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ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada


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List of Acronyms and Abbreviations


ADM

Assistant Deputy Minister

ASPP

Aid to Scholarly Publications Program

ARLU

Annual Reference Level Update

ASU

Aid to Small Universities (program)

CASD

Common Administrative Services Directorate

CCV

Common CV

CFHSS

Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

CFI

Canada Foundation for Innovation

CFS

Canadian Forest Service

CGS

Canada Graduate Scholarships (program)

CIC

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

CIHR

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

CISS

Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics

CMHC

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

CPEA

Corporate Performance, Evaluation and Audit (Division)

CSTP

Committee for Science and Technology Policy

CURA

Community-University Research Alliances (program)

DF

Doctoral Fellowships (program)

DFO

Department of Fisheries and Oceans

DPR

Departmental Performance Report

ERA

European Research Area

ERA-CAN

Canada-EU Science and Technology Office

ERA-NET SAGE

ERA Network on the Societal Aspects of Genomics

ESD

Electronic Services Delivery

FPTT

Federal Partners in Technology Transfer

FTE

Full-Time Equivalents

GOL

Government On-Line

HRSDC

Human Resources and Social Development Canada

IC

Industry Canada

IM/IT

Integrated Management/Information Technology

INAC

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

INE

Initiative on the New Economy (program)

ITCan

International Trade Canada

ITST

Image, Text, Sound and Technology (program)

KPM

Knowledge Products and Mobilization (Division)

LCC

Law Commission of Canada

MCRI

Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (program)

MOU

Memorandum of Understanding

MRRS

Management, Resources and Results Structure

NCE

Networks of Centres of Excellence (program)

NORFACE

New Opportunities for Research Funding Cooperation in Europe

NRC

National Research Council Canada

NRCan

Natural Resources Canada

NRDP

Northern Research Development Program

NRTEE

National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy

NSERC

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

OECD

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OMRN

Ocean Management Research Network (program)

PA

Program Activity

PAA

Program Activity Architecture

PDF

Postdoctoral Fellowships (program)

PRE

Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics

PWGSC

Public Works and Government Services Canada

RBAF

Risk-Based Audit Framework

RDI

Research Development Initiatives

RIH

[Ethical conduct in] research involving humans

RMAF

Results-Based Management and Accountability Framework

RPP

Report on Plans and Priorities

S & T

Science and Technology

SIG

SSHRC Institutional Grants (program)

SO

Strategic Outcome

SRE

Secretariat on Research Ethics

SRG

Standard Research Grants (program)

SSH

Social Sciences and Humanities

SSHRC

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Ts & Cs

Terms and Conditions

TBD

To be determined

TBS

Treasury Board Secretariat

TCPS

Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

TPP

Transfer Payments Programs

Section I: Departmental Overview

1.1 Minister's Portfolio Message

Maxime BernierAs Minister of Industry, I am proud to present this report on the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's (SSHRC) anticipated achievements and results over the next three years. Through the efforts of SSHRC and its Portfolio partners, we are working to ensure that Canada has the necessary business and innovation environment to foster a culture of discovery and creativity to fuel economic success and support our enviable quality of life.

Today, we operate in a globalized economy where electronic commerce drives complex and interconnected supply chains from around the world and anyone can be our competitor. To thrive, we need a dynamic and adaptable economy-one with a highly trained work force and nimble businesses striving for competitive growth and development.

The Industry Portfolio:

  • Business Development Bank of Canada (i)
  • Canadian Space AgencyCanadian Tourism Commission (i)
  • Competition Tribunal
  • Copyright Board of Canada
  • Industry Canada
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
  • Standards Council of Canada (i)
  • Statistics Canada

(i) Federal Crown Corporations do not prepare Reports on Plans and Priorities.

We are working to reduce barriers to and within our markets and to encourage more domestic and foreign investment. We are supporting and defending our industries. We are working to improve business and consumer confidence.

Looking ahead, we see the need to enhance Canada's business environment, including improving the critical ground rules that ensure stability, equitable conduct and competition for consumers, investors and businesses. Used strategically, these efforts can encourage investment in innovation, afford easier access to capital, support risk-taking and entrepreneurship, and ensure the efficient and productive allocation of resources.

And we are supporting science, technology, research and development to encourage our industries, our businesses and our workforce to keep pace with technological change and drive innovation throughout our economy. And the demand for innovation across the Canadian economy - including in the areas of health care, climate change, productivity and the competitiveness of Canadian firms - continues to rise.

