Policy Innovation Partnership Grants: September 2025 Competition—Applicant Instructions

On this page

• Documents to read before applying
• Helpful tips
• Accommodations and accessibility
• Collection and use of personal information
• Self-identification information
• 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
• Project director eligibility
• Completing the application
• Application details (required)
• Invitations
• Participants
• Partner organizations (mandatory)
• Fields of research (mandatory)
• Keywords (mandatory)
• Summary of proposal (mandatory)
• Open access and data management
• Proposed budget (mandatory)
• Certifications, licences and permits
• Sensitive Technology Research Areas
• Reviewer Exclusions (if applicable)
• Supporting documents
• Research program description (maximum 15 pages) (mandatory)
• List of references or bibliography (maximum 10 pages) (mandatory)
• Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)
• Budget justification (maximum four pages) (mandatory)
• Funds from other sources (mandatory)
• Contributions plan (maximum four pages) (mandatory)
• Data management plan (mandatory)
• Host institution involvement (maximum three pages) (mandatory)
• Letters of engagement from partner organizations (maximum two pages per partner) (mandatory)
• List of potential partner organizations (maximum two pages) (if applicable)
• Impact assessment (Appendix A)
• Tri-agency CV instructions
• Submitting the application
• How to connect to ORCID (optional)
• Contact information

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Documents to read before applying

For applicants to this funding opportunity

• Policy Innovation Partnership Grants funding opportunity description

For all grant applicants

• Institutional Eligibility—Guidelines and Requirements
• Help with online forms
• 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
• Guidelines for Support of Tools for Research and Related Activities
• Definitions of terms used in the grant application process
• Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
• Research Data Management Policy
• Guide to Preparing a Data Management Plan
• Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy
• Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications
• Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration

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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.

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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 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 are required to 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 (EDI) 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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Am I eligible to apply?

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

For this funding opportunity, the host institution is the applicant and the project director prepares the application on behalf of the host institution and the formal partnership.

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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 to. 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
  • TCV Document
• Verify your documents have been uploaded correctly and their content is viewable.
• Once you have completed your application, click “Finalize and Submit”.
• Read and click “Accept” on the terms and conditions of the application. This will submit your application to the research administrator.

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 internal deadline. The electronic submission process ensures validation of the information by an institution’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 certifies:

• the project director:
  • is affiliated with the postsecondary institution; and
  • has the necessary time and facilities to carry out the activity; and
• the postsecondary institution:
  • 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 project director 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 codirectors, co-applicants and/or collaborators; and
  • has verified the budgetary estimates are in accordance with its rates and policies.

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Electronic submission process and acknowledgement of receipt of applications

Project directors must allow enough time for their institution’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 the deadline date. 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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Project director eligibility

• Step 1—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—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 evaluation criteria in 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 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 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 (required)

• 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.
• Language of the application: Choose the language in which the application will be submitted.
• Does your proposal involve Indigenous research, as defined by SSHRC?: If your application involves Indigenous research, it will be reviewed in the context of SSHRC’s definition of Indigenous research and its Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research.

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Invitations

Invite the co-directors and co-applicants and collaborators for this application. Those invited will receive an email, which will include your name and email address (as the 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. Refer to the Tri-Agency CV Document section 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.

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Participants

This section lists co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators who have successfully joined 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 have not yet completed their eligibility profile.

Once a co-director or co-applicant 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 (mandatory)

List the partner organizations, at least one of which must be a Canadian federal government department, that have agreed to participate in the formal partnership. Include the contact information of each partner organization contact person.

Attach letters of engagement from each partner organization and include cash and in-kind contributions in the Supporting documents section as outlined.

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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 five 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)

Provide a clear summary of your proposal, indicating:

• the overall research goal and objectives of the partnership;
• the challenges and public policy needs to be addressed, and expected significance of the work; and
• the breadth of the partnership, and the meaningful engagement of the partner organizations involved.

By submitting an application, successful applicants consent to the use of this summary for promotional purposes outside the research community and to inform parliamentarians, media and members of the public who request information about research funded by SSHRC.

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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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Proposed budget (mandatory)

Enter the yearly amounts requested. Ensure that your proposed budget does not exceed the maximum amount that can be requested per year or the maximum number of years that can be requested: up to $400,000 per year, for a maximum total of $6 million over 15 years.

Additional budget details are required in the Supporting documents section (i.e., “Funds requested from SSHRC” and “Budget justification” attachments). Ensure that 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, licences 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” and consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and submit your proposal to your organization’s research ethics board.

