Multiple applications for grants, fellowships and scholarships

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) regulations on multiple applications and on holding multiple grants, fellowships and scholarships are meant to:

• avoid duplication of funding for the same research or research-related activities
• optimize the use of resources available for merit review

On this page

• Overview
• Applying for grants
• Applying for fellowships and scholarships
• Holding multiple SSHRC grants, fellowships and scholarships

Overview

Grants

SSHRC will not fund the same research project or research-related activity with more than one grant at the same time. However, SSHRC encourages jointly funded research or research-related activities. With some funding opportunities, it is a particular requirement that applicants demonstrate that they have secured or will secure, over and above the budget requested from SSHRC, additional resources from other sources. Applicants may also fund their overall research project or research-related activities by applying for complementary funding for different components of these through more than one source. Applicants must make clear in their proposals to SSHRC that there is no duplication of financial support for identical budget items.

Fellowship and scholarships

SSHRC will not fund the same individual with more than one fellowship or scholarship at the same time.

Applying for grants

Applicants

Individuals

In a calendar year, an individual may, as applicant (principal investigator / project director), submit multiple applications for SSHRC funding, provided the proposed projects have different objectives. However:

• an individual may not, as applicant (principal investigator/project director) submit more than one application in any given competition;
• an individual may not submit the same proposal at the same time to more than one federal research funding agency (i.e., SSHRC, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR], Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council [NSERC]);
• an individual may not submit an application for a Partnership Development Grant and be the named project director in a Partnership Grants—Formal Application in the same calendar year; and
• normally, researchers may not apply for an Insight Development Grant and an Insight Grant in the same calendar year. However, given the launch of Insight Grants Stream A in 2017, SSHRC approved an exception to this regulation, allowing a researcher who applied unsuccessfully for an Insight Development Grant in February to apply for an Insight Grant in October. SSHRC has extended this exception for the foreseeable future.

Institutions/organizations

An institution may submit multiple applications for Partnership Grants in the same competition, provided the proposals have different objectives and are led by different project directors.

Co-applicants and/or collaborators

In a calendar year, an individual may participate as co-applicant or collaborator in any number of grant applications.

Other conditions

A current grant holder may submit a new application for the same type of grant, but only in their grant’s final year (year in which the grant holder receives the final installment of their grant). The grant holder may do so whether or not they intend to request or avail themselves of an extension year in order to finish work associated with the currently held grant.

Applying for fellowships and scholarships

Applicants may submit only one fellowship or scholarship application to SSHRC in a given academic year. In addition, applicants may submit only one fellowship or scholarship application in each academic year to either SSHRC, CIHR or NSERC.

Exceptions

1. Applicants pursuing doctoral studies may apply simultaneously to both the SSHRC Doctoral Awards program and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program (by selecting “social sciences and humanities” in their Vanier CGS application). For more information on Vanier scholarships, or to apply, visit the Vanier CGS website.
2. Applicants pursuing postdoctoral research may apply simultaneously to both the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.

Holding multiple grants, fellowships and scholarships

SSHRC grants

Principal investigator / project director

An individual may hold, as principal investigator/project director, SSHRC grants awarded through different funding opportunities at the same time, provided that each project involves different objectives and that there is no duplication of funding for any of the proposed activities.

Co-applicants and/or collaborators

An individual holding, as principal investigator/project director, a SSHRC grant awarded through any of the different funding opportunities, may also participate, as co-applicant or collaborator, in any number of other research projects or research-related activities.

Grants from other funding organizations

Individuals may hold one or more SSHRC grants concurrently with grants from other funding organizations, provided that there is no duplication of funding for any of the proposed activities.

Fellowships and scholarships from other federal research funding agencies

Students and postdoctoral researchers may not hold two or more fellowship or scholarship awards simultaneously from SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR.