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SSHRC_Partnership

The Partnership Grant Program is a two-stage application process. Those invited to submit a Full Proposal (Stage 2) will have submitted a successful Stage 1 application.

Partnerships must advance research and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities through mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership, as well as through resources, as evidenced by cash and/or in-kind contributions. Partnership Grants are intended for large teams of postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types that work in formal collaboration. 

Partner organizations may be Canadian or international institutions or organizations (public, private, not‑for‑profit) of any type. Partnership Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research Partnerships program.

Researchers who are considering applying to this program should contact their Faculty Research Office and Institutional Research Programs Officer contact listed below well ahead of time to discuss and plan their proposed partnership. See SSHRC's overview of subject matter eligibility to ensure your proposal aligns with the mandate and objectives of SSHRC.

 

  • Value: $30,000 [Stage 1 development funds]
  • Duration: 4 to 7 years

 

 

Dates & Deadlines

Date & Time Events & Required Steps
By November 10, 2025
  • Notify Western Research and your faculty research office of your intent to apply.
  • Schedule a meeting with Western Research and your faculty research office to discuss your project, Western’s financial contributions, and other program-related information.
  • For inter-institutional proposals – inform Western Research and your faculty research office of any lead institutional deadlines for the Western letter of engagement.
January 7, 2026
  • Finalize all Western contributions on/before this date.
  • Submit your Western letter of engagement with finalized cash and/or in-kind contributions to Shruthi Ravi for review to guarantee signature by the Vice-President (Research). This is applicable to both Western-led and inter-institutional proposals.
January 20, 2026
  • Submit proposal draft (including budget) to Shruthi Ravi for content review and feedback.
  • Confirm all partner contributions and finalize partner letters.
  • Ensure that all co-applicant, collaborator, and partner invites are completed in the SSHRC portal.
February 3, 2026
  • Complete and submit a ROLA proposal. This is applicable to both Western-led and inter-institutional proposals.
  • Submit a completed application with all supporting documents in the online SSHRC portal for Western Research administrative review.

February 10, 2026

by/before 2 p.m. ET
  • Submit the final application with all components completed in the SSHRC portal.
  • After one final compliance check, the application will be forwarded to SSHRC by Western Research. 

Western IRPO will complete an administrative review of the application to confirm eligibility of the applicant and Western co-applicants. In addition, we will review your application to confirm all cash/in- kind contributions. Once complete, we will submit your application to SSHRC.

Key Application Considerations

  • Applicants are encouraged to present a compelling proposal that explains the need for a partnership approach for the proposed project. At Stage 1, initial discussion and development is required for the details of the partnership (formal documents and evidence of formal partnership will be included at Stage 2), knowledge mobilization plan, training and mentoring and overall partnership governance. Full KMb plan, governance, and training and mentoring sections are required at Stage 2.
  • Applicants at Stage 1 are expected to include a proposed plan to secure, over and above the budget requested from SSHRC, a minimum of 35 per cent in additional resources from sources other than SSHRC during the life of the grant (four to seven years). As an example, if $1 million is requested from SSHRC, a minimum of $350,000 in additional cash and/or in-kind support must be secured from partner organizations, resulting in an actual total project budget of $1,350,000. SSHRC recognizes that the project can grow beyond that amount as additional partner organizations become involved over the life of the grant.
  • Host Institution Letter of Support (Western letter of support): Partnership Grants are institutional/organizational applications. At Stage 1, you must attach a letter of engagement from your host institution/organization, written on official letterhead and signed by appropriate officials. While the host institution/organization does not need to confirm its contribution to the partnership at this stage, the letter should explain how the host institution/organization plans to be involved in supporting the partnership (e.g., infrastructure, cash and/or in-kind support, services, training, etc.). The letter of engagement should include a statement confirming the institution/organization’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and details about the support it will provide to advance the partnership’s EDI plan (refer to SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications). In addition, the letter should provide an overview of the host institution/organization’s research and related priorities/strategy, and of how the proposed partnership will advance those objectives.
  • Co-applicants and participants can be from all sectors:  academic, government, community-based organizations, industry, domestic and abroad.
  • Partners (academic and non-academic) must provide a letter of support that explains their interest and role in the project and any commitments of cash or in-kind support they are offering (if applicable.)
  • As with all SSHRC programs, a plan for training students is essential.
  • The proposal must present a governing structure for managing the project and its various activities.
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) requirements have been introduced as part of a pilot initiative in the Partnership Grants funding opportunity. Applicants are required to consider both EDI in research practice (EDI-RP) and EDI in research design (EDI-RD):
    • EDI-RP involves promoting diversity in team composition and trainee recruitment; fostering an equitable, inclusive and accessible research work environment for team members and trainees; and highlighting diversity and equity in mentoring, training and access to development opportunities.
    • EDI-RD involves designing the research so that it takes EDI into account through approaches such as intersectionality, gender-based analysis plus, anti-racist approaches and disaggregated data collection, and analysis that includes consideration of diversity and identity factors such as, but not limited to, age, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, gender expression and gender identity, immigration and newcomer status, Indigenous identity, language, neurodiversity, parental status/responsibility, place of origin, religion, race, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

    EDI-RP and EDI-RD will be evaluated as part of the Challenge and Feasibility evaluation criteria and applicants should embed consideration of EDI-RP and EDI-RD throughout the relevant sections of the application, as applicable.

    For more information, see the Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications.

  • Co-Applicants and Collaborators:  Partners and participants (co-applicants and collaborators) must create a SSHRC User ID in order to accept the on-line invitation that will be generated when they are added to the proposal. This includes the creation of a SSHRC CV in most cases. It is important to advise your partners and participants of this requirement, particularly those who are unfamiliar with SSHRC and its online application system. Please plan enough time in advance to complete these activities.

Support and Assistance

For Western applicants, Western Research can provide services and supports to strengthen your proposal as it is developed, including editorial review and written feedback. Western Resarch will work closely with you and identify the support you require, and a suitable timeline in order to provide those services. Program contact: Shruthi Polla Ravi, Institutional Research Programs Officer.

Western Research provides support and consultation for the integration of EDID, Indigenous Research and Knowledge Mobilization and Impact within your application; please fill out this form with your information and we will assist with your request – or contact Mariam Hayward directly.

Resources

 

Contact

For more information, please contact Shruthi Polla Ravi, Institutional Research Programs Officer