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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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 will aim to advance any of the areas in the Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRAs) list.

If you answered “No”, you will not need to take any further steps under this policy.

If you answered “Yes”, you must collect and submit attestation forms from the project director, co-directors, co-applicants and collaborators, as applicable, certifying that they have read, understand and are compliant with this policy. Attestation forms must be merged into a single PDF file and uploaded in the Supporting Documents section. Should your application be successful, you and your research team(s) will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant that aims to advance one or more STRAs.

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

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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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Research program description (maximum 15 pages) (mandatory)

You must attach a PDF copy of your research program description. Before writing your proposal, consult the evaluation 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 15 pages is firm. You must follow the order of the sections. Use of headings is highly encouraged.

Goal and research program description (eight pages)

Provide the following information in your description:

• Clearly justify your proposal in relation to the stated goals in the funding opportunity description, and outline the overall goal and specific objectives that the partnership will address during the lifespan of the grant.
• Describe the research program’s significance and expected contribution to knowledge in the social sciences and/or humanities and, more specifically, its potential to inform and impact public policy in the competition’s target area.
• Describe and demonstrate the appropriateness of the theoretical and methodological approaches that will be chosen to meet the stated objectives. Include a literature review. Discuss, if applicable, how research data arising from the grant will be managed, including collection, preservation and sharing.
• Outline the potential benefits and expected outcomes of the partnership.
• Provide a timeline for the research program, with key milestones for meeting the objectives.

Training and mentoring (two pages)

It is expected that students, emerging scholars (e.g., postdoctoral researchers and other scholars in similar situations) and/or other highly qualified personnel (e.g., practitioners, subject matter experts, Indigenous Elders) will meaningfully participate in the proposed initiatives. In this section, clearly describe the specific roles and responsibilities of students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel, indicating the work they will be undertaking. Consult the Guidelines for Effective Research Training in preparing this section of the application. These guidelines will also be provided to reviewers.

Include:

• 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 other highly qualified personnel (where applicable, indicate the level of study—e.g., undergraduate, master’s or doctoral) to be trained and mentored;
• any career development opportunities, as well as the nature and level of specialized skills that the students, emerging scholars and/or other highly qualified personnel will develop as a result of their participation.

Knowledge mobilization plan (two pages)

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

• methodologies and approaches to engage relevant policy-makers and other target audiences, as applicable, through plain language and other readily understandable and actionable outputs;
• timeframes or a schedule for the intended knowledge mobilization activities; and
• justifications for how the above points fit within the application’s particular knowledge mobilization objectives.

Description of partnership (three pages)

Describe the formal partnership; team roles; and governance structure, including the involvement of the federal government partner(s), other partner organizations, and team members. You are strongly encouraged to include a diagram to illustrate the governance structure.

In this section, explain:

• how the federal government partner(s) will be engaged to identify and address public policy needs throughout the duration of the grant;
• the choice of management and governance arrangements, and the nature of partner organization involvement in intellectual leadership, governance and decision-making;
• the anticipated challenges in building and maintaining the partnership, and how these will be addressed;
• how partner organizations will benefit from participating in the partnership;
• the accountability measures that will be applied, and how issues will be resolved;
• the different types of expertise needed to ensure the partnership’s success, and how the expertise of each team member will support and enhance the partnership; and
• the roles, responsibilities and contributions of the project director, co-directors, and key co-applicants and/or collaborators.

In addition, provide a succession plan demonstrating how the partnership will handle leadership transitions, maintain continuity of grant activities, and ensure continued success following planned or unexpected personnel changes.

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List of references or bibliography (maximum 10 pages) (mandatory)

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

If you have included references by the project director, co-director(s), co-applicant(s) or collaborator(s), indicate these in bold type.

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Funds requested from SSHRC (mandatory)

Grants offered under this initiative are valued at up to $6 million over 15 years. The maximum funding is $400,000 per year.

For each budget year, estimate the costs you are asking SSHRC to fund using the 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 Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration principles governing the appropriate use of funds.

All costs must be justified in terms of the needs of the grant, 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:

• While committees will consider the entire requested budget, they will focus primarily on the first five years, due to scheduled impact reviews at the five- and 10-year marks. Updated budgets will be required for these reviews.
• 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.

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 proposal’s 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, a 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.

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 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 host institution to their research personnel or by the employer.

Non-disposable equipment—computer hardware

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

Other non-disposable equipment

Purchase or rental of equipment (e.g., audio or video equipment) is allowable only if these are not provided by the host 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 four pages) (mandatory)

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

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.

