Knowledge Synthesis Grants: The Arts Transformed—Application Instructions

Note: For these instructions, “applicant” refers to individual applicants and the person acting on behalf of an institutional applicant.

SSHRC recommends clearing your browser cache to ensure the most up-to-date instructions are consulted. Verify the date modified at the bottom of this webpage to ensure these instructions are for the latest funding cycle.

On this page

• Documents to read before applying
• Application process
• Activity details / research activities (mandatory)
• Summary of proposal (mandatory)
• Knowledge mobilization plan (mandatory)
• Open access and data management
• List of references or bibliography (mandatory)
• Expected outcomes (mandatory)
• Project proposal (mandatory)
• Research-creation support material
• Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)
• Budget justification (mandatory)
• Funds from other sources
• Impact assessment—Appendix A
• Exclusion of potential reviewers (if applicable)
• Research contributions (mandatory)
• Career interruptions and special circumstances

---

Documents to read before applying

Important links

• Knowledge Synthesis Grants: The Arts Transformed
• Imagining Canada’s Future initiative

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 Research-Creation Support Materials
• Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities
• Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research
• Definitions of terms used in the grant application process
• Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
• Research Data Management Policy
• Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications
• Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration

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.

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.

---

Application process

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, contact accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. 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).

Applicant responsibilities

By clicking “Submit,” the applicant certifies that all information is accurate.

They are also responsible for:

• completing all mandatory fields (bold labels);
• attaching mandatory electronic files (application);
• ensuring all co-applicants and collaborators have submitted their “Accept Invitation Form;”
• verifying and correcting the data until the "Verification Report" confirms verification; and
• clicking “Submit” (to research administrator) 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 (status is “Forwarded”). Once processed by SSHRC, the status will change to “Received.”

Research or financial administrator responsibilities

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

• the applicant:
  • is affiliated with the institution or organization; and
  • has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity; and
• 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 or organization 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; and
  • has verified that the budgetary estimates are in accordance with its rates and policies.

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. SSHRC will acknowledge receipt of your electronic application form and will assign you an application number. Cite this number in all correspondence with us.

Attaching a document

Many modules in your application will require you to attach a PDF file. You must follow the specified requirements for margins and font size, or your application will be deemed ineligible. An error message will appear if the file you are trying to attach does not meet the required specifications for page length and file size. Once you have attached the electronic file, we recommend you click “View attached file” to ensure you have the proper file and it is not corrupted.

Identification (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, proper nouns and acronyms.

Research-creation proposals

Before you select “Yes,” refer to the definition of research-creation for more information and examples of fields involving research-creation.

If you select “Yes,” see Research contributions and relevant experience and the Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for instructions about creative outputs and support material.

Does your proposal involve Indigenous research, as defined by SSHRC?

Select “Yes” if you wish to signal to the merit review committee that your application should be reviewed in the context of SSHRC’s definition of Indigenous research and its Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research.

Names and initials

This information has automatically been transferred from your account. To change your family name or first name, you must contact webgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. To change your initials, you must return to the “My Account” section of your portfolio to update the information.

Organization

The organization name has automatically been transferred from the “current position” screen of your CV. To have a different affiliation on record for this application, click “List…” and make the necessary selection.

Administering organization (individual grants) or lead organization (institutional grants)

Only eligible Canadian postsecondary institutions or Indigenous not-for-profit organizations can administer grant funds. Institutions or not-for-profit organizations interested in administering SSHRC individual or institutional grants must meet the institutional eligibility requirements for the administration of grants and awards, which is independent of this application process.

To begin the institutional eligibility process, institutions or not-for-profit organizations should contact SSHRC’s Institutional Eligibility team at least 10 business days before the application deadline to be added to the application platform.

---

Activity details / research activities (mandatory)

Sensitive Technology Research Areas

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), the applicant must indicate whether research and related activities funded by this grant aim to advance any of the areas in the Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRAs) list.

• The STRAs list includes technologies at various stages of development, notably where the concern is the advancement of a STRA during the course of the research and related activities.
• Research that will merely use an existing application of technology is not considered as aiming to advance any of the listed areas.
• Research areas outside the listed subcategories are not considered sensitive for the purposes of this policy.

For more information, see the tri-agency guidance for this policy.

If you answered “Yes”, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application (in the STRAC Attestation Module) to comply with the policy.

If you answered “No”, no further steps are required under this policy.

Ethics

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

Impact assessment

The Impact Assessment Act (IAA) seeks to prevent and mitigate significant adverse effects of physical activities and designated projects on the environment. The IAA generally applies to permanent installations that could affect the habitat or migration of animals, and projects that would have a permanent impact on the land or environment.    

Examples of research activities that require completion of the Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) include permanent alterations to the land or environment, such as digging a well, doing archeological excavations, and building infrastructure or instrumentation on the land. 

Examples of research activities that are not subject to the IAA include interviews conducted outdoors, outdoor plays or productions in urban/developed areas without permanent installations, and travel outside of Canada to conduct archival research or interviews. 

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

• any phase of the proposed research meets the definition of designated projects / physical activities listed in the Physical Activities Regulations (e.g., projects that involve physical work / alterations to the land or environment) and 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 meets the definition of designated projects / physical activities listed in the Physical Activities Regulations  (e.g., projects that involve physical work / alterations to the land or environment) and 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.

If none of these situations apply to your research or research-related activities, Appendix A is not needed.

If you have questions or need clarification, contact the relevant funding opportunity’s staff for guidance.  For more information, see SSHRC’s Guidelines on Impact Assessment.

Keywords

List keywords, separated by semicolons, that best describe your proposal.

Disciplines, areas of research, temporal periods, geographical regions and countries

Indicate and rank each entry relevant to your proposal, with Entry 1 as the most relevant and the last entry the least relevant.

Participants

The categories of “co-applicant” and “collaborator” accord with financial regulations outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration, so applicants are encouraged to discuss roles and involvement in the team at the outset, and to be clear about whether participants will have access to research funds prior to inviting them in a particular role.

Participant invitation process:

• Select the role.
• If applicable, select academic or non-academic.
• Enter the family name. If you incorrectly type in a participant’s family name, you will receive an error message. The system will recognize the discrepancy only after the participant has accepted the invitation. For your application to be successfully verified, the participant’s family name must be identical to the family name found in SSHRC’s database.
• Enter the email address.
• Click “Save.” The system will generate an email to each person, inviting them to participate in the application.

Status	Definition
Invitation not yet accepted	Participant has not accepted the invitation. OR If the participant deleted the system-generated invitation email by error, as the applicant you can click “Resend email” and the same invitation will be sent again. OR If the participant has declined the invitation, you must remove the person from the application by clicking “Clear entry”.
Invitation accepted but not yet verified	Co-applicant has accepted the invitation and a copy of their CV was attached to their Accept Invitation form on creation. The Accept Invitation form is incomplete. Click “View CV” to preview the co-applicant’s CV and form. OR Collaborator has accepted the invitation and the Accept Invitation form was created. Click “View form” to preview the collaborator’s form.
Invitation accepted and verified	Co-applicant’s Accept Invitation form has been completed and verified. Click “View CV (Curriculum Vitae)” to preview the co-applicant’s CV and form. OR Collaborator’s Accept Invitation form has been completed and verified. Click “View form” to preview the collaborator form.

SSHRC CV

Co-applicants must do the following:

• co-applicants affiliated with a postsecondary institution must submit a full SSHRC CV
• co-applicants from a non-academic organization have the option of submitting a full SSHRC CV or only completing the following mandatory fields:
  • Identification module—Correspondence language
  • Identification module—Permanent postal code
  • Current Position module—Organization, department, start date
  • Current Position module—Address
  • Current Position module—Primary phone number
  • Research Expertise module—Keywords
  • Research Expertise module—Discipline #1

Research contributions and relevant experience attachment

In addition to meeting the CV requirements above, co-applicants must also provide PDF attachments describing their research contributions and relevant experience.

A copy of the co-applicant’s CV will be attached to the Accept Invitation form on creation. As the applicant, you will then be able to view each co-applicant’s CV as applicable. See Research contributions and relevant experience for details. Co-applicants may choose to devote more space to certain sections depending on the nature of their past contributions and experience (e.g., non-academic participants may choose to have a larger Relevant Experience section).

---

Summary of proposal (mandatory)

Provide a clear summary of your proposal indicating the challenges or issues to be addressed.

By submitting an application, applicants awarded a Knowledge Synthesis Grant consent to this summary being used for promotional purposes for non-academic audiences, and to inform parliamentarians, media and members of the public who request information about SSHRC-funded research.

---

Knowledge mobilization plan (mandatory)

In planning your research project, consider the ways in which merit reviewers assess knowledge mobilization activities. For example, under the Feasibility criterion, reviewers are advised to evaluate the “quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable.”

SSHRC encourages its funding recipients to disseminate research knowledge in both official languages, whenever feasible and/or appropriate.

Include a plan to increase knowledge uptake by target audiences and anticipated outputs, outcomes and/or impacts of social sciences and humanities knowledge among relevant audiences or participants (academic and/or non-academic), including:

• methodologies and approaches to engage appropriate target audiences or participants, including, as applicable, diverse groups of researchers, policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators, media, international audiences, practitioners, decision-makers and the general public;
• timeframes or a schedule for the intended knowledge mobilization activities;
• justifications for how the above two points fit within the project’s specific knowledge mobilization objectives; and
• the names of individuals or organizations that are potential knowledge users to be invited to the knowledge mobilization forum (two to three names or organizations).