As presented in this report, SSHRC's initiatives will help make Canada a better place to innovate and do business.

It is my pleasure to present the Report on Plans and Priorities for SSHRC.

Maxime Bernier
Minister of Industry

1.2 Management Representation Statement

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

  • It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) guidelines;
  • It is based on the department's approved accountability structure as reflected in its Management, Resources and Results Structure (MRRS);
  • It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and accurate information;
  • It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
  • It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the TBS.

Janet E. Halliwell
Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer

1.3 Summary Information

1.3.1 SSHRC's Mandate and Planned Resources

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal agency that supports and promotes social sciences and humanities research and research training in Canada. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Act (1977) mandates SSHRC to:

  • promote and assist research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities; and
  • advise the Minister of Industry regarding such matters related to research as the Minister may refer to the Council for consideration.

SSHRC funds research in more than 30 disciplines:

Anthropology, archaeology, business and administrative studies, commerce, classics, communication and media studies, criminology, economics, education, environmental studies, ethics, fine arts, geography, history, industrial relations, inter- and multidisciplinary studies, law, linguistics, literature, management, medieval studies, modern languages, native studies, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, social work, urban and regional studies, women's studies

SSHRC's raison d'être is to build knowledge, expertise and understanding by:

  • supporting excellence in research and research training; and
  • encouraging and assisting re-searchers, research partners, policy makers and other stakeholders to mobilize knowledge that will put the benefits of research to work.

SSHRC's main clientele are university-based researchers and students: 19,000 full-time professors (53 per cent of all full-time faculty) and 49,000 full-time graduate students (55 per cent of all full-time graduate students). Researchers in community colleges and not-for profit organizations with a research mandate are also eligible to receive funding from selected Council programs.

Finally, SSHRC plays a leadership role in the development of research and science policy. The Council monitors emerging research trends in the social sciences and humanities and, through its strategies and programs, helps to structure the national research effort. SSHRC also advises the Minister of Industry and the Government of Canada on future directions in the social sciences and humanities.

Table 1 below summarizes SSHRC's mandate, raison d'ûtre and planned resources.

Table 1: SSHRC’s Mandate, Raison d’être and Planned Resources


 SSHRC Budget
 Indirect Costs
 Total


$327.2 million
$300.1 million
$627.3 million


$319.7 million
$300.1 million
$619.8 million


$314.8 million
$300.1 million
$614.9 million

190 FTE

190 FTE

To build knowledge, expertise and understanding by:

  • supporting excellence in research and research training;
  • encouraging and assisting researchers, research partners, policy makers and other stakeholders to mobilize knowledge that will put the benefits of research to work.

  • To promote and assist research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities.
  • To advise the Minister of Industry regarding such matters related to research as the Minister may refer to the Council for consideration.

Budget 2006 allocated an additional $6 million per year for SSHRC, which brings its total budget for 2006-2007 to $327.2 million. Budget 2006 also announced an additional $40 million per year for the Indirect Costs program, which brings total annual funding of this program, which SSHRC administers on behalf of the granting agencies, to $300 million. Finally, Budget 2006 indicated that the Minister of Industry will be developing a science and technology strategy, in collaboration with the Minister of Finance, that will encompass the broad range of government support for research, including knowledge infrastructure. In addition, the Government will undertake a review of the accountability and value for money of the granting councils' activities.

SSHRC delivers on its mandate through a variety of programs which award grants, scholarships and fellowships in open, independently peer-reviewed, national competitions. Overall, the Council's programs support:

  • research training for master's and doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers-the research leaders of tomorrow;
  • investigator-framed research in all areas of the Council's mandate, including social sciences, humanities, education, law, business and the environment;
  • targeted research, with or without external partners, that examines contemporary issues vital to Canadians-for example, the complex social, economic and cultural changes associated with the knowledge-based economy; and
  • the transfer of cutting-edge knowledge to policy makers, other researchers, practitioners, and the general public.

In addition to its own programs, SSHRC administers, through the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat, and on behalf of the three granting agencies, the Canada Research Chairs and the Indirect Costs of Research programs. Finally, while the Council is involved in many partnership programs and initiatives with other federal departments and agencies, it does not participate in horizontal initiatives* (as defined by Treasury Board) with federal counterparts.

SSHRC's Program Activity Architecture (PAA) is reproduced in Table 3 and Table 11, broken down into strategic outcomes, program activities (PA), and program sub-activities. The PAA shows how the Council delivers on its mandate; it also lists the programs which SSHRC administers on behalf of all three granting agencies.

