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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

SSHRC is committed to supporting excellence in social sciences and humanities research and research training; supporting research knowledge and capacity that has social, economic, and cultural returns for Canadians; helping shape the research enterprise; and contributing to innovation. The Council's investments contribute to significant advances in knowledge, understanding and expertise in the social sciences and humanities, and to the development of a first-class research capacity in Canada. These investments are an integral part of an effective Canadian science and technology policy.

Overall, SSHRC's activities are aimed at achieving:

• enhanced capacity in the social sciences and humanities stemming from the supply of highly qualified people with leading-edge research skills to knowledge-intensive careers in universities, industry, government and other sectors of the economy;
• knowledge based on excellent research in the social sciences and humanities to help better understand the world and address complex and pressing societal issues; and
• enhanced linkages among researchers nationally and internationally, and enhanced connections between researchers and users to achieve effective knowledge mobilization and impact, with economic and social benefits for Canadian society.

The structure of section II follows SSHRC's Program Activity Architecture in terms of its four strategic outcomes and seven program activities:

1. People:
   Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes; and
   Canada Research Chairs.
2. Research:
   Investigator-Framed Research;
   Targeted Research and Training Initiatives; and
   Strategic Research Development.
3. Knowledge Mobilization:
   Research Communication and Interaction.
4. Institutional Environment:
   Indirect Costs of Research.

2.1 People: A First-Class Research Capacity in the Social Sciences and Humanities

One of the key outcomes of SSHRC's programs is developing talented people. This talent comes in the form of research trainees, new researchers embarking on promising careers, and established researchers with international reputations. SSHRC's program activities directly supporting the development of talent are described below. SSHRC also supports students indirectly, by funding research projects that engage students in conducting research.

The federal government's Science and Technology Strategy recognizes that talented, skilled, creative people are the most critical element of a successful national economy. Demand is growing rapidly for highly qualified personnel who are creative, analytical and articulate, as well as sophisticated in their understanding of individuals, communities and societies in the past and present. This is what SSHRC's investments in people help to produce. Canada should strive to become a magnet for the highly skilled people we need to thrive in the modern global economy. Having the best-educated, most highly skilled and flexible workforce in the world will generate Canada's people advantage.

2.1.1 Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes

Table 6: Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes

Fellowships, Scholarships and Prizes	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$104.1 million	$106.0 million	$106.0 million
Human Resources	28 FTEs	28 FTEs	28 FTEs
Expected Results	Highly qualified personnel, expert in research, are available to pursue various knowledge-intensive careers within universities, industry, government and other sectors.

This program activity addresses demands from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors for large numbers of highly qualified personnel trained in the social sciences and humanities, and for faculty renewal at universities. Around 30 per cent of SSHRC's overall grants and scholarships budget is dedicated to directly supporting master's, doctoral and postdoctoral awards. [2]

In 2007-08, SSHRC commissioned an audit of the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration of the fellowships, scholarships and prizes programs, and developed a management response.

Recognizing the many ways Canadian students can benefit from international academic experiences (in particular, the opportunity to work with world-class scholars, wherever they are based), SSHRC is also undertaking a study of international student mobility, and is incorporating this question into the current evaluation of the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships program. In addition, an inter-agency working group has begun integrating international mobility issues into the survey for the evaluation of the Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program. The results of the evaluation are expected in 2008-09.

Canada Graduate Scholarships program

The CGS program was established by the federal government in 2003 to support graduate students who demonstrate scholarly potential and achievement at the highest levels. Administered by the three federal granting agencies, the program has a master's component and a doctoral component. Over 50 per cent of CGS awards are administered by SSHRC, for graduate students in the social sciences and humanities. Budget 2007 increased SSHRC's share of the overall CGS program budget by $3 million in 2007-08, $4.1 million in 2008-09, and $5.3 million in 2009-10 and ongoing. At the end of three years, SSHRC will be awarding an additional 200 scholarships a year, for a total of 2,600 awards (1,300 at the master's level and 1,300 at the doctoral level).

In 2007, the CGS scholarships were dedicated to the memory of pioneers in Canadian research and innovation. Those awarded by SSHRC now bear the name of Joseph-Armand Bombardier.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships

SSHRC offers support for excellent doctoral research through its well-established SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships program. This program is being evaluated jointly with the Canada Graduate Scholarships program, with results expected in 2008-09. In 2008-09, the Council will offer some 650 new SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

SSHRC's Postdoctoral Fellowships program supports the most promising new social sciences and humanities scholars who have recently completed or will soon complete a PhD or equivalent, and who do not hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty position. The fellowships help new researchers establish a research base at a crucial stage in their careers. In 2008-09, the Council will offer about 170 new Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Prizes

Outstanding achievements in social sciences and humanities research should not only be celebrated in the research community but should also be promoted in Canadian society at large. The Council promotes social sciences and humanities research through its annual prizes to outstanding researchers at different career stages: established scholar, new researcher, postdoctoral fellow and doctoral fellow. Recognizing Canadian research talent in the social sciences and humanities not only honours the individual recipients; it also serves as a clear statement to the research community at large that its efforts are valued, and provides an opportunity to demonstrate to Canadians some of the outcomes of their investments in Canadian research and researchers.

2.1.2 Canada Research Chairs

Table 7: Canada Research Chairs

Canada Research Chairs	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$61.8 million	$61.8 million	$61.8 million
Human Resources	21 FTEs	21 FTEs	21 FTEs
Expected Results	A world-class research capacity is enhanced in social sciences and humanities in Canadian universities and research institutes through the attraction and retention of excellent researchers.

The Canada Research Chairs Program invests $300 million a year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds. These chairholders are world-class researchers, who, supported by strategic infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), are improving universities' capacity to generate and apply new knowledge. Chairholders advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields not only through their own work, but also by teaching and supervising students and co-ordinating the work of other researchers.

The program's key objective is to enable Canadian universities, together with their affiliated research institutes and hospitals, to achieve the highest levels of excellence and become world-class research centres in the global, knowledge-based economy. SSHRC administers the program and hosts the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat on behalf of the three federal granting agencies. [3]

The Chairs program also seeks to:

• strengthen research excellence in Canada and increase Canada's research capacity, by attracting and retaining the best researchers;
• improve the training of highly qualified personnel through research;
• improve universities' capacity to generate and apply new knowledge; and
• promote the best possible use of research resources, through strategic institutional planning and collaboration among institutions and between sectors.

In 2008-09, its eighth year of operation, the Secretariat will administer the ongoing program and renew, replace or reallocate chairs and chairholders in accordance with the changing allocations to institutions. The Secretariat will apply a revised method for calculating allocations that embodies the principles of consistency, both with program objectives and among agencies and similar programs; fairness; and transparency.

International competition for the best researchers is intense. When it was established, the Canada Research Chairs Program was unique—not only in its concept, but also in its magnitude. The program's governance and impact have since received significant interest from other countries. Several such countries and jurisdictions have either begun or are embarking on plans to recruit and repatriate top-level researchers to their universities. However, this suggests that the competition for top talent may become even tougher in the future. The Chairs program is instrumental in ensuring that Canadian universities and their research affiliates continue to foster research excellence and enhance their roles as world-class centres of research excellence in the global, knowledge-based economy.

Attracting and retaining top research talent in Canada stimulates new demand for the funding of research activities. The success of the Chairs program increases the expectations for research funding from the three granting agencies. The ability of the granting agencies to support the increase in research activity is a critical factor for the continued success of the Chairs program.

We are seeing, in an increasing number of domains such as human health, the environment and labour productivity, that private as well as public decision makers are faced with choices that require input from research results. The Chairs program intends to play an instrumental role in developing expert capacity in these and other fields. Chairholders will be mobilized to act as a national strategic resource to provide advice on the various challenges that Canada faces.

An audit of the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration of the Canada Research Chairs Program is planned for 2008-09. A summative evaluation of the program is planned for 2009-10.

2.2 Research: New Knowledge Based on Excellent Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities

SSHRC is Canada's key instrument for supporting world-class research in the social sciences and humanities. The activities under SSHRC's Research strategic outcome help create a broad spectrum of knowledge and capacity in such areas as anthropology, law, social work, urban and regional studies, linguistics, literature, business, economics, education, and fine arts. This capacity for creating knowledge and understanding is a critical factor for Canada's quality of life and competitiveness in the knowledge economy, and, as a result, is critical in ensuring Canada's knowledge advantage.

2.2.1 Investigator-Framed Research

Table 8: Investigator-Framed Research

Investigator-Framed Research	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$91.0 million	$90.3 million	$90.3 million
Human Resources	51 FTEs	51 FTEs	51 FTEs
Expected Results	Investigator-framed research creates a synergy contributing to observable knowledge advancement and dissemination of research results throughout the academic community and beyond.

The current renewal of faculty at Canadian universities is driving an increasingly active research environment and creating enormous pressures to support a larger, more cost-intensive and internationally connected social sciences and humanities research community. These, in turn, have a considerable impact on SSHRC, especially on its programs supporting investigator-framed research—the Standard Research Grants (SRG) and Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) programs. Recent data show that faculty renewal and increased research activity are putting steadily mounting pressure on the SRG program. For example, 1,055 researchers applied to the 2007-08 SRG competition as "new scholars"—a 90-per cent increase over the 2000 competition. In the case of established scholars, the 1,480 that applied to the 2007-08 SRG competition represent a 50-per cent increase over the 2000 competition.

Standard Research Grants

The SRG program serves as a catalyst for creativity and knowledge generation in the social sciences and humanities in Canada. The program, SSHRC's largest single investment, supports research programs that explore an enormous range of issues dealing with human experience, and that help Canadians understand an increasingly complex world. The program offers opportunities for researchers to obtain support for their most creative and innovative proposals, following a process of independent peer review conducted by national and international experts. Because of the program's rigorous standards, securing an SRG grant is seen as an important endorsement of research excellence for both new and established faculty.

SRG grants, while directly funding research activities, also make a significant contribution to research training. For one, SSHRC's support of world-class research helps to create a dynamic and productive research environment that enriches the quality of research and training for undergraduate and graduate students. Moreover, students benefit from participating actively in research activities through graduate fellowships and research assistantships in SSHRC-funded projects. Thus, in order to ensure a high-quality training experience for a greater number of students, excellent researchers must have the means to provide these students with a competitive research environment. This exposure nurtures the range of skills that labour markets demand, within and beyond academia.

An evaluation of the SRG program is planned for 2009-10.

Major Collaborative Research Initiatives

The MCRI program supports large-scale, leading-edge research that has potential for intellectual breakthrough and addresses broad and critical issues of intellectual, social, economic, and cultural significance. The research it supports reaches these goals by effectively co-ordinating and integrating diverse research activities and research results. MCRI project research questions have a breadth and scope that requires many scholars with different perspectives and different types of expertise to work together in an enriching and effective way.

2.2.2 Targeted Research and Training Initiatives

Table 9: Targeted Research and Training Initiatives

Targeted Research and Training Initiatives	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$19.0 million	$22.0 million	$18.8 million
Human Resources	40 FTEs	40 FTEs	40 FTEs
Expected Results	Excellent SSHRC-funded research is targeted in areas of importance to Canadians (as defined by SSHRC, in consultation with the research community and various stakeholders).

The activities in this category are aimed at producing new knowledge on, and capacity in, pressing social, economic, and cultural issues of particular importance to Canadians, and at ensuring this knowledge and capacity are available for decision-making in various sectors. SSHRC uses two main program mechanisms to achieve this: Strategic Research Grants, which support research on identified themes; and Strategic Joint Initiatives, through which SSHRC partners with public, private and not-for-profit organizations to co-fund targeted research and research training support programs. Since 1989, the Council has co-created 45 joint initiative programs.

Among the Strategic Research Grants programs, the Research/Creation Grants in Fine Arts pilot program was evaluated in 2007-08, and an evaluation of the Aboriginal Research pilot program will be completed in 2008. An evaluation of the Strategic Joint Initiatives mechanism was also completed in 2007-08, and management has prepared a response. As well, a summative evaluation of the Immigration and the Metropolis joint initiative with Citizenship and Immigration Canada is planned for 2008-09. These evaluations will serve as important input to the examination of SSHRC's suite of programs, which is planned as a priority activity for 2008-11.

Management, Business and Finance

In Budget 2007, the federal government allocated a permanent increase of $11 million to SSHRC's budget to support research in management, business and finance. In 2007-08, this allocation was invested through a number of SSHRC's existing program mechanisms and under several program activities. This approach has allowed SSHRC to support a broad continuum of activities to develop and strengthen management, business and finance research—from fostering innovation in methodologies and approaches, to supporting small- and large-scale research projects, to building knowledge-sharing networks and designing new ways to transfer knowledge to research users.

The first targeted call for management, business and finance research proposals generated considerable response from the social sciences and humanities research community, with more than 350 applications received for the Management, Business and Finance research grants program alone.

The results of the first management, business and finance competitions will provide SSHRC with a better understanding of these fields' pressing research questions and promising research directions, and the most effective program mechanisms to support these. In addition, SSHRC is anticipating the findings of a Government of Canada-sponsored independent assessment by the Council of Canadian Academies of Canada's capacity and strengths in management, business and finance research. The results will feed into SSHRC's development of a long-term plan for its $11 million annual investment in this area.

Environment

The three federal research granting agencies are currently exploring the possibility of developing a "grand challenges" initiative to mobilize the research community to address environmental issues. A co-ordinated, comprehensive research platform would address issues such as the unique challenges and opportunities for Canada in its Arctic region; the convergence of energy, natural resources and the environment; the impact on human health; and the economic, social and behavioural dimensions of environmental issues. The initiative would prioritize and rank challenges in environmental science and policy, and fund research towards potential solutions. This collaboration could represent a unique opportunity to brand Canada as an environmental leader.

2.2.3 Strategic Research Development

Table 10: Strategic Research Development

Strategic Research Development	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$27.3 million	$24.3 million	$24.3 million
Human Resources	35 FTEs	35 FTEs	35 FTEs
Expected Results	Research institutions are supported to conduct research development, and new research and researchers are attracted in strategic and critical areas.

SSHRC's strategic research development activities are aimed at exploring and developing new perspectives, directions, modes and institutional capacity for research in the social sciences and humanities. Some of SSHRC's programs in this category include the Community-University Research Alliances (CURAs), Research Development Initiatives, SSHRC Institutional Grants, and Aid to Small Universities programs. The Council's strategic research development category also includes special activities that enable SSHRC to strategically position the social sciences and humanities within Canada and internationally.

An audit of the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration of the CURA program is planned for 2008-09.

International Community-University Research Alliances Targeting Science and Technology Priority Areas

The CURA program's overall objective is to support the creation of alliances between community organizations and post-secondary institutions that, through ongoing collaboration and mutual learning, foster innovative research, training and the creation of new knowledge in areas of importance for the social, cultural, or economic development of Canadian communities. The CURA program also provides unique research training opportunities to a large number of undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences and humanities. Ultimately, the program aims to reinforce community decision-making and problem-solving capacity.

The CURA program supports an innovative mode of research-knowledge creation through the sustained interaction of researchers and research users. CURA projects have been extremely innovative, and continue to innovate, in techniques and methodologies for conducting research at the researcher-user interface.

In 2007-08, SSHRC partnered with the International Development Research Centre to launch a new $6.27-million, six-year initiative based on the CURA model. The partnership will engage research teams from Canada and developing countries, and create alliances between community organizations and post-secondary institutions. Through a process of ongoing collaboration and mutual learning, these alliances will foster comparative research, training and the creation of new knowledge in areas of shared interest and importance for the social, cultural, or economic development of communities in both Canada and lower- and middle-income countries. International CURAs will focus on the following areas of research, which are aligned with federal Science and Technology Strategy priority research areas:

• the environment and natural resource management;
• information and communication technologies for development;
• innovation, policy and science; and
• social and economic policy related to poverty reduction, equitable economic and social development, health, and human rights.

Interest in this new partnership has been very strong, with the program receiving more than 100 letters of intent for its first competition.

International Opportunities Fund

The International Opportunities Fund was established in 2005 to help researchers from Canadian post-secondary institutions start and develop international research collaborations, and to facilitate Canadian participation and leadership in current or planned international research initiatives offering outstanding opportunities to advance Canadian research.

The program has received significant interest to date. Results of the first four competitions show that Canadian researchers are actively pursuing international collaborative opportunities with researchers from a diverse range of countries on all continents: Europe (37 per cent), South America (18 per cent), Asia and the Middle East (18 per cent), North America (12 per cent), the Pacific region (8 per cent), Africa (3 per cent), and Central America and the Caribbean (3 per cent). The overwhelming number of submissions and their quality confirm a need for improved support for international collaborative research opportunities.

2.3 Knowledge Mobilization: The Transfer, Dissemination and Use of Social Sciences and Humanities Knowledge

Moving new knowledge from academia into realms where it can be applied more directly to the benefit of Canadians has been a dominant theme in SSHRC's strategic planning for several years. SSHRC understands this challenge in the broadest sense: that it is not merely about "transferring" knowledge after it has been produced, but also about allowing opportunities for practitioners and other research users to participate and influence the knowledge-production process from the beginning. Knowledge mobilization is a key strategy for realizing Canada's entrepreneurial advantage.

2.3.1 Research Communication and Interaction

Table 11: Research Communication and Interaction

Research Communication and Interaction	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$27.4 million	$27.6 million	$27.6 million
Human Resources	15 FTEs	15 FTEs	15 FTEs
Expected Results	Interactions between researchers and between researchers and users of research are taking place.

Research—and the creation of new knowledge, capacity and talent through research—produces direct and indirect social, economic, and cultural benefits for Canadians. These benefits are achieved largely by mobilizing, disseminating, transferring and applying research-based knowledge. In fact, effectively mobilizing knowledge and applying research results are as essential to research impact as is the research itself.

SSHRC invested a portion of its 2007 $11 million budget increase in knowledge mobilization mechanisms to support creative, productive interactions between researchers and practitioners in management, business, and finance. SSHRC funded:

• targeted Strategic Knowledge Clusters to create and sustain creative, innovative knowledge networks of researchers and practitioners working on a specific theme within management, business, and finance;
• targeted Knowledge Impact in Society projects to support universities in undertaking their own outreach and engagement activities on management, business and finance themes; and
• targeted Public Outreach Grants to help communicate management, business and finance research results to a range of audiences beyond academia.

Strategic Knowledge Clusters

A cornerstone of the Council's new strategic vision, "clustering" of research efforts promotes research interaction and knowledge mobilization. SSHRC's Strategic Knowledge Clusters program, launched in 2006, calls on the research community to identify key research areas, issues and topics that would benefit from improved networking and communications—both among researchers, and between researchers and those in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors who use research knowledge to address important issues.

The program, which funds networking activities as opposed to research activities, is designed to strengthen connections among researchers and between researchers and research users, create innovative research training environments, and promote and showcase Canadian research strengths internationally. In 2007-08, SSHRC included the Strategic Knowledge Clusters mechanism in its management, business and finance initiative, and planned to fund up to four clusters focused on management, business, and finance themes.

2.4 Institutional Environment: A Strong Canadian Science and Research Environment

2.4.1 Indirect Costs of Research

Table 12: Indirect Costs of Research

Indirect Costs of Research	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Financial Resources	$315.1 million	$315.1 million	$315.1 million
Human Resources	4 FTEs	4 FTEs	4 FTEs
Expected Results	Universities and colleges have the necessary resources, research facilities and services to carry out and mobilize world-class research, and have the ability to meet their institutional teaching and citizenship mandates while carrying out world-class research.

In the last decade, the Government of Canada has made significant investments in Canadian research through the activities of the three federal research granting agencies, as well as those of Genome Canada, Canada Research Chairs and CFI. Universities have benefited greatly from this increased funding, but, at the same time, they have seen their operating costs increase substantially. The federal government has taken steps to lighten this financial burden by establishing the Indirect Costs program. Budget 2007 announced that $15 million per year would be added to the program's $300-million-per-year budget. [4]

The Indirect Costs program aims to support the institutional environment for research in all fields, not only the social sciences and humanities. SSHRC administers the program on behalf of the three federal research granting agencies. The Indirect Costs program supports about 140 eligible universities, colleges, and affiliated research hospitals and health-research institutes. Its key goal is to help eligible institutions pay a portion of the indirect costs—such as of library acquisitions, maintenance of research databases, and financial administration services for research—associated with conducting federally supported academic research. The Government of Canada's contribution to defraying these costs helps maintain a sustainable and competitive research environment for recipient institutions. It also helps smaller post-secondary institutions, which cannot benefit from the economies of scale realized by larger universities, in their efforts to increase their research capacity.

The program's priorities are set out in its terms and conditions and reflect the federal government's commitment to research, and to an infrastructure that supports a vibrant and well-equipped research environment. Eligible institutions are awarded grants based on the amount of funding they have received from each federal granting agency.

In 2007-08, SSHRC, on behalf of the three agencies, launched a summative evaluation of the Indirect Costs program, to be completed in 2008-09.

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2. The budget excludes the Indirect Costs program, which SSHRC administers on behalf of all three granting agencies.

3. See http://www.chairs.gc.ca.

4. See http://www.indirectcosts.ca.

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