Given the long duration of this funding opportunity, the budget justification for the first five years of the project should be the most detailed, although all years should be addressed. Further justification of expenses for years 6 to 10 and years 11 to 15 will be required as part of the scheduled impact reviews.

Ensure your budget requests match the level of funding essential to complete the proposed activities. The merit review committee could deem your application less competitive if it finds you are requesting non-essential funding.

In reviewing the funding you have requested, committee members, and external reviewers where applicable, take into account the quality of your overall financial planning, your justification of the proposed expenditures, and the institutional and partner organization funding you have secured. It is also important to indicate how the budget requested from SSHRC and the partners’ contributions will complement each other and benefit the objectives of the partnership.

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Funds from other sources (mandatory)

Complete the Excel template provided for this section (which you will upload as a PDF). Project directors must include a plan to secure contributions from the host institution and partner organizations amounting to at least 50% of the budget requested from SSHRC. While contributions can be both cash and in-kind, at least 25% of the requested amount from SSHRC must be in cash. See details in the Requirements section of the funding opportunity description.

Given the long duration of this funding opportunity, the contributions for the first five years of the project should be the most detailed, although all years can be addressed if contributions have been secured beyond the first five years. Updated contributions for years 6 to 10 and years 11 to 15 will be required as part of the scheduled impact reviews.

List all contributors (e.g., host institution, partner organizations, individuals, not-for-profit organizations and private sector organizations) that are providing cash and/or in-kind contributions for the proposed project (see Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions). 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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Contributions plan (maximum four pages) (mandatory)

Prior to filling out this section, see the exclusions in the Guidelines for Cash and In-Kind Contributions.

You must demonstrate that you have made progress in securing the 50% minimum in additional cash and/or in-kind contributions (with an amount equalling at least 25% of the amount requested from SSHRC being in cash), and must indicate how you will secure the remaining resources during the lifespan of the grant.

Detail your plan to secure cash and/or in-kind contributions. The plan must describe:

• the confirmed contributions of the host institution;
• the confirmed or proposed contributions from partner organizations and/or other sources;
• how you will continue to seek and to secure cash and/or in-kind support during the life of the grant; and
• how the support will benefit the partnership.

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Data management plan (mandatory)

The data management plan (DMP) should describe, where applicable, how the partnership will manage research data generated as part of its activities.

There is no prescribed page limit for DMPs, because the length can vary depending on the partnership and its data management needs. Keep the DMP succinct and focused, ideally within one to three pages, using a template or format most appropriate for your project. At the application stage, the DMP could be presented as a more high-level outline, depending on the duration and complexity of the project, and then be expanded throughout the life of the grant. Consider using existing tools to help develop your DMP, such as tools and templates in use at your institution or in your discipline.

For more information, see SSHRC’s Guide to Preparing a Data Management Plan.

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Host institution involvement (maximum three pages) (mandatory)

Applications to this funding opportunity are institutional applications. You must attach a letter of engagement from your host institution, written on official letterhead and signed by appropriate officials. The letter should include:

• a statement that the institution has been involved in the development of the proposal and agrees to its role and level of participation as outlined;
• a statement that the institution is willing and able to complete activities assigned to it;
• a statement confirming the institution’s financial and nonfinancial contribution(s), including intended support for the project director in leading this large grant (e.g., administrative support, course release, etc.); and
• an overview of the institution’s research-related priorities/strategy, and of how the partnership will advance those objectives.

In addition, include an overview of the research entity at the host institution’s track record in the competition’s target area. More specifically, include evidence of past experience and published outputs; evidence of knowledge mobilization activities and impacts on public policy, professional practice and/or social services; past contributions to training and mentoring of students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel; and past experience in formal partnerships and/or long-term research initiatives.

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Letters of engagement from partner organizations (maximum two pages per partner) (mandatory)

Upload a letter of engagement from each confirmed partner organization. Letters must be written on official letterhead and include:

• the relevance and significance of the partnership objectives for the partner organization;
• the exact nature of the involvement of the partner organization in the research program, including the intellectual leadership and governance of the partnership, where appropriate;
• precise details on the financial and/or in-kind contributions to be provided by the partner organization; and
• the expected outcomes the partner organization wishes to achieve.

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

Attach a list of the potential partner organizations you plan to engage during the lifetime of the 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)

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 instructions

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 after this point, you must 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 and 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.”

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Contact information

If you have questions:

• about this funding opportunity, contact partnerships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
• on matters related to the Convergence Portal, contact the Online Services Helpdesk by email at websupport@convergence.gc.ca or by phone at 613-995-4273