Fig. A
From Granting Council to
Knowledge Council:
Renewing the social sciences
and humanities in Canada
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Part I:
Who We Are:
Facts and Figures
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC’s Mandate
> Promote and support
research and research
training in the social
sciences and
humanities
> Provide advice to the
Minister of Industry
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC’s Programs
Research Base
Training
>
Standard Research Grants (SRG)
>
Doctoral Fellowships
>
Major Collaborative Research
Initiatives (MCRI)
>
Postdoctoral Fellowships
>
Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS)
•
•
Master’s component
PhD component
Targeted
Research Communication
and Institutions
>
>
>
>
>
>
Conferences and Congresses
>
Research and Transfer Journals
>
SSHRC Institutional Grants (SIG)
>
Aid to Small Universities (ASU)
>
Aid to Scholarly Publications
Initiative on the New Economy (INE)
Strategic Themes
Joint Initiatives
Research Development Initiatives (RDI)
Community-University Research
Alliances (CURA)
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC’s Base Budget, 2003-04 = $197M*
6%
9%
Com m unications
& Institutionals
6%
INE
$18.1M
Operational
$16.4M
$197M
Strategic Areas
& Innov. Funds
$19.0M
10%
NCE
$11.3M
8%
CGS
$14.2M
Research
Training
$36.6M
7%
19%
*Excludes Canada Research Chairs program and Indirect costs program
35%
Research Base
$70.0M
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC's grants and scholarships budget by program cluster
1999-2000 to 2003-2004
1999 - 2000
2000 - 2001
$000
2001 - 2002
2002 - 2003
2003 - 2004
INE 2001-2002
INE 2002-2003
INE 2003-2004
CGS 2003-2004
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
CGS
40,000
INE
30,000
INE
INE
20,000
10,000
Research Base
Research Training
(Includes CGS)
Strategics
(Includes INE)
Research
Communications
Institutional
Support
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
A huge peer review machinery:
> Over 3500 research submissions/year (not incl. fellowships)
> Over 3000 applications for Ph.D. support
> 500 applications for post-docs
> 9000 external assessors
> 40 adjudication committees
> 300 committee members
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
A growing human sciences community:
> Faculty – There are 18,000 full-time social sciences and
humanities faculty in more than 90 Canadian universities. 54%
of all faculty is in the human sciences.
> Graduate students – 39,800 (or 58%) of all Canadian fulltime graduate students are in the social sciences and
humanities.
> Serious increase expected -- Consensus on rising university
enrolment at all levels; number of faculty also growing
tremendously (21,600 faculty needed just in human sciences).
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
A varied human sciences community:
Proportion of full-time faculty in
SSHRC’s mandate, 2000-2001
Hlth
17%
Proportion of full-time graduate students in
SSHRC’s mandate, 1999-2000
Hlth
10%
100% (33,864)
NSE
32%
NSE
29%
54%
SSH
54%
100% (68,628)
(18,178 in SSH)
3.8%
Law
6.7%
Fine Arts
12.3%
Commerce
14.4%
Education
28.8%
Humanities
34.0%
Social Sciences
(excludes law and commerce)
Source: Statistics Canada – faculty and graduate students data.
58%
SSH
58%
(39,800 in SSH)
1.9%
Law
4.0%
Fine Arts
15.8%
Education
20.2%
Commerce
22.9%
Humanities
35.2%
Social Sciences
(excludes law and commerce)
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
A community with varied interests:
Environm ent (incl.
Sustainability, Nat'l
Resources,
Agriculture): $3.2 4%
Arts, Culture,
Hum anities: $17.0 23%
Globalization (incl.
Multiculturalism, Int'l
Relations, Trade,
Politics and
Governance): $10.0 14%
Law , Justice,
Security: $3.5 - 5%
Social Issues and
Policy (Canadian
Families, Health
Care, Housing): $9.8
- 13%
Education (incl. LifeLong and Language
Learning, Literacy):
$16.0 - 22%
New Econom y (incl
Eco & Regional
Development,
Innovation, Finance)
$13.6 - 19%
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Trends:
> Team work, networking
> Problem-oriented interdisciplinary research
> Partnerships with clients (communities,
governments)
> Greater involvement of students in research
> Development of collective tools
> Digitization: transforming how we do research
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Serving new communities:
> In last 5 years, SSHRC has opened up some programs to
researchers in community and not-for-profit organizations.
