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Institutional eligibility—guidelines and requirements

An institution must apply to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for institutional eligibility only if a researcher from that institution is applying for a funding opportunity as an applicant. The types of institutions that can become eligible to administer SSHRC grants and awards are Canadian universities, colleges and not-for-profit organizations.

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How to obtain institutional eligibility

To obtain institutional eligibility, institutions must meet and maintain the requirements to administer grants and awards specific to the type of institutional eligibility they seek to hold. SSHRC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council  and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have developed harmonized institutional eligibility requirements.

Institutional eligibility is distinct from applicant eligibility for a particular funding opportunity. Applicant eligibility criteria are detailed in the descriptions for individual funding opportunities under the Research Training and Talent Development, Insight Research, Research Partnerships and New Frontiers in Research Fund programs.

Types of institutional eligibility

Along with the criteria below, all institutions seeking institutional eligibility must also complete and return an institutional contact form and research administrator form.

Full institutional eligibility

Provisional eligibility

Restricted eligibility

  • Institutions: Not-for-profit organizations
  • Applicable funding opportunities: Connection Grants, Aid to Scholarly Journals
  • Document signed: Terms and Conditions for Not-for-Profit Organizations
  • Criteria: First-time: 1.1-3.1 of the institutional eligibility requirements
    • Re-application: A letter affirming ongoing compliance with the institutional eligibility requirements and two years’ audited financial statements (requirement 3.1)
  • When to contact SSHRC: As soon as possible or at least 10 business days before grant deadline
  • Duration: Length of grant

Indigenous not-for-profit eligibility

  • Institutions: Not-for-profit organizations that self-identify as Indigenous
  • Applicable funding opportunities: Connection Grants, Knowledge Synthesis Grants, Partnership Development Grants, Partnership Grants
  • Document signed: Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions
  • Criteria: All institutional eligibility requirements with the option to submit a research statement in place of requirements 2.2-2.6 that includes, as applicable:
    • a description of the organization’s current research
    • the number of staff conducting research and a brief description of their duties and projects
    • copies of any published research results (e.g., community newspaper articles, pamphlets, web materials, journal articles)
    • the most recent copies of the organization’s annual reports, policies, strategies or research plans, if available
  • When to contact SSHRC: As soon as possible or at least 10 business days before grant deadline
  • Duration: Renewed every five years

Research administrator guidelines

When considering who at an institution should be in a research administrator role, consider that the master research administrator must:

Frequently asked questions

When is institutional eligibility required?

All institutions administering SSHRC funding must be deemed eligible. An institution becomes eligible to administer grants and awards once both SSHRC and the organization sign the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions or the Terms and Conditions for Not-for-Profit Organizations.

Is your institution already eligible?

Consult the complete list of SSHRC eligible institutions to see if your institution already holds institutional eligibility.

Can your institution also become eligible at NSERC and/or CIHR?

If your institution wishes to become eligible to administer awards from more than one federal granting agency, your institution can request a joint review. Send the documentation to one of the agencies, specifying which agencies your institution wishes to apply to, and indicate that you authorize the agencies to share the documentation provided. A joint response will be issued once the review is complete. If your institution is already eligible at one of the agencies and wishes to apply to a different one, contact that agency to discuss the course of action and documents required.

Which types of institutions are ineligible for institutional eligibility?

Federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government departments for-profit organizations and corporations, and foreign institutions are not eligible to administer SSHRC grants and awards regardless of the type of institutional eligibility being sought.
An institution that is federated or affiliated with or a constituent portion of another institution will not normally be accorded its own independent eligibility to administer grants and awards.

Are there other options available to apply for SSHRC funding?

Institutions can choose to work out an agreement with an already eligible institution to administer a grant on their behalf. In cases where an eligible institution agrees to submit an application on behalf of another institution, SSHRC does not require that a letter or an agreement be in place between the two organizations. SSHRC recommends that discussions take place between the institutions well in advance of the deadline to confirm that:

  • the eligible institution agrees to submit and, if successful, administer the grant according to SSHRC policies
  • the eligible institution agrees to allow the research project to be reviewed by its Research Ethics Board, in cases where the research involves human participants (if applicable)
  • the ineligible institution agrees that the eligible institution will manage funds according to its own policies, including institutional policies related to compensation and procurement, as well as reimbursement of other project-related expenses
Can institutional eligibility be revoked?

Institutional eligibility can be revoked if:

Institutions can re-apply for eligibility once sufficient assurance is provided that the issues have been resolved.

What is a Canadian postsecondary institution?

A Canadian postsecondary institution is an entity that:

  • is incorporated in Canada
  • has a physical presence in Canada (i.e., space that will be used to perform agency-funded research and research-related activities)
  • is not under the control of a foreign entity with respect to its financial and other operations (i.e., must be in a position to receive and administer funds in Canada and not through a foreign institution with which it is affiliated)
  • must be eligible to issue tax slips in Canada (for all grants or scholarships payments on behalf of the agencies)
  • can prove it is officially recognized as a postsecondary institution by the relevant Canadian provincial or territorial government authorities to grant Canadian degrees/diplomas (i.e., its students do not receive diplomas from a foreign-based institution)

If a foreign postsecondary institution has multiple Canadian campuses, each campus must independently meet the requirements of Canadian postsecondary institutions as per the above. Eligibility of one Canadian campus does not automatically extend to other Canadian campuses of the same foreign postsecondary institution.

Contact information

For more information, contact:

SSHRC institutional eligibility

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