ARCHIVED - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Supplementary Tables

1: Grants and Scholarships

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Grants and Scholarships (voted)

Start Date: 1978

End Date: No end date

Description: This transfer payment program consists of grants and scholarships awarded for research, research training and research dissemination activities in the social sciences and humanities.

Strategic Outcomes:
1. People-A first-class research capacity in the social sciences and humanities

2. Research-New knowledge based on excellent research in the social sciences and humanities

3. Knowledge Mobilization-Facilitating the use of social sciences and humanities knowledge within and beyond academia

Results Achieved

Strategic Outcome 1: People

The development of talent through direct support to student and postdoctoral fellows has increased 27 per cent between 2006-07 and 2010-11, to $37 million. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) awarded 927 doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and prizes in 2010-11 (excluding Canada Graduate Scholarships [CGS] and Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships [Vanier CGS]).

There has been a 41 per cent increase since 2006-07 in the number of postdoctoral fellowships and awards granted, reflecting proportionate increases in applications for that same period.

Performance has been maintained for the Canada Research Chairs Program. By March 31, 2011, there were 1,845 Canada Research Chairs at 72 postsecondary institutions across Canada. Of these chairs, 30 per cent were filled by researchers recruited from abroad, including 256 Canadian expatriates. Over 22 per cent of Canada Research Chairs are in the social sciences and humanities. In 2010-11, a total of 310 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs were announced at Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Strategic Outcome 2: Research

As SSHRC’s largest investment, funding levels for the direct costs of research were at $127 million.

Since 2006-07, the number of applications for Investigator-Framed Research, SSHRC’s largest program activity-providing approximately $86 million in funding-increased by 12 per cent. The number of awards granted annually since 2007-08 has increased by 17 per cent.

In 2010-11, funding opportunities under Investigator-Framed Research supported 3,147 new and ongoing projects across all areas of the social sciences and humanities. A total of 998 new grants were awarded in 2010-11 following peer review of the submitted proposals.

Since 2006-07, funding levels for Strategic Research Development and Targeted Research and Training Initiatives have remained largely unchanged, at $41 million.

The decline in the number of applications under the Targeted Research and Training program activity is a reflection of the realignment and streamlining of funding opportunities as SSHRC moved toward full implementation of its renewed program activity architecture.

In 2010-11, SSHRC developed and launched a partnered funding opportunity with a research and/or significant knowledge mobilization requirement. While investigator-driven, these Partnership Development Grants require a formal partnership (with financial and/or in-kind contributions) from postsecondary institutions and the public, private or community sectors. In 2010-11, the funding opportunity funded 45 partnerships involving 350 researchers and 192 partners representing multiple sectors from Canada and internationally. SSHRC’s 2010-11 investment was $3.3 million, with cash and in-kind contribution commitments of just over $1.8 million.

Strategic Outcome 3: Knowledge Mobilization

The Research Dissemination and Knowledge Translation program activity has been expanded to include sub-activities of Research Publishing and Knowledge Translation. Through its Public Outreach Grants funding vehicle, Knowledge Translation awarded 43 new grants in 2010-11 in support of the effective mobilization and implementation of research and research results, with almost 50 per cent of these falling within one of three SSHRC priority areas (Environmental Issues; Innovation, Leadership and Prosperity; and Northern Communities: Towards Social and Economic Prosperity).

Since 2006-07, funding support for knowledge mobilization has increased by 27 per cent, to $19.3 million.

