The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and training in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

and

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

s. It is one of three major federal granting agencies (the others being the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and

Canadian Institutes for Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...

) that together are referred to as the "Tri-Council" or "Tri-Agency.

History

Created by an act of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

in 1977, SSHRC reports to Parliament through the

Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development The minister of innovation, science, and industry (french: ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et de l'Industrie) is the minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the economic develo ...

. SSHRC came into existence on 1 May 1978 under the ''Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Act'' which was passed in an

omnibus Omnibus may refer to: Film and television * ''Omnibus'' (film) * Omnibus (broadcast), a compilation of Radio or TV episodes * ''Omnibus'' (UK TV series), an arts-based documentary programme * ''Omnibus'' (U.S. TV series), an educational progr ...

manner by the government of Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

Governance

SSHRC creates policy, plans

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

s, and directs priorities through a council established by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

. The appointed members are a mix of academics and representatives from the industry. They have the role of advising the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development on research policy in the areas of research and scholarship in the

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

and

, with the goal of representing the interests of academic,

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

and

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

s. Council committees create and oversee SSHRC's programs, determine the distribution of funds and handles the strategies for enacting the councils policies.

President

Past presidents include André Fortier (1977–?), William E. Taylor (also, William Ewart Taylor Jr), Paule Leduc (June 1988 to March 1994), Lynn Penrod (1994–1997), Marc Renaud (1997–2005), and Chad Gaffield (2006–2014). Ted Hewitt was appointed president of SSHRC in March 2015, and continues to serve as President.

Programs

SSHRC funding opportunities are available through three programs: Talent, Insight and Connection.

Talent program

The Talent program is to support students and postdoctoral candidates to become researchers and leaders across society, both within academia and across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. The program promotes research skills and assists in the training of highly qualified personnel in the social sciences and humanities. In this way, SSHRC fosters the development of talented and creative people who will become leaders across campuses and communities.

Insight program

The Insight program is to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world by supporting research excellence in all subject areas eligible for funding from SSHRC. Research and training in the social sciences and humanities provide the foundation for a vibrant, healthy and prosperous society. They build knowledge and understanding about individuals, groups and societies. The program aims to support and foster excellence in social sciences and humanities research intended to deepen, widen and increase collective understanding of individuals and societies, as well as to inform the search for solutions to societal challenges.

Connection program

The Connection program is to realize the potential of social sciences and humanities research for intellectual, cultural, social and economic influence, benefit and impact on and beyond the campus by supporting specific activities and tools that facilitate the flow and exchange of research knowledge. Knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities facilitates the multidirectional flow of research knowledge across academia and society as a whole, in order to inform Canadian and international research, debate, decisions and actions. Those who can benefit from publicly funded research results in the humanities and social sciences - diverse groups of researchers, policy-makers, business leaders, community groups, educators and the media. The program aims to support knowledge mobilization activities such as networking, disseminating, exchanging and co-creating research-based knowledge as an important element of publicly engaged scholarship, and as a means of strengthening research agendas. SSHRC also recognizes that rapidly evolving information and communications technologies provide new opportunities to engage a variety of audiences with an interest and/or involvement in social sciences and humanities scholarship. A program entitled Canada 150 Connection has been set up for the

150th anniversary of Canada The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederation. Planning Major pl ...

to support activities by post-secondary institutions and researchers that explore the contributions of social sciences and humanities research to Canadian society.

Notable past SSHRC Scholars and Fellows include

* Nissim Mannathukkaren

Future challenge areas

In June 2013, SSHRC's governing council endorsed six future challenge areas developed during its Imagining Canada's Future initiative, with a goal of addressing Canada's future societal challenges and meeting future opportunities through social sciences and humanities research.

References

External links

*
Research for a Better Life: The Storytellers

SSHRC Impact Awards

Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program

Indirect Costs Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Social Sciences And Humanities Research Council Federal departments and agencies of Canada Funding bodies of Canada Education finance in Canada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Government agencies established in 1977 1977 establishments in Canada Members of the International Science Council