Indigenous Science and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution

To help reduce plastic waste and pollution, and progress towards a circular economy for plastics, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is partnering with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on this joint initiative.

It provides research funding support through the Research Partnerships grants to address knowledge gaps about the potential impacts of plastic pollution on Indigenous communities through the various stages of the plastic lifecycle, focusing on social, cultural and economic impacts.

Visit the Environment and Climate Change Canada website for more information on the Indigenous Science and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution program.

Value and Duration

Up to $237,500 annually for up to two years.

Overview

Applications should demonstrate that the research project prioritizes Indigenous communities by indicating that it:

• has been designed through consultation;
• has been co-developed or initiated by Indigenous communities and responding to their needs;
• is designed to bridge, braid and weave Indigenous science and knowledge in the project; and/or
• will be led or co-led by Indigenous researchers and organizations.

Research findings will help inform evidence-based decision-making when developing future actions on plastics.

Eligibility

Applications can be submitted by a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant/project director and one or more co-directors, co-applicants and/or collaborators). The applicant/project director prepares the application on behalf of the partner organizations of the formal partnership.

Applicants must be affiliated with a Canadian institution or Indigenous not-for-profit organization that holds institutional eligibility before funding can be released. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian institution that holds institutional eligibility, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant/project director status.

Applicants who have received a SSHRC grant of any type but have failed to submit an achievement report by the deadline specified in their Notice of Award are not eligible to apply for another SSHRC grant until they have submitted the report.

Postdoctoral researchers are eligible to be applicants/project directors if they have formally established an affiliation with an eligible institution within five months of the grant start date, and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period. Before applying, postdoctoral researchers must confirm with their institution, usually through the research grants office, that the institution can administer the funding if awarded.

If intending to apply as an applicant, federal scientists (on contract) who are primarily affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution must demonstrate that their proposed research or research-related activity is not related to either the mandate of their federal employer or the normal duties for which they receive payment from that employer.

If the proposal falls within the mandate of the federal government and the research or research-related activity is performed in government facilities, funding can only be allocated for student salaries, stipends and travel costs.

Deadlines

• Faculty deadline: consult your Faculty Research Facilitator
• The Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) Approval Form and application deadline: October 11, 2025
• Submission to sponsor: October 16, 2025 (8 p.m. eastern)

Submitting Your Application

1. Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch.
2. Submit an external application to Environment and Climate Change Canada by following their submission guidelines.

Contact Us

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss this funding opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.