Canadian Government Insight Grants: October 2025 Competition

Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. Funding is available to both emerging scholars and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years.

Stable support for long-term research initiatives is central to advancing knowledge. It enables scholars to address complex issues about individuals and societies and to further our collective understanding.

Insight Grants support research proposed by scholars and judged worthy of funding by their peers and/or other experts. Insight Grant research initiatives can be undertaken by an individual researcher or a team of researchers working in collaboration.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: October 1, 2025
2. Value: $500,000
3. Study Level: Grants, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellowships
4. Sponsor: Canadian Government
5. Eligible Country: All Countries

Eligibility Criteria for Canadian Government Insight Grants: October 2025 Competition

Applications can be submitted by an individual researcher or a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant and one or more co-applicants and/or collaborators).

Applicants (except postdoctoral fellows and PhD students) must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution that holds institutional eligibility at the time of application and before funding can be released. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution that holds institutional eligibility, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant status.

Applicants who have received a SSHRC grant of any type but have failed to submit an achievement report by the deadline specified in their notice of award are not eligible to apply for another SSHRC grant until they have submitted the report.

Postdoctoral fellows are eligible to be applicants for this grant. However, for SSHRC to release grant funds, successful applicants must formally establish an affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution within five months of the grant start date (i.e., by September 2026 for the current competition), and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.

Students enrolled in a program of study are not eligible to apply. However, a PhD candidate is eligible to apply if they:

1. will have met all requirements for the PhD before the grant is awarded, including all course work and successful defence of their dissertation; and
2. establish a formal affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution within five months of the grant start date, and maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period.

Eligible PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to make inquiries with the research grants office of the eligible institution(s) with which they will be seeking affiliation.

Federal scientists who are affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution must demonstrate that their proposed research or research-related activity is not related to either the mandate of their employer or the normal duties for which they receive payment from that employer.

If the proposal falls within the mandate of the federal government and the research or research-related activity is performed in government facilities, funding can only be allocated for student salaries, stipends and travel costs.

Institutions

Only eligible Canadian postsecondary institutions can administer grant funds awarded under this funding opportunity. Institutions proposing to administer a grant must hold or obtain institutional eligibility. Institutions that are seeking institutional eligibility or have questions are strongly encouraged to contact SSHRC’s Institutional Eligibility team at least 10 business days before the application deadline.

Selection Process

The following criteria and scoring scheme are used to evaluate the applications:

1. Challenge—The aim and importance of the endeavor (40%):
2. originality, significance and expected contribution to knowledge;
3. appropriateness of the literature review;
4. appropriateness of the theoretical approach or framework;
5. appropriateness of the methods/approach;
6. quality of training and mentoring to be provided to students, emerging scholars and other highly qualified personnel, and opportunities for them to contribute; and
7. potential for the project results to have influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
8. Feasibility—The plan to achieve excellence (20%):
9. appropriateness of the proposed timeline, and probability that the objectives will be met;
10. expertise of the applicant or team in relation to the proposed research;
11. appropriateness of the requested budget, justification of proposed costs, and, where applicable, other cash and/or in-kind contributions; and
12. quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable.
13. Capability—The expertise to succeed (40%):
14. quality, quantity and significance of past experience and published and/or creative outputs of the applicant and any co-applicants, relative to their roles in the project and to the stage of their career;
15. evidence of past knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., films, performances, commissioned reports, knowledge syntheses, experience in collaboration / other interactions with stakeholders, contributions to public debate and media), and of impacts on professional practice, social services and policies, etc.; and
16. quality and quantity of past contributions to the development, training and mentoring of students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel.

Committee members will consider information for only the last six years of research contributions. Any career interruptions will be taken into consideration.

Benefits of Canadian Government Insight Grants: October 2025 Competition

Insight Grants are valued at up to $500,000 over two to five years. A minimum request of $10,000 is required in at least one of the years. A maximum of $125,000 is available in a single year.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete the application form in accordance with the accompanying instructions. Applications must be submitted electronically by an authorized research grants officer, or equivalent, from the applicant’s institution.

Eligible PhD students and postdoctoral fellows can submit their applications directly to SSHRC.

Applicants needing help while preparing their application should communicate with SSHRC well in advance of the application deadline.

For more details, visit the scholarship webpage

Application Deadline

October 1, 2025

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Canadian Government Insight Grants: October 2025 Competition