Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Encyclopedia
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is an arm of the Canadian
federal funding agency. SSHRC supports a wide range of research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. The current president of the Council is Chad Gaffield.
and the CIHR
(two other Canadian arms-length funding agencies responsible for the natural sciences and engineering, and medical research respectively) to fund the indirect costs of research (such as facilities and equipment).
for the project: The new transparency: surveillance and social sorting, Rodolphe De Koninck for the project: The challenges of the agrarian transition in Southeast Asia, and Dr. Susan O'Neill for the project: Research For Youth, Music and Education
(RYME).
) in the natural sciences, health and social sciences/humanities, as well as providing funding for the indirect costs of research.
The SSHRC Gold Medal for Achievement in Research, worth CAN$100 000, is the council's highest research honour, and is awarded to a researcher who is noted for leadership, dedication and originality of thought as well as added significantly to Canada's culture.
The SSHRC Aurora Prize is awarded to a new researcher who "is building a reputation for exciting and original research in the social sciences or humanities."
The SSHRC Postdoctoral Prize is awarded each year to the most outstanding SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship recipient.
The William E. Taylor Fellowship is awarded each year to the most outstanding SSHRC doctoral award recipient.
The Molson Prize is awarded in conjunction with Canada Council for the Arts
for Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's cultural and intellectual heritage.
The Council reports to the Parliament of Canada
through Industry Canada
.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (French: (le) conseil de recherches en sciences humaine en Canada) (SSHRC/CRSH
) is a Canadian federal agency which supports university
-based training and research and training in the humanities
and social sciences
. It was formed in 1977.
was denied funding for a research project into the negative effects of the intelligent design movement
in Canada
by the SSHRC. The SSHRC reason for the rejection included the statement that "Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design theory, was correct." This was reported in Nature
and by the NCSE
. Alters spoke about it in an interview that was published in the magazine Humanist Perspectives. In the same issue of the magazine can be found other contributions regarding this controversy. Since the controversy has never been resolved, Humanist Perspectives has continued to follow events through several issues and has now devoted an entire webpage to the affair.
The Skeptical Inquirer
published a recent review of the controversy in its Jan./Feb. 2008 issue.
On April 11, 2006 SSHRC issued its own statement regarding the Alters' incident. It has now been removed from SSHRC's website, but can be found here.
SSHRC acknowledged that the committee statement was poorly formulated but offered no clarification. Brian Alters requested such a clarification, but the request has gone unanswered.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
federal funding agency. SSHRC supports a wide range of research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. The current president of the Council is Chad Gaffield.
History
SSHRC was formally created by an act of Parliament in 1977. In the years since its creation it has expanded programs and funding considerably, from primarily recipient-driven grants and primary research to directed research that seeks to answer specific questions of importance to SSHRC or Canada as a country. In its 2006-2007 budget, the program offered CAN$306 million for grants and scholarships out of a total CAN$538 million budget. SSHRC recently underwent a transition from a granting council (dedicated towards providing funding for research) to a knowledge council (dedicated towards funding and disseminating research so it is useful to Canadians).Types of grants
SSHRC now supports a variety of programs with a variety of goals. The application process generally involves peer review of the merit of the applications. The large number of applicants means that not all projects can be funded. SSHRC also works in partnership with NSERCNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is a Canadian government agency that provides grants for research in the natural sciences and in engineering. Its mandate is to promote and assist research....
and the CIHR
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Institutes of Health Research is the major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada. It is the successor to the Medical Research Council of Canada. It aims to create new health knowledge, and to translate that knowledge from the research setting into real world...
(two other Canadian arms-length funding agencies responsible for the natural sciences and engineering, and medical research respectively) to fund the indirect costs of research (such as facilities and equipment).
Researcher-framed grants
Standard research grants and major collaborative research initiatives (MCRI) are investigator-framed research projects that are designed to fund high-quality research that is of interest to the faculty member performing the research. MCRI grants are designed to support collaborative and interdisciplinary cutting-edge research while standard research grants focus on single discipline-based research projects. Some recipients of the MCRI grants have been Dr. David LyonDavid Lyon
David Lyon directs the Surveillance Studies Centre, is a Professor of Sociology, holds a Queen’s Research Chair and is cross-appointed as a Professor in the Faculty of Law at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario....
for the project: The new transparency: surveillance and social sorting, Rodolphe De Koninck for the project: The challenges of the agrarian transition in Southeast Asia, and Dr. Susan O'Neill for the project: Research For Youth, Music and Education
Research For Youth, Music and Education
RYME - Research For Youth, Music & Education is a Canadian research project that researches youth participation and engagement in musical activities, the research project is also known as Youth Participation in Music or as...