($ millions)	Actual Spending 2008-09	Actual Spending 2009-10	Planned Spending 2010-11	Total Authorities 2010-11	Actual Spending 2010-11	Variance Between Planned and Actual Spending
Program Activities
Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes	37.8	37.4	35.3	36.9	36.7	1.4
Research Chairs	55.6	54.0	59.2	59.2	53.7	-5.5
Investigator-Framed Research	82.6	82.4	78.8	78.8	86.4	7.6
Targeted Research and Training Initiatives	22.1	22.4	18.4	18.6	14.7	-3.7
Strategic Research Development	24.9	25.0	25.6	28.5	26.3	0.7
Research Communication and Interaction	29.9	This program activity was split into two new program activities for 2009-10 and beyond.
Research Dissemination and Knowledge Translation	N/A	9.6	6.9	6.9	8.5	1.6
Research Networking	N/A	9.0	8.2	8.2	10.8	2.6
Total Grants	252.9	239.8	232.4	237.1	237.1	4.7
Comment(s) on Variance(s)	SSHRC’s grants and scholarships budget increased in 2010-11. SSHRC received additional funding as per Budget 2010 to support world-leading research in the social sciences and humanities through establishing and delivering the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.
Audit Completed or Planned	No audit was conducted or planned during the reporting year.
Evaluation Completed or Planned	Tenth-Year Evaluation of the Canada Research Chairs Program Summative Cluster Evaluation of the SSHRC Institutional Grants (SIG) and Aid to Small Universities (ASU) Programs Summative Evaluation of the Standard Research Grants and Research Development Initiatives Programs Summative Evaluation of the Postdoctoral Fellowships Program Summative Evaluation of the Prizes and Special Fellowships Programs

2: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Canada Graduate Scholarships (voted)

Start Date: 2003

End Date: No end date

Description: This transfer payment program seeks to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students in the social sciences and humanities.

Strategic Outcome:
1. People—A first-class research capacity in the social sciences and humanities

Results Achieved

The total number of Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS master's and doctoral scholarships awarded in 2010-11 was 1,730. Of the above, 200 new CGS master’s scholarships were awarded in the targeted funding area of business, management and finance.

An evaluation of the CGS programs conducted in 2008-09 found that the programs are meeting two key goals: enhancing the quality of graduate training and increasing the number of highly qualified personnel graduating from Canadian universities. The evaluation generally supports the notion that there is a continuing need for CGS and related programs. However, the evidence was not strongly weighted to one side.

($ millions)	Actual Spending 2008-09	Actual Spending 2009-10	Planned Spending 2010-11	Total Authorities 2010-11	Actual Spending 2010-11	Variance Between Planned and Actual Spending
Program Activities
Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes	67.3	75.7	76.0	76.0	75.0	-1
Total Grants	67.3	75.7	76.0	76.0	75.0	-1
Comment(s) on Variance(s)
Audit Completed or Planned	No audit was conducted or planned during the reporting year.
Evaluation Completed or Planned	No evaluation was completed or planned during the reporting year.

3. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (voted)

Start Date: 2008

End Date: No end date

Description: This transfer payment program was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to brand Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning.

Strategic Outcome:
1.People—A first-class research capacity in the social sciences and humanities

Results Achieved

The second competition of the flagship Vanier CGS program was delivered in 2010-11, with:

• 58 doctoral scholarships awarded in the social sciences and humanities;

• SSHRC, in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), achieving harmonization of the program’s resources and delivery mechanisms, achieving the full uptake of 500 awards, and establishing a common Vanier website; and

• SSHRC, in collaboration with Canadian universities, Industry Canada, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, implementing a national and international promotion and branding campaign for the program.

($ millions)	Actual Spending 2008-09	Actual Spending 2009-10	Planned Spending 2010-11	Total Authorities 2010-11	Actual Spending 2010-11	Variance Between Planned and Actual Spending
Program Activities
Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes	0	2.6	5.5	5.5	5.5	0
Total Grants	0	2.6	5.5	5.5	5.5	0
Comment(s) on Variance(s)
Audit Completed or Planned	No audit was conducted or planned during the reporting year.
Evaluation Completed or Planned	No evaluation was completed or planned during the reporting year.