---

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.

---

List of references or bibliography (mandatory)

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

---

Expected outcomes (mandatory)

The project’s expected outcomes are essential for the merit review of the proposal and are part of the Challenge evaluation criterion. Elaborate on the potential benefits and/or outcomes of your proposed project. You will be able to share how your outcomes have evolved in follow-up achievement reports.

Outcomes

Research and related outcomes include enhanced curriculum and teaching material, enriched public discourse, improved public policies, enhanced business strategies and increased innovations in every sector of society, as well as graduate supervision opportunities. Research outcomes, which are facilitated by the effective mobilization of knowledge, then permeate daily life in the form of new thinking and behaviour that lead to improvements in our economic, social, cultural and intellectual well-being.

For “Scholarly benefits,” “Social benefits” and “Audiences,” indicate and rank selections in order of importance. If the information is not listed, select “Other” from the list and type the information in the box provided.

Expected outcomes summary

Describe the potential long-term benefits and outcomes (e.g., evolution, effects, potential learning and implications) that could emerge from the proposed project as a result of knowledge mobilization activities.

---

Project proposal (mandatory)

Before writing your proposal, consult the funding opportunity’s evaluation criteria. Provide the following information in your project proposal:

• a descriptive title;
• the theme(s) and subtheme(s) that will be addressed;
• a description of the proposed knowledge synthesis project—including its significance, expected contributions and impacts—contextualized in current literature, and accounting for previous research done;
• an outline of the relevant expertise and experience of the applicant/team; and
• a work plan, including timelines, and a description of the proposed methodology and approach.

---

Research-creation support material

If in the Identification screen you have self-identified yours as a research-creation project, you can include a website link to provide samples of work that best illustrate the qualifications of the team and/or the nature of the proposed research-creation.

When including a website link, follow these instructions:

• Provide the complete and exact URL and indicate the path to access the intended support material on the website.
• Include a list of up to three works or excerpts of works to which you would like to direct the reviewers (e.g., images, audio, video, written material). Provide titles, dates of creation/production and a brief context for the works presented. Explain why you are including these items and how they relate to your proposed project.
• Ensure the website and all links involved will be operational up to six months after the application deadline.
• Specify the browser and version that should be used.

See SSHRC’s Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for more information.

---

Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)

Estimate the costs you are asking SSHRC to fund. All budget costs must conform to the rates and regulations of the applicant’s institution or not-for-profit organization and take into account the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration’s principles governing the appropriate use of funds. All costs must be justified in terms of the needs of the 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.

Enter amounts rounded to the nearest dollar without any spaces or commas (e.g., 2000). For blank entries, leave the “0” value.

Personnel costs

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

Student and non-student salaries and benefits

For each applicable category, enter the number of students and non-students 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.

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.

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 may 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.

Purchase of a headset with integrated boom microphone or approved table-top microphone (required for the knowledge mobilization activities) is an eligible expense.

Other nondisposable equipment

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

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 or a co-investigator on a SSHRC-funded research project. 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 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 applicant or co-applicant, but is paid to the Canadian not-for-profit organization to offset the costs of replacing its employee.

Other expenses

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

---

Budget justification (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.

---

Funds from other sources

List all contributors (e.g., host institution or organization, individuals, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic foundations and private sector organizations) that are providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposal. Indicate whether or not these funds have been confirmed.

If a funding source is not listed, select "Other" using the "List..." button. Type in the source name and amount and identify the contribution type.

If you have received more than one contribution of the same type from a single funding source (i.e., cash or in-kind) and 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―without spaces or commas (e.g., 40000). For blank entries, leave in the “0” value.

When you save the data, five new blank entry lines will be added to the screen to allow you to enter additional funding entries, if necessary.

---

Impact assessment—Appendix A

If you have selected “Yes” to at least one of the questions in the Impact Assessment section on the Activity Details screen, you must complete an Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) and upload it to the Impact Assessment page.

SSHRC will review the applications with completed Appendix A forms and follow up if further action is required. If your research requires posting to the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry or will require a formal impact assessment, SSHRC will work with you to fulfil the requirements. 

---

Exclusion of potential reviewers (if applicable)

List potential reviewers who, in your opinion, would be unlikely to provide an impartial review. Provide a justification for excluding potential reviewers (e.g., experts with whom you or members of your research team have had serious disputes). While SSHRC cannot be bound by this information, it will take it into consideration in the selection of reviewers.

This information will not be provided to external reviewers or members of the merit review committee. Any exclusion should be renewed with any subsequent applications, if still relevant.

---

Research contributions (mandatory)

Research contributions content must address the Capability evaluation criteria listed in the funding opportunity description.

