SSHRC Explore Bridge

Explore Bridge grants support researchers in the social sciences and humanities who:

• Have held at least one grant as a principal investigator (PI) from one of the three federal funding councils or (new) from a national sponsor outside of Canada;
• Are not currently holding Tri-Council funding as a PI (if in an automatic extension year, can no longer be receiving instalments); and
• Have been unsuccessful in a SSHRC funding competition in the last year (excludes SSHRC Connection and Partnership Engage Grants).

It is expected that the Explore Bridge will lead to a competitive application to SSHRC as a PI within a year of the end date of the grant.

Guidelines

Terms and Conditions

Eligibility

Principal Investigator

• Holds a full-time tenured or tenure-track position (Assistant, Associate, Full) at Carleton at the time of application (i.e., appointment date on or before the applicant submission deadline).
• The researcher:
  • Has held at least one grant as a PI from one of the three federal funding councils or (new) from a national sponsor outside of Canada;
  • Is not currently holding Tri-Council funding as a PI (if in an automatic extension year, can no longer be receiving instalments);
  • Has been unsuccessful in a SSHRC competition within the last year (excludes SSHRC Connection and Partnership Engage Grants);
  • May only submit one application as PI or co-principal application (co-PI) in a given gate to the Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR); and
  • Cannot have been awarded a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) in the past three years.
• A Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) may not be held in conjunction with a SSHRC Exchange Grant: Knowledge Mobilization.
• Previous recipients of a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) must demonstrate that the proposed single defined research project involves different objectives than their past grant(s) and that there is no duplication of funding for any of the proposed activities.
• NEW: the final report for the previous award must have been submitted.

Co-Principal Investigator

• Holds a full-time tenured or tenure-track position at Carleton at the time of application (i.e., appointment date on or before the applicant submission deadline).
• Has not been awarded a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) within the past three years. Previous recipients of a Research Development Grant proposing a similar research project must clearly explain how they are planning to respond to committee comments. 
• NEW: the final report for the previous award must have been submitted.
• Does not hold a SSHRC Exchange Grant: Knowledge Mobilization.
• A professor may only submit one application in a given gate to the Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR).

Team Member

• Anyone is eligible, no CV submission is required.

Budget

Expenses must be eligible under the Tri-Agency Guidelines for Use of Grant Funds.

Eligible Expenses

• Stipends to students and postdoctoral fellows;
• Salaries of technical and professional staff;
• Materials, supplies and services;
• Research travel (e.g., field work); and
• Knowledge dissemination (travel to present papers at academic conferences and open access costs for no more than a total cost of $3,000).

Note: small equipment (i.e., computers) cannot account for more than one third of the total budget.

Ineligible Expenses

• Professional development activities;
• Partnership-building activities;
• Large equipment and renovations; and
• Teaching release.

Note: transfers of funds to other institutions are not permitted.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Challenge — The aim and importance of the endeavor (50%)
   • Originality, significance and expected contribution to knowledge;
   • Appropriateness of the literature review, the theoretical approach or framework, and the methods;
   • Consideration of sex, gender and other identity factors in the research design;
   • Quality of training and mentoring to be provided to students, emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel, as well as opportunities for them to contribute; and
   • Potential for the project results to have influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
2. Feasibility — The plan to achieve excellence (30%) 
   • Appropriateness of the proposed timeline and probability that the objectives will be met;
   • Expertise of the applicant/team in relation to the proposed research; and
   • Appropriateness of the requested budget, justification of proposed costs and, where applicable, other financial and/or in-kind contributions.
3. Capability — The expertise to succeed (20%)
   • Quality, quantity and significance of past experience and published and/or creative outputs of the applicant and any co-applicants, relative to their roles in the project and their career stage;
   • Evidence of other past knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., films, performances, commissioned reports, knowledge syntheses, experience in collaboration/other interactions with stakeholders, contributions to public debate and media) and of impacts on professional practice, social services and policies, etc.; and
   • Quality and quantity of past contributions to the development of training and mentoring of students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel.

Contact Us

Christine Rivas: christinerivas@cunet.carleton.ca