4. Indirect Costs of Research

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Indirect Costs of Research

Start Date: 2003

End Date: No end date

Description: This transfer payment program supports a portion of the indirect costs associated with conducting academic research in institutions that receive research grant funds from any of the three federal research granting agencies. Grants are awarded to eligible institutions using a progressive funding formula based on the average revenues from research grants received from CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

Strategic Outcome:
4. Institutional Environment—A strong Canadian science and research environment

Results Achieved

Since 2006-07, there has been a more than 10 per cent increase in financial support to postsecondary institutions for indirect costs of research supported by the federal government’s three research granting agencies (SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC).

Since the Indirect Costs Program’s inception in 2001, SSHRC has allocated close to $2.5 billion in Indirect Costs grants to more than 140 eligible Canadian postsecondary institutions, including $329.3 million in 2010-11. The funding has provided vital support to the academic research environment in Canada.

In 2009-10, the most recent year for which data is available, eligible institutions invested along five key investment areas: 33 per cent of the Indirect Costs funds were spent on facilities; 18 per cent on research resources; 34 per cent on management and administration; 10 per cent on regulatory requirements and accreditation; and 5 per cent on intellectual property management.

The distribution of funds among the five expenditure areas has remained fairly stable since the program’s inception, with a gradual increase in the proportion of funds allotted to regulatory requirements, accreditation, and management and administration, combined with an equivalent decline in the proportion spent on resources and facilities.

In response to a recommendation from the Indirect Costs Program evaluation carried out in 2008-09, program management committed to working with the university community to establish a baseline measurement of the state of the research environment in Canada. A working group composed of senior administrators from various organizations (universities, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Canadian Association of University Business Officers, and the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators) has been tasked with identifying a set of indicators to assess the health of the university research environment every five years.

To date, the working group has identified indicators for three of the five components that define the health of the research environment (i.e., quality of facilities; availability and quality of research resources; and management and administration capacity). Work continues on identifying indicators for the two remaining components (degree of regulatory compliance; and intellectual property management capacity).

($ millions)	Actual Spending 2008-09	Actual Spending 2009-10	Planned Spending 2010-11	Total Authorities 2010-11	Actual Spending 2010-11	Variance Between Planned and Actual Spending
Program Activities
Indirect Costs of Research	328.3	324.6	322.1	329.3	329.3	7.2
Total Grants	328.3	324.6	322.1	329.3	329.3	7.2
Comment(s) on Variance(s)	SSHRC received an additional $8 million in funding for the Indirect Costs Program, as per Budget 2010. Funds were received in January 2011 and spent by the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Audit Completed or Planned	No audit was conducted or planned during the reporting year.
Evaluation Completed or Planned	No evaluation was completed or planned during the reporting year.

5. Networks of Centres of Excellence

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Networks of Centres of Excellence

Start Date: 1997

End Date: No end date

Description: This federal class grant transfer payment program is administered jointly by the three federal research granting agencies, in partnership with Industry Canada. It supports research in complex areas of critical importance to Canadian universities and hospitals, in partnership with private and public sectors. The networks funded through this program are multidisciplinary and multisectoral partnerships that stimulate leading-edge, internationally competitive research in areas critical to Canadian economic and social development.

Strategic Outcome:
3. Knowledge Mobilization—Facilitating the use of social sciences and humanities knowledge within and beyond academia

Results Achieved

In 2010-11, SSHRC continued to work towards deepening the social sciences and humanities’ involvement in the Networks of Centres of Excellence.

($ millions)	Actual Spending 2008-09	Actual Spending 2009-10	Planned Spending 2010-11	Total Authorities 2010-11	Actual Spending 2010-11	Variance Between Planned and Actual Spending
Program Activities
Research Networking	0	11.8	11.8	11.8	11.2	-0.6
Total Grants	0	11.8	11.8	11.8	11.2	-0.6
Comment(s) on Variance(s)
Audit Completed or Planned	No audit was conducted or planned during the reporting year.
Evaluation Completed or Planned	No evaluation was completed or planned during the reporting year.