1. Relevant research contributions over the last six years

Outline your research contributions within six years of the application deadline. Candidates claiming career interruptions (see Career interruptions and special circumstances section) may include publications drawn from their most recent periods of research activity to a total of six years.

Provide details, as appropriate, about the contributions you listed, as follows.

• In the left margin, identify with an asterisk (*) research contributions that resulted from previous SSHRC support.
• Specify your role in co-authored publications .
• For published contributions, provide complete bibliographic notices (including co-authors, title, publisher, journal, volume, date of publication and number of pages) as they appear in the original publication.
• For publications in languages other than French or English, provide a translation of the title and the name of the publication.
• For recent graduates, list theses.

Group your contributions by category in the following order, as applicable, listing your most recent contributions first.

Refereed contributions

Examples include books (where applicable, subdivide according to those that are single-authored, co-authored and edited works), monographs, book chapters, articles in scholarly refereed journals and conference proceedings.

A “refereed work” involves its assessment:

• in its entirety—not merely an abstract or extract;
• before publication; and
• by independent (at arm’s length from the author), anonymous, qualified experts.

Other refereed contributions

Examples include papers presented at scholarly meetings or conferences and articles in professional or trade journals.

Nonrefereed contributions

Examples include book reviews, published reviews of work, research reports, policy papers and public lectures.

Forthcoming contributions

Indicate one of the following statuses: “submitted,” “revised and submitted,” “accepted” or “in press.” Provide the name of the journal or book publisher and the number of pages. Do not list contributions not yet submitted.

Creative outputs

Examples of creative outputs may include exhibitions, performances, publications, presentations, and film, video and audio recordings.

List your most recent and significant achievements grouped by category. Creative outputs will be evaluated according to established disciplinary standards and creative and/or artistic merit.

If applicable, you may include a website link. SSHRC cannot guarantee links will be accessed.

2. Other research contributions

Describe any other contributions to research and the advancement of knowledge within the last six years, including your research contributions to non-academic audiences (e.g., public, policy-makers, private sector and not-for-profit organizations).

3. Most significant career research contributions

List and rank up to five of your most significant contributions over your entire career. The six-year rule does not apply to this section. Therefore, contributions listed here may differ from those listed in other sections of your CV. Explain briefly the significance of the contributions listed.

4. Contributions to training

Provide the following information on students you have helped train within the last six years:

• Indicate your role in supervising or co-supervising ongoing and/or completed theses, listing these by the student’s level of studies.
• Describe efforts you have made to involve students (e.g., doctoral, master’s or undergraduate) in your research activities.
• Specify if opportunities for such contributions have been limited because your institution does not have graduate degree programs in your field or discipline.

---

Career interruptions and special circumstances

SSHRC asks its merit review committees to consider career interruptions and special circumstances that have affected candidates’ record of research. In doing so, merit review committee members will be able to assess the productivity of each researcher more accurately and equitably, independent of any career interruptions or special circumstances in the last six years. Previous productivity is one element that can predict the success of the proposed research project.

All information provided to SSHRC is subject to the Privacy Act. The information included in this section of your application will be shared with both external assessors and merit review committee members for consideration as part of their assessment. Research office administrators will also have access to your application when submitting on behalf of the administering organization. For more information, see merit review. All SSHRC merit reviewers are subject to the tri-agency Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy, and are prohibited from sharing this information outside of the merit review process.

Career interruptions occur when researchers are taken away from their research work for an extended period of time for health, administrative, family or other reasons, or reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special circumstances involve slowdowns in research productivity or any circumstances that impact the progression of academic careers in a distinctive way. Researchers can use this section to indicate their research work was impacted by circumstances related to health (and/or disability), administrative, family, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19, or other factors. For example, applicants from small institutions could indicate their teaching load in this section if the change in workload impacted their research output. Indigenous applicants can use the “Special Circumstances” section of their application form to describe special circumstances that may have had an impact on their academic or career paths.

Use this optional section to outline any career interruptions or special circumstances that have affected your research activities. Provide dates of interruptions and indicate the reason for the delay in general terms (e.g., illness, disability, family loss or illness, cultural or community responsibilities, socio-economic context, COVID-19).

SSHRC offers the following information for your awareness when considering how to describe your details of career interruptions and/or special circumstances:

• Applicants do not need to disclose any personal details of the career interruption or special circumstance.
• Applicants are asked to indicate how their research was impacted by delays to enable the reviewers to make an equitable assessment of the excellence of their research contributions while taking into account the impact of the interruption or special circumstances on their research production.
• Applicants are asked to quantify the impact on their research production as best they can, providing estimates of time or opportunities lost due to the interruption or special circumstances. For example, the amount of time and effort involved in seeking and receiving accommodations would be helpful to inform the committee’s assessment, by accounting for the impact of the special circumstances on the applicant’s research production.