Partnership Stage 1 Preparation Grant

*2020 Competition Launching June 30*

Purpose

The grant will provide financial support for expenses related to the preparation of a SSHRC Partnership Grant Stage 1 [PG1] to be submitted in February of 2021.

Availability

The Office of the Vice-President (Research & Innovation) will fund, through the Grant Assist Program, up to five separate grant applications in which a University of Alberta faculty member is the Project Director.

Value

Up to $10,000 per team, contingent upon eligible expenses.

Deadline

July 15, 2020, NOON

Eligibility

Continuing, full-time faculty members who are Project Directors on a Partnership Grant Letter of Intent to be submitted in Feb 2021, in which the University of Alberta is the applicant.

Budget Expenses and Justification

Eligible expenditures must be SSHRC-eligible, and directly related to preparation of the PG Stage 1 application. These may include:

  • salaries for graduate student research assistants,
  • sees for professional editing, graphics design
  • costs for travel (real or virtual) for networking, team development, and/or other collaborations
  • costs of holding a workshop or seminar, the activities of which relate directly to the PG1 preparation
  • specialized research supplies, software, books or periodicals not formally provided by the university
  • communications (teleconferencing, long distance, planning meetings, couriered documents)
  • fees associated with research mobilization (e.g. professional editing, technical consultants, specialized training)
  • computers/tablets and other hardware and/or specialized software not normally provided by the university, and required for the PG1 preparation (with adequate justification)
  • honoraria for Indigenous Elders

Ineligible expenses include:

  • costs of alcohol, entertainment, hospitality and gifts
  • costs involved in the preparation of teaching material
  • course release
  • living expenses

Requirements

Preparation Grant recipients will be required to submit their draft PG1 proposal to the Grant Assist Program for peer review on or before December 1, 2020.

Adjudication

Applications to the PG1 Preparation Grant will normally be reviewed by a committee comprised of one or more Associate Vice-Presidents (Research), the Director, Grant Assist Program (Social Sciences and Humanities), and at least one expert from a Faculty other than that of the applicant (usually Associate Deans of Research). Normally, applicants will be notified of the outcome of the review process by July 30, 2020.

Note: applicants / teams not previously supported by funding from the Office of the VP (Research) may receive priority in final selection.

PG1 Preparation Grant Application Process

Information required on the application (please use the bolded terms as your subtitles)

  • Information about the Partnership Grant project you hope to conduct:

Page 1:

  1. Title of the proposed project
  2. Team: Project Director, Co-Applicant(s), Collaborator(s): Name(s), Department(s) and Institution(s) committed thus far.
  3. Partners: Community, private and/or public sector entities with which you will partner to develop the PG1 application, and in the research,if successful.

Page 2:

  1. Summary: Concise (1 page / 3800 characters) summary of the overall Partnership project's research questions, goal(s), rationale(s), objective(s), data collection and analysis method(s), capacity of the team to address the intended research, analysis and planned knowledge mobilization activities.

Page 3:

  1. Planned Outcomes and Societal Impacts: of the Partnership Concise (1/2 page / 1900 characters) expected partnership outcomes and societal impact(s) of the research.
  2. SSHRC Program Objectives: Concise (1/2 page / 1900 characters) indication of how your Partnership Grant, if funded, will reflect the objectives of the SSHRC program, including any connection to Canada's Future Challenge Areas, &/or Aboriginal Research &/or Research Creation &/or cross-disciplinary issues.

Page 4:

  1. Academic Partners: List any other academic institutions (if relevant) you are expecting to join your project. Indicate whether the research relationships are new or established, and how the partnership is essential to meeting research goals.
  2. Non-academic Partners: List external partners (private and public institutions). Indicate the extent to which the key external partners are established or new relationships. Describe why partnership with the(se) institutions is/are essential to meeting the goals of the proposed project.
  3. Budget: Include type (cash or in-kind) and value of support and collaboration from your proposed partners. Indicate whether to be requested or confirmed.
  4. Institutional Support: Financial / in-kind support offered by your department Chair and/or Dean for your Partnership Grant.
  5. Support Required for success of the full PG: discuss what level of financial and collaborative support will be essential for the project's success. (SSHRC expects to see Partners provide a minimum of 35% greater than your request to SSHRC, as cash or in-kind support; the most successful PG1's have had closer to 60% partner contributions).
  6. Elements of success: Briefly list any factors not already described that you believe would greatly increase the probability of your application moving past the initial screening (stage 1) and being invited by SSHRC to submit a formal application (stage 2). What makes your partnership distinctive and essential?

Page 5:

  • Information about how you will use the Preparation Grant funding:
  1. Preparation Grant goal(s): Clear description of what you and your team will do to prepare the PG1 (activities, participants, dates).

Page 6:

  1. Preparation Grant Budget: Indicate how you will use the up-to $10,000 funding, with specific justifications and timeline. Be sure to specify how the funding will help you craft a successful PG1 (spending must follow SSHRC-eligible categories. Course release is not eligible, but you should consider the full gamut of costs for completing the full package, from planning meetings, to professional editors, and even graphics support). If your budget exceeds $10,000, you must indicate whence will come the other funds.

Attachments:

  1. SSHRC Web-CV (not the CCV) of the Project Director.
  2. Signatures: RSO's Request New Application form, and confirmation of Departmental and / or Faculty support, signed by Chair and Dean. Please speak with your Research Facilitator as soon as possible, to ease the internal sign-off.

Please email a digital copy of the application, the signed RSO form and SSHRC Web-CV as a single PDF document, with the subject heading: GAP-PG1-2020prep-YOURProjectTitle to this email address: GAPSSHRC@ualberta.ca. Your deadline is NOON, July 15, 2020. Address the application to:

Dr. Heather Young-Leslie
Director, Grant Assist Program (Social Sciences & Humanities)
Office of the Vice-President (Research & Innovation)

Notification of approval of application will be returned via e-mail, normally by July 31, 2020.

Questions? Contact Dr. Young-Leslie via email to (during the pandemic) request a Google Meet or Zoom meeting.

FYI: While now closed, Partnership Grant Stage 1 Information from SSHRC's past competition may be helpful. You are also advised to meet with your Research Facilitator (RSO) and the Director, GAP SS&H to review prior grant samples, discuss past SSHRC Partnership Grant successes, and possible strategies.


Applicants should also be aware of SSHRC's updated Guidelines for Effective Research Training and the official Tri-Agency Open Access Policy, as well as equity and inclusion principles of Gender-Based Plus Analysis, and the University of Alberta's EDI Strategy.