomes are facilitated by effective knowledge mobilization.

Training and mentoring (two pages)

It is expected that students, community members, Indigenous Elders, emerging scholars (e.g., postdoctoral researchers and other scholars in similar situations) and others (e.g., practitioners and subject matter experts) will meaningfully participate in the proposed project. Clearly describe the specific roles and responsibilities of students, community members, emerging scholars and others, indicating the work they will be undertaking, including:

• the nature and extent of training, mentoring and employability activities;
• the capacity of the project director and team members to provide the proposed training, mentoring and employability activities;
• the anticipated number of students, emerging scholars and/or others to be trained and mentored, and, where applicable, indicate the level of study (i.e., undergraduate, master’s or doctoral); and
• the nature and level of specialized skills and/or career development opportunities that these individuals will grow as a result of their participation.

Consult the Guidelines for Effective Research Training in preparing this section of the application. These guidelines will also be provided to reviewers.

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List of references or bibliography (maximum 2 pages) (mandatory)

List all references cited or works referred to in your proposal. SSHRC recognizes and allows the use of different referencing styles.

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Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)

For the budget year, estimate the costs you are asking SSHRC to fund using the Funds requested from SSHRC Excel template provided for this section (which you will upload as a PDF). Ensure that the totals match the figures entered in the Proposed budget section of the Convergence application form. Consult the Specific rules for the use of grant funds section of the funding opportunity description. All budget costs must conform to the rates and regulations of the project director’s institution and take into account the general principles of the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration principles governing the appropriate use of funds, unless otherwise specified in the description of this funding opportunity.

In alignment with the Government of Canada’s commitment to Reconciliation, the Tri-agency Strengthening Indigenous Research Capacity strategy, and the objectives set by this unique funding opportunity toward capacity growth, grant funds can be used to request up to 25% of the value of the direct costs of research to cover indirect costs, and proposals may also include course release time. Any indirect costs and course release amounts must be included in the total funding request and budget justification. (See other details below in the Budget justification).

All costs must be justified in terms of the needs of the proposed project, including costs for organizing and integrating team activities, and for communicating results to audiences, stakeholders and the public. The budget will be reviewed according to the appropriateness of the requested budget, and to the justification of other planned resources (e.g., time, human and financial), including cash and in-kind support already or to be secured from partner organizations (see Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions).

SSHRC provides the following guidelines to committee members regarding the review of the budget subcriteria of the overall Feasibility score:

• Committees can consider failing an application on the Feasibility criterion if they determine that 30% or more of the overall budget request is insufficiently justified and/or not appropriate to the proposed objectives or outcomes of the application.
• Committees will use the principle of minimum essential funding to guide their budget discussions.
• Committees can recommend minor budget reductions when they determine the request is inadequately justified and/or not appropriate as described above, and where they judge that savings could be achieved without jeopardizing the proposal’s objectives.

Enter amounts rounded to the nearest dollar. Only enter amounts for the one year of funding.

Personnel costs

For each of the categories below, enter the number of students and nonstudents you plan to hire, whether as salaried employees or as recipients of stipends.

Student and nonstudent salaries and benefits

For each applicable category, enter the number of students and nonstudents to be hired. Specify the total amount to be paid. When students are paid by wage, the amounts should follow the institution’s collective agreement or policy.

Student stipends

You may request stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Stipends must be justified in terms of the research, research training and/or research-related objectives. The work performed by stipend recipients should be an integral part of the project. Stipend rates are set by the institution concerned.

Other—Salary research allowances

Salary research allowances are an eligible expense. These stipends are paid to a Canadian not-for-profit organization to cover up to 50% of the annual salary of an employee who is being temporarily replaced because they will be devoting their time as an applicant, co-director or a co-applicant on a SSHRC-funded research grant. The request for a salary research allowance must be justified in the proposal.

Salary research allowances can be used only by not-for-profit organizations that have applicants, co-directors or co-applicants listed on the grant team. Postsecondary institutions and governmental organizations are not eligible for salary research allowances.

A salary research allowance is not a salary for the project director, co-director or co-applicant, but is paid to the Canadian not-for-profit organization to offset the costs of replacing its employee.

Remuneration for Indigenous people participating in funded projects

Per the Specific rules for the use of grant funds, funding cannot be used to remunerate Team members with the exception of:

• Indigenous Elders
• Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, and
• Indigenous people who are affiliated with not-for-profit organizations.

Note that in such cases, the team member may not already be compensated to conduct research and may not be delegated to authorize grant expenditures. Under no circumstances is the project director eligible to be compensated from grant funds. For more information, please consult the Tri-agency guideline on remuneration for Indigenous people participating in funded projects.

Travel and subsistence costs

Enter, by budget year, the total amounts requested for travel abroad and within Canada for both the research team and student personnel. These must be obtained at the lowest possible travel fares.

Travel and subsistence costs must be based on rates approved by the institution or organization that will administer the funds.

Other expenses

Professional or technical services

Consulting fees for professional and technical services are eligible expenditures if the budget justification demonstrates expert advice is needed.

Supplies

You can include other supply items (e.g., software, stationery, postage and telephone calls) only if they directly relate to the research and are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Nondisposable equipment—computer hardware

Purchase or rental of computers and associated hardware is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Other nondisposable equipment

Purchase or rental of equipment (e.g., audio or video equipment) is allowable only if these are not provided by the administering institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Other expenses

Specify other research and/or related expenses not already included.

