Tips for applying for partnership funding
Planning to apply? Start by reviewing SSHRC’s suite of partnership funding opportunities from smallest to largest to determine the most appropriate one for your partnership project.
Scope and scale
Partnership Engage Grants
Value: $7,000 to $25,000
Duration: One year
Key features:
- Formal partnership with one partner from the public, private or not-for-profit sector
- One-stage adjudication
Partnership Development Grants
Value: $75,000 to $200,000
Duration: One to three years
Key features:
- Formal partnership with one or more partners
- One-stage adjudication
Partnership Grants
Value: $500,000 to $2.5 million
Duration: four to seven years
Key features:
- Formal partnership with one or more partners
- Two-stage adjudication (second stage by invitation)
If you are interested in funding for events or outreach activities, see the Connection Grants funding opportunity.
Develop a research training plan
Partnership research projects can provide enriching opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to connect with Canadian and international partner organizations within and beyond academia—including with organizations from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. This can allow students and postdoctoral researchers to connect with prospective future employers, and gain professional training and mentoring. They will improve professional skills such as negotiation, networking, problem-solving, relationship-building, change management, intercultural collaboration and more. Read more tips on developing a research training plan.
Additional tips
To help with preparing your application, we encourage you to read the information below and consult the research support services at your institution. These tips are based on advice from past Partnership Grants project directors and are not advice directly from SSHRC.
- Leave lots of time to apply, taking into consideration that you will need to coach different participants and partners throughout the application process.
- Make sure you have significant support to manage the grant (e.g., administrative help, student support, institutional support, matching funds, etc.).
- Show in your application that the partnerships you’re proposing are required to carry out the work you’ve mapped out. How will the partners benefit, and what will they bring to the research that’s unique?
- Find ways to involve your partners in developing your research proposal.
- Include early-, mid- and late-career academics on the team.
- Define and negotiate roles with your team members early to ensure it is clear to everyone what their roles are and whether they will have access to research funds.
- Discuss and align objectives and expected outcomes within your partnership team.
- Develop the knowledge mobilization plan with your partners, outlining internal and external communication needs.
- Negotiate at the outset with your university for course release time and include this commitment in the application.
- Develop a research training and mentoring plan for students and postdoctoral researchers to maximize enriching international research opportunities, internships with partners from the public, private, and not-for profit sectors, and more.
Have questions?
Check out the frequently asked questions or contact the relevant email below.
- Partnership Engage Grants: partnershipengagegrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
- Partnership Development Grants: partnershipdevelopment@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
- Partnership Grants: partnershipgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca