SSHRC Grant Application Enhancement Program 2014

SSHRC Grant Application Enhancement Program 2014

The Office of Research Services at Lakehead University is pleased to announce the extension of the SSHRC Grant Application Enhancement Program. This program is designed to encourage and support researchers at Lakehead to begin preparation of their SSHRC applications well in advance of the internal deadline (2 weeks before the SSHRC deadline), with the ultimate goal of increasing overall success rates. The workshops will be designed to develop skills to write each application type, with common and specific references made during the sessions.

Beginning in February 2014, applicants will participate in a series of workshops devoted to the drafting of specific elements of a SSHRC application, common across disciplinary boundaries. Workshop topics may include a mock SSHRC peer review exercise, organizing a comprehensive description of the proposed research project, preparing an engaging summary, crafting a project budget, building effective research teams for successful grant applications, and creating a feasible knowledge mobilization plan. The topics and schedule of these workshops will be finalized in consultation with participants who are accepted in this program.

Over the summer of 2014, participants will submit their draft applications for a formal review by an expert in their field, receiving valuable feedback to further strengthen their applications. Participants will be given the results of their review six weeks prior to the internal deadline in order to revise and submit their application to the external SSHRC competition.

Participants in the program will be eligible for a research grant of up to $1000, distributed in two installments to aid in the development of their SSHRC applications. Researchers may use this grant for costs associated with research, including but not limited to, hiring research assistants and grant writers/editors, collecting preliminary data, and gathering materials for the literature review. At the conclusion of the pilot, participants’ feedback will be sought to assist in the evaluation of the pilot program. The $1000 grant will be distributed in two separate allotments: 1) $500 at the completion of the workshops in which the participant had full attendance and 2) $500 after a SSHRC application has been submitted. Applications from the completion of the workshops must be submitted to the next immediately available Insight Grant, Insight Development Grant, Partnership Letter of Intent Grant, or Partnership Development Grant competition.

All researchers engaged in research in the area of social sciences and humanities are welcome to participate in the program. Participants of the 2012 or 2013 programs are welcome to apply to re-enroll in the program on an “audit” basis, which means that they will not be eligible for the financial incentive.

In order to apply for the program, researchers should send to Dr. Andrew Friesen (SSHRC Research Facilitator) by December 30, 2013:

a) a brief 1-page description of their proposed research project, including title and abstract (250-500 words),

b) a short bio about the researcher (100-200 words),

c) a budget for the $1000 research grant, and

d) the name and email address of one non-Lakehead scholar who has 1) held a successful SSHRC grant and 2) agreed to review a draft SSHRC application that is a part of the program.

Please note that only 12 applicants will be selected to participate in this program, so please ensure your application contains all required components and is submitted by the deadline. Evaluation will be based on originality, relevance to SSHRC’s mandate, methodology, project description cohesiveness and background of the researcher. Please allow 2 weeks for the results to be announced. If you would like more information, please contact Andrew by email at afriesen@lakeheadu.ca  or phone 807-343-8290.