> Very high demand for SSHRC’s program for research in fine
arts disciplines.
> New joint initiatives developed and funded by SSHRC and
other organizations (including government departments) in
support of targeted research.
> New support for Aboriginal research agenda, with active
participation of Aboriginal researchers and experts.
Fig. A
What is SSHRC’s future?
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
New world, New needs
Forces of change include:
> A radically new world
> A new research environment
> A new university landscape
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Huge demand for human sciences knowledge:
> Need to understand world trends
> Need to understand new problems (e.g. new economic
disparities, governance and ethics challenges, sociopolitical, ethnic and cultural fault lines)
> Need for HS knowledge on every vital policy issue
(e.g. restructuring of the labour force; sustainable
development linguistic duality; First Nations).
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Huge pressures on SSHRC
> Applications to SSHRC’s key Standard Research Grants
program rose 44% over last 5 years. This year’s growth is
over 18%.
> SSHRC now supports around 25 per cent of faculty members
in human sciences, up from 15 per cent five years ago.
> Recurring problem of projects that are approved but not
funded; larger proportion of those in smaller universities.
> Growing demand for SSHRC to bridge with government.
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC’s core values:
> Research excellence
> Competitive funding
> Inclusiveness and openness
> Innovative continuity
> Accountability
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Transformation: reaching beyond
2 additional core values for SSHRC:
> Interactive engagement
> Maximum knowledge impact
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Sustained interactive connection: From this…
> geographically scattered
research effort
> disciplinary silos
> disconnected from use
> fragmented knowledgebuilding
> Isolated research agendas
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Sustained interactive connection: To this…
> ongoing connections across
geography, institutions, and
sectors
> integrated across disciplines
> integrated with decisionmaking, policy and practice
> synergistic research agendas
> fully connected to the world
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Maximum knowledge impact: From
happenstance…
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Maximum knowledge impact: To permanent
interfaces…
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Key questions: Inventing new
structures/programs/ approaches
> “Confederations of learning”
> More formal Institutes
> Knowledge mobilization units in universities
> Web-facilitated communities of practice
> A clearinghouse for advanced expertise
> Exchange/mobility programs
> Enriched and connected post-secondary training
environments
> A Human Sciences Foundation
> Scholarly-based journals for lay audiences
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Key questions: Improving current SSHRC
programs
> Smaller “operating” grants to more people?
> Larger “research” grants to fewer people?
> Special support for young scholars?
> Promote greater relevance, synergy and impact of strategic
grants?
> Different/new support for research communications?
> New or different support to institutions?
> Development of more collective tools for research?
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC Today
Targeted
Initiative on
the New
Economy
Research
Base
Major Collaborative
Research Initiatives
Graduate
Training
Ph.D.
Research
Communication
M.A.
CURA
Institutional Capacity-building
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
SSHRC Tomorrow
Policyrelevant
institutes
Confederations
of Learning
Institute on
aboriginals
Institute on
sustainable
development
Institute on
the new
economy
Knowledge
mobilization
Clearinghouse
for expertise
Research
support
-----------Research
training
Mobility
incentives
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Questions for discussion
> Basic goals and values: To what extent does the new vision
resonate with your sense of what Canada requires? How
engage proactively?
> New programs and approaches: Advantages and
disadvantages of proposed adaptive structures? Alternatives?
> Improving current programs: Reactions and priorities?
> Increasing linkages and knowledge flows outside universities:
Best partners? Respective roles of SSHRC, universities,
disciplines, NGOs, government departments…?
> Next steps: Which new structures first? And sequence and
priorities thereafter?
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
How did we get here?
> Phase I (Oct.-April 2003): decision to act
> Phase 2 (May-Sept. 2003): taking stock of political
constraints
> Phase 3 (Oct.-Dec. 2003): SSHRC Council takes
action
> Phase 4 (Jan. 2004): Deliberative consultation
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
The transformation process:
> January: SSHRC meeting with campus
representatives
> February-April: Consultation on university
campuses and with partners
> March: National meeting – heads of scholarly
associations
> June: Open meeting - Congress of the Humanities
and Social Sciences
> Then… synthesis, Council discussion, over to the
government
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en
sciences humaines du Canada
Fig. A
Key messages
> A real consultation
> Not a zero-sum game
> Need external voices
> A culture change
> Speak with one voice
> We are building a success