SSHRC Partnerships
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Funds large-scale, multi-year research partnerships between postsecondary institutions and organizations from the private, public, or non-profit sectors in social sciences and humanities, providing up to $2.5 million over 4–7 years. Only faculty members at eligible Canadian postsecondary institutions can lead applications — businesses and non-profits participate exclusively as partner organizations, contributing a minimum 35% in cash or in-kind. The two-stage annual competition has an approximately 18.5% overall success rate.
Eligibility Requirements
- Organization from the private, public, or non-profit sector partnering with academic researchers in social sciences or humanities
- Must partner with at least one Canadian postsecondary institution (private-sector companies cannot be the lead applicant)
- Project involves large-scale, multi-year collaborative research in social sciences or humanities
- Research team includes a mix of academic researchers and non-academic partners
- Not a federal government agency as lead applicant (can participate as collaborator only)
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $2.5M over 4-7 years (Partnership Grants); up to $25,000 for 1 year (Partnership Engage Grants)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 35% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Annual two-stage cycle. Stage 1 (LOI): ~February; Stage 2 (full): ~October. Next Stage 1: ~February 2027.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThis grant is for academic researchers, not businesses -- but businesses gain enormous value as partner organizations. The 35% matching requirement sounds large, but in-kind contributions count (staff time, office space, data access, equipment). The real key: get involved EARLY in proposal development. SSHRC evaluators look for genuine co-creation, not rubber-stamp partnership letters. If you are a business or non-profit, approach a university researcher 12+ months before the Stage 1 deadline and offer to co-develop the research questions. 75% of funded projects include international partners -- consider whether your partnership brings a cross-border dimension.
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Rejection Pitfalls 10
- Partnership is not genuinely collaborative -- partners appear as token signatories rather than co-creators of the research agenda
- Weak knowledge mobilization plan -- limited to academic dissemination without meaningful engagement of non-academic stakeholders
- Insufficient partner contributions -- below the 35% matching threshold or heavy reliance on unverifiable in-kind
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Success Profile
Large, established research team led by a senior faculty member at a major Canadian university, with a track record of prior SSHRC funding and partnership experience. Typically involves 10-30+ co-investigators across multiple institutions, 3-10+ partner organizations from public/private/non-profit sectors, and often international partners (75% of awards). Strong knowledge mobilization strategy that goes beyond academic publication. Genuine co-creation between academic and non-academic partners, not one-directional consulting. Clear governance structure. EDI integration throughout.
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Evaluation Criteria
Three weighted criteria with minimum 3.0/5.0 threshold each: Challenge (40%) — originality, significance, theoretical framework, methods, EDI integration, training quality, impact potential; Feasibility (30%) — timeline, partnership quality and governance, team expertise, EDI promotion, contribution leveraging, knowledge mobilization plans; Capability (30%) — applicant track record, prior knowledge mobilization evidence, training contributions, partnership experience.
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 15
Eligible Expenses 11
- Student and postdoctoral researcher salaries and stipends
- Travel costs (economy class, meals, accommodation, up to 125 days/person/year)
- Project coordinator or manager positions (with restrictions on scope of duties)
- Consulting fees for expert services not provided by team members
- Research tools and equipment supporting proposed activities
- Knowledge mobilization and dissemination costs
- Workshop and conference hosting
- Publication costs (open access fees, translation)
- Field research expenses (permits, supplies, safety equipment)
- Participant costs (honoraria for research participants, community engagement)
- Data collection and analysis tools
Ineligible Expenses 9
- Remuneration for team members (co-applicants, collaborators) regardless of eligibility
- Course release time or teaching buyouts for research engagement
- Administrative services normally provided by the host institution
- Research activities conducted by project coordinators or managers
- Institutional overhead or indirect costs
- Capital construction or renovation of facilities
- Entertainment and hospitality beyond research purposes
- Professional membership fees
- Tuition fees
Intake Periods
Annual two-stage cycle. Stage 1 LOI deadline: February (February 10, 2026 for the current cycle). Stage 2 full application: October (October 29, 2026). Results: Stage 1 in June, Stage 2 in April-May following year.
Deadline Notes
Two-stage annual competition. Stage 1 deadline is typically the second week of February (2026: February 10). Stage 1 results announced in June. Stage 2 deadline is typically late October (2026: October 29). Final Stage 2 results announced the following April-May. Note: the 2026 Stage 1 deadline has already passed. Next Stage 1 will be approximately February 2027. Universities impose internal deadlines 2-4 weeks before SSHRC deadlines for institutional review.
Open Application Portal →Ineligible Organizations
- Private-sector corporations as lead applicants (can participate only as partner/collaborator organizations)
- Federal government agencies as lead applicants (limited to collaborator role)
- Not-for-profit organizations without at least one Canadian postsecondary institution partner
- Foreign institutions as lead applicant (can be co-applicant or collaborator)
- Organizations without a formal research capacity or mandate
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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Clawback Risk
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How SSHRC Partnerships Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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