*Treasury Board defines "horizontal initiative" as "an initiative in which partners from two or more organizations have established [a] formal funding agreement (e.g., Memorandum to Cabinet, Treasury Board submission, federal/provincial agreement) to work toward the achievement of shared outcomes. Examples of horizontal initiatives include the Climate Change Initiative, Canada's Drug Strategy, and the Youth Employment Strategy." Cf. Treasury Board Secretariat, Guide for the Preparation of 2006-2007 Part III of the Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports, Ottawa, Treasury Board Secretariat, November 2005, 121 pages, p. 54, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20062007/p3-eng.pdf; cf. Treasury Board Secretariat's Horizontal Results Database at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/eppi-ibdrp/hrdb-rhbd/profil-eng.asp.

1.3.2 SSHRC's Ongoing Priorities and Related Planned Resources

The Council's transformation*, outlined in its recently published Strategic Plan, 2006-2011, will be an ongoing priority of the highest importance over the next five years. The strategic plan charts SSHRC's transformation from a traditional granting agency which focuses on funding peer-reviewed research, to a "knowledge council", which seeks to maximize the benefits of research for Canadians through more intense and sustained connections among researchers and users of research and through more widespread and effective mobilization, transfer and application of knowledge created through research.

Building on initial investments made in 2005-2006, SSHRC plans** to allocate, over the next three years, respectively $3.3, $5.4 and $5.5 million to the implementation of its Strategic Plan. The scope and speed with which transformation is implemented will depend on SSHRC's budgets between 2006-2007 and 2010-2011. It should be noted that, while transformation affects all Council programs, it does not affect programs that SSHRC administers on behalf of the three federal granting agencies.

SSHRC has ongoing commitments in addition to transformation. These are summarized in section 1.4.1 Delivering on SSHRC's Core Mandate. Finally, Table 13 in the Appendix provides a digest of the activities and initiatives to which the Council commits itself in this Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP).

*For background on transformation, see Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2003-2004 Estimates, Part III-Departmental Expenditure Plans: Report on Plans and Priorities, Ottawa, March 2003, pp. 9-10, http://publiservice.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20032004/SSHRC-CRSHc/SSHRC-CRSHcr34-eng.asp; 2004-2005 Estimates, Part III-Departmental Expenditure Plans: Report on Plans and Priorities, Ottawa, October 2004, pp. 10-12, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20042005/SSHRC-CRSHC/SSHRC-CRSHCr45-eng.asp; 2005-2006 Estimates, Part III-Departmental Expenditure Plans: Report on Plans and Priorities, Ottawa, March 2005, pp. 5-9, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20052006/SSHRC-CRSHC/pdf/SSHRC-CRSHCr56-eng.pdf. See also http://www.sshrc.ca/web/whatsnew/initiatives/transformation/index-eng.asp.

**Approved by SSHRC's Board in June 2006.

1.3.3 SSHRC and the Canada's Performance Report

Since 1997, the Government of Canada has made significant investments in academic research as part of an overall strategy to enhance Canada's capacity to innovate and compete, regionally and globally. The Canada's Performance report shows how SSHRC's activities and programs contribute to the Government of Canada's outcome, "an innovative and knowledge-based economy" as part of a "sustainable economy." More specifically, the Council's promotion and assistance of research and scholarship contribute to:

  • training researchers and highly qualified personnel for Canada's future;
  • creating new knowledge about, and understanding of, pressing economic, social, and cultural issues relevant to Canadians;
  • a first-class research environment conducive to graduate training and new perspectives and directions for research; and
  • the transfer, dissemination and use of knowledge based on social sciences and humanities research.

1.4 Plans and Priorities: Details

Broken down by strategic outcome and based on its current budget, Table 2 summarizes SSHRC's ongoing, previously committed, and new priorities for 2006-2007 and the following two fiscal years.

Table 2: SSHRC's Priorities by Strategic Outcome*


Strategic Outcomes

Planned Spending
($ millions)

Priorities

Type

PA – Expected Result

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

1: People - A First-Class Research Capacity in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Priority 1: Support  advanced, high-quality research training.

Ongoing

Successful training of highly qualified personnel and promising new scholars.

N/a

N/a

N/a

2: Research - New Knowledge Based on Excellent Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Priority 2: Expand the diverse knowledge base in the social sciences and humanities through a “continuum of re-search funding”.

New

Opportunities for scholars to apply for small, medium and larger grants in investigator-framed programs.