Tools for research and related activities

For tools for research and related activities, select “Other expenses” and specify “Tools.” You must combine all requested expenses related to tools (i.e., for software, equipment, and professional and technical services) into this category. You must then elaborate on these items in the Budget justification section. Consult SSHRC’s Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities for more information on social sciences and humanities tools.

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Budget justification (maximum two pages) (mandatory)

Using the categories listed on the Funds requested from SSHRC page, explain how you will use the funds in each budget category to achieve the project objectives. For example, under the Student and non-student salaries and benefits categories, explain why these people need to be hired to meet the project’s objectives. Applicants are reminded of SSHRC’s mandate to provide training opportunities for students, emerging scholars, and highly qualified personnel, as applicable. Justify any funds that appear in the category “Other.”

As this funding opportunity recognizes the unique needs of Indigenous research, proposals may include an amount for indirect costs that is up to 25% of the amount requested for direct costs in the total funding request. The indirect costs component of each grant is included in the award value, not in addition to the award value. Eligible indirect costs include those specified in the five categories of expenses eligible and ineligible under the Research Support Fund. However, grants awarded through this funding opportunity are excluded from the calculation of credits to institutions under the Fund. Please refer to this link for examples of what would be considered eligible indirect costs for this funding opportunity.

The following are eligible salary expenses only for project directors, co-directors and co-applicants affiliated with an eligible Canadian college, polytechnic or CÉGEP:

• salary for research activities of a part-time faculty member (the total salary support of part-time salary plus this Connection Grant salary support cannot exceed that for a full-time faculty member at the institution, when calculated on an annual or hourly basis);
• salaries and nondiscretionary benefits for technical and professional staff carrying out research and technology, and/or for knowledge transfer personnel (salaries and nondiscretionary benefits for research administrators and business development personnel are not eligible);
• salaries of replacement faculty hired to backfill a college faculty members’ involvement in the grant activities; and
• student salaries, including nondiscretionary benefits or stipends, to support students’ involvement in the proposed project activities.

For tools for research and related activities: Within the page limit, you must include in your Budget justification a table clearly indicating amounts by item (e.g., professional/technical services, supplies). This presentation is mandatory, as these separate amounts cannot be included individually in the Funds requested from SSHRC template form. Provide clear justification for each item proposed.

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Funds from other sources

Complete the Funds requested from other sources Excel template provided for this section only for the one year of funding (which you will upload as a PDF). See details in the Requirements section of the funding opportunity description.

List all contributors (e.g., host institution or organization, individuals, philanthropic foundations and private-sector organizations) that are providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposal. Indicate whether these funds have been confirmed.

Type the source name and amount, and identify the contribution type.

If you have received more than one contribution of the same type (i.e., cash or in-kind) from a single funding source and with the same confirmation status, you must combine these into one entry (e.g., two confirmed $20,000 cash contributions from a university become one confirmed $40,000 cash contribution). Enter amounts rounded off to the nearest dollar, in Canadian currency.

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Letters of support from partner organizations (maximum 2 pages per partner) (mandatory)

As one combined PDF, upload all letters of support from each confirmed partner organization, ensuring each partner letter is no more than two pages. The administering organization may also be a partner organization and provide a letter of support.

Letters of support must be written on official letterhead and must include the following information:

• the relevance and significance of the project objectives in relation to the partner organization and the stated expected outcomes of this funding opportunity;
• the exact nature of the involvement of the partner organization in the project, including the intellectual leadership and governance of the partnership and/or Indigenous Elder and community involvement, where appropriate;
• precise details on the financial, in-kind contributions and/or other type of contribution (e.g., social or linguistic capital) to be provided by the partner organization; and
• the expected outcomes that the partner organization wishes to achieve.

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List of potential partner organizations (maximum 2 pages) (if applicable)

Attach a list of the potential partner organizations you plan to engage during the lifetime of your grant. Include website links, if available. Additionally, indicate whether each partner listed has been invited to participate.

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Impact assessment (Appendix A) (if applicable)

Follow the on-screen instructions in the application and attach the Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) in the Supporting documents if the system directs you to do so.

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Tri-agency CV Document

Project directors, co-directors and co-applicants must follow the instructions on the tri-agency CV page and complete the tri-agency CV template. For this funding opportunity, there is no option to submit additional information through an appendix to the tri-agency CV template. Any information submitted beyond the limits stated in the instructions will be removed before merit review.

Upload the PDF version of the tri-agency CV directly in the Tri-Agency CV Document module in the Convergence Portal. Once the CV has been successfully uploaded, the Status column will show a green checkmark indicating the document has been uploaded.

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Submitting the application

Review your application to ensure it is complete. Follow the prompts from the Finalize Application section to submit it.

After you accept the terms and conditions, the status of your submission will change to Received by Administrator. If you want to make any changes at this point, you may request that your research grants office (research administrator) return it to you. Once your research administrator has approved and submitted your application, the application status will be changed to Received by Agency. No further changes can be made. If the research administrator does not forward the application, it will expire.

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How to connect to ORCID (optional)

1. Log in to the Convergence Portal.
2. Click on the “Connect to ORCID” button, which can be found:
   • in your profile, on the contact information page;
   • when selecting an affiliation during enrolment, or;
   • when adding CV Education, and/or CV Affiliation to the application.
3. Sign in to ORCID and add Convergence to your Trusted Organizations. You will then have access to the activities.
4. Once connected, you can import activities from ORCID into specific areas of the Convergence Portal. For example, in the “Education” tab within your profile, click on “Import from ORCID”, select your record, and click “Import Selected.”