(RYME).
Issue-framed grants
The strategic research grants program is designed to fund projects focussing on issues of pressing social, economic and cultural importance. The types of projects funded (i.e. the topic they are focussed on) change throughout years. Some, particularly the Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program are designed to foster collaboration between academic researchers and community partners, with the goal of increasing applicability of research results to real-world programs.Joint initiatives
The joint initiatives are designed to foster co-operation between government agencies, community or professional partners, and/or the SSHRC itself. Similar to issue-framed grants, these grants fund issues of pressing importance.Research Communication grants
There are a Research Communication of grants designed to assist researchers to publish and otherwise spread information about the results of their research. This is mostly in the form of different types of journals as well as academic conferences and workshops.Research fellowships and student funding
The SSHRC also funds fellowships that assist researchers who are starting their careers. The fellowships are monies dedicated towards faculty, masters and doctoral students or postdoctoral researchers. These fellowships may be for research dedicated towards specific topics, or general funding based solely on the assumed merit of the student. More general funding is also available for master's and doctoral students.Other funding
SSHRC, in partnership with NSERC and CIHR provides funding for researchers who excel in specific fields (known as Canada Research ChairsCanada Research Chairs
Canada Research Chairs are Canadian university research professorships created through the Canada Research Chairs Program.- Program goals :...
) in the natural sciences, health and social sciences/humanities, as well as providing funding for the indirect costs of research.
Other applicants
The SSHRC will also provide funding for a limited number of non-university based agencies.Awards
SSHRC also provides awards for excellence in research at a variety of levels, for a variety of disciplines and on a variety of topics. Awards are granted for the previous year (i.e. the awards for 2005 are delivered in 2006). Among them are:The SSHRC Gold Medal for Achievement in Research, worth CAN$100 000, is the council's highest research honour, and is awarded to a researcher who is noted for leadership, dedication and originality of thought as well as added significantly to Canada's culture.
The SSHRC Aurora Prize is awarded to a new researcher who "is building a reputation for exciting and original research in the social sciences or humanities."
The SSHRC Postdoctoral Prize is awarded each year to the most outstanding SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship recipient.
The William E. Taylor Fellowship is awarded each year to the most outstanding SSHRC doctoral award recipient.
The Molson Prize is awarded in conjunction with Canada Council for the Arts
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
for Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's cultural and intellectual heritage.
The Council reports to the Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
through Industry Canada
Industry Canada
Industry Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regional economic development, investment, and innovation/research and development. The department employs 6104 FTEs across Canada....
.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (French: (le) conseil de recherches en sciences humaine en Canada) (SSHRC/CRSH
Social Science and Humanities Research Council
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is an arm of the Canadian federal funding agency. SSHRC supports a wide range of research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. The current president of the Council is Chad Gaffield.- History :SSHRC was formally...
) is a Canadian federal agency which supports university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
-based training and research and training in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. It was formed in 1977.
Controversy
In 2006 Brian AltersBrian Alters
Brian J. Alters is an Associate Professor of Education and Sir William Dawson Scholar at McGill University, where he also holds the Tomlinson Chair in Science Education and is both founder and Director of the Evolution Education Research Centre...
was denied funding for a research project into the negative effects of the intelligent design movement
Intelligent design movement
The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by the SSHRC. The SSHRC reason for the rejection included the statement that "Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design theory, was correct." This was reported in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
and by the NCSE
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
. Alters spoke about it in an interview that was published in the magazine Humanist Perspectives. In the same issue of the magazine can be found other contributions regarding this controversy. Since the controversy has never been resolved, Humanist Perspectives has continued to follow events through several issues and has now devoted an entire webpage to the affair.
The Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
published a recent review of the controversy in its Jan./Feb. 2008 issue.
On April 11, 2006 SSHRC issued its own statement regarding the Alters' incident. It has now been removed from SSHRC's website, but can be found here.
SSHRC acknowledged that the committee statement was poorly formulated but offered no clarification. Brian Alters requested such a clarification, but the request has gone unanswered.
See also
- Canada Foundation for InnovationCanada Foundation for InnovationCreated by the Government of Canada in 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation strives to build our nation’s capacity to undertake world-class research and technology development to benefit Canadians...
- Canada Research Chairs Program