N/a

N/a

N/a

Priority 3:  Enhance the connections of Canada’s research  community nationally and  internationally.

New

Competitions of the Strategic Knowledge Clusters and  the International Opportunities Fund (IOF)  programs.

2.3

4.4

5.5

3: Knowledge Mobilization - The Transfer, Dissemination and Use of Social Sciences and Humanities Research

Priority 4: Mobilize knowledge  for greater impact.

New

Competition for the one-time pilot Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) program.

1.0

1.0

N/a

Total

3.3

5.4

5.5

*SSHRC, Strategic Plan, 2006 - 2011, p. 14 (priorities 1 and 2), pp. 15-17 (priorities 3 and 4).

1.4.1 Delivering on SSHRC's Core Mandate

SSHRC's investments contribute to significant advances in knowledge and expertise in the social sciences and humanities and to the development of a first-class research capacity. These investments also help shape a well-defined overall science policy. The Council's ongoing commitment is to support social sciences and humanities research and research training, develop culturally and socio-economically relevant, research-based knowledge, help shape the research enterprise, and contribute to innovation. SSHRC honours this commitment by:

  • ensuring excellence in research and research training in order to continually renew the pool of knowledge and expertise;
  • addressing strategic knowledge gaps in areas of key concern to society;
  • promoting partnerships with research users in government, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations;
  • helping to develop the research capacity of smaller and regional universities;
  • acting as an effective knowledge broker for users of research results;
  • promoting and supporting the communication of research findings;
  • contributing to the Government of Canada's policy research and innovation strategies;
  • facilitating researchers connecting with one another across disciplines, regions, sectors, and nations; and
  • promoting and positioning Canadian research internationally.

1.4.2 SSHRC's Transformation and New Strategic Plan

Through extensive consultations with stakeholders and a range of commissioned studies, SSHRC examined how it could transform itself and renew the social sciences and humanities research enterprise in order to better serve the needs of Canadians. In particular, SSHRC asked its stakeholder communities how social sciences and humanities research and research training could be more effectively carried out and applied for the benefit of all.

As part of the "transformation" initiative, the Council also proposed a significant extension of its current role as a "granting council" that focuses on promoting and supporting research to the broader role of a "knowledge council" that is also concerned with connecting researchers and with the influence and impact of research findings. This strategy would lead to a much expanded role for SSHRC: the Council's core business would include a much stronger focus on supporting active linkages among researchers and between researchers and research users, as well as the mobilization, dissemination and application of research-based knowledge. Transformation is the logical extension of the Council's increasing emphasis, in recent years, on the integration within society (among individuals and organizations, in public discourse) of knowledge created through social sciences and humanities research. "Transfer" and "mobilization" of knowledge—which correspond to "commercialization" in the natural sciences—target the impact on and the integration into society of social sciences and humanities knowledge at various levels, from policy- and decision-making to organizational practices and public debate.

Staff analyzed the input received during the 2004 transformation consultations and made related recommendations to senior management. SSHRC's board approved the new Strategic Plan, 2006 - 2011 in June 2005. As appropriate and in accordance with operational planning, the Council incorporated key elements of the Strategic Plan into the present RPP.

SSHRC's new vision* is "to engage Canadians in building knowledge through research and in using that knowledge to create a just, free, prosperous and culturally vibrant world." As a "knowledge council", SSHRC will:

  • better connect researchers, both with each other and with research users across the country and internationally;
  • mobilize research knowledge to ensure maximum social, economic and cultural benefit for Canada and Canadians;
  • provide policy leadership to help Canada tackle today's complex problems where serious knowledge gaps exist; and
  • act as an international broker that actively brings Canadian perspectives and research leadership to the world.

More specifically, the Council will transform itself into a "knowledge council" by

  1. retooling existing programs; and
  2. creating new programs and new approaches.

*Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Strategic Plan, 2006 - 2011, Ottawa, p. 5, http://www.sshrc.ca/web/about/publications/strategic_plan-eng.pdf.

1.4.3 Transformation Initiatives Already Under Way

The Council has already taken significant measures to implement transformation in incremental steps. These include launching the following:

Another initiative concerns the possibility of establishing a "continuum of research funding" for social sciences and humanities researchers. This would involve SSHRC providing scholars with a broader range of funding opportunities than is presently available in order to better respond to varying needs for research support throughout their careers.

Further steps at the organizational level include creating a second vice-president in the Programs Branch to oversee SSHRC's strategic and partnership programs—the very programs which are the spearhead for making partnerships and knowledge mobilization mainstream Council activities.