Funding

Financial support can take many forms, and come from several distinct sources or combinations of sources. Funding can be found internally - from programs maintained by the Faculty or the University - or externally, from government agencies or partners in the private sector. Funding may also come in a discretionary format, as general operating grants, or dedicated to specific purchases such as buying laboratory equipment.

Faculty Funding

A variety of funding from the Faculty of Social Sciences is available to researchers to help finance research activities. Below is a list of the main internal funding programs.

Research Projects (deadline: October 15)

Conferences (deadlines: April 15 and October 15)

Research Groups and Clusters (deadline: April 15)

Knowledge Mobilization (deadline: April15)

Teaching Release (deadline: October 15)

External Funding

Granting Council Funding

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Insight Grant
The goal of the Insight program is to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world by supporting research excellence in all subject areas eligible for funding from SSHRC.
Up to $100,000 per annum, but not totalling more than $400,000 for a five-year period
Deadline: October 15th

Insight Development Grant
Support research in its initial stages, 50% of funding is set aside for new researchers
$7,000 up to $75,000, 1 to 2 years
Deadline: February 1st

Partnership Development Grant
$75,000 to $200,000 over 1 to 3 years
Deadline: November 30th

Partnership Grants
Stage 1: Letter of Intent Up to $20,000 - Deadline: February 15
Stage 2: Formal Application (by invitation only)
Requests for support from SSHRC would typically be in the range of $500,000 to $2.5 million over 4 to 7 years, with lower or higher amounts considered

Connexion Grants
$7,000 to $25,000 for events, and up to $50,000 for other outreach activities
Deadline: February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Discovery Grants Program
Discovery Grants (DG) Program support ongoing programs of research (with long-term goals) rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances, whether made individually or in groups.
Notification of intent: August 1
Application deadline: November 1

Research Tools and Instruments
Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment and installations.
Application deadline: October 25th

Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)

CIHR provides funding opportunities for four themes of health research: Biomedical; Clinical; Health systems services; Social, cultural, environmental and population health.
All funding opportunities

Canadian Foundation for Innovation

The Canadian Foundation for Innovation provides support towards the research infrastructure in Canadian universities.

Killam Research Fellowship

The purpose of a Killam Research Fellowship is to provide two years of release time from teaching and administrative duties to an individual scholar who wishes to pursue independent research. The fellowship is awarded to an individual but the funds are paid to and administered by his or her university or research institution. The application must be made by an individual rather than by an institution or organization.

Other Funding Agencies

Award to Scholarly Publications Program

The Award Scholarly Publications Program supports the publication of scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences.

Donner Canadian Foundation

Donner Canadian Foundation offers funding for public policy research.

International Development Reseach Centre (IDRC)

IDRC supports research on the environment, information technologies, social equity as well as gender, knowledge research and the Middle East. Each theme area encompasses several research components.

Ontario Mental Health Foundation

The Ontario Mental Health Foundation aims to promote the mental health of people living in Ontario, to prevent mental illness and to improve diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. This is done primarily by supporting the professional development of researchers and by funding excellent mental health research.

Ontario Research Fund

The Fund is designed to promote research excellence in the province by increasing the R&D capacity of Ontario universities and other research institutions through private and public sector partnerships.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Ontario Trillium Foundation works with others to make strategic investments to build healthy, caring and economically strong Ontario communities.

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