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Arts Research Board (ARB) Fall 2026 Grants Competition

Research Admin Offices:

  • ROADS

Funding Type:

Grant

Opportunity Type:

  • Grant

Value:

The maximum allowable SSHRC Exchange – Conference Attendance and Representational Activities Grant is $4,000. Please note, researchers who submit multiple conference grant applications to the same competition, or who submit a conference grant application to more than one competition within two fiscal years (April 1 to March 31), will be awarded a maximum of $4,000 over the two-year period. Please note: The Department Chair and/or the Dean’s (or delegate) signature is now only required for applications from postdoctoral fellows.

The maximum allowable SSHRC Explore – Standard Research and Research Creation Grant and SSHRC Exchange – Scholarly Publication Grant is $10,000. Please note: researchers who submit multiple Standard Research and Research Creation, and/or Scholarly Publications grant applications to the same competition will be awarded a maximum of $10,000 for that competition.

The maximum allowable SSHRC Explore – Major Collaborative Project Seed Grant is $15,000. Please note: to be eligible for this program projects must be interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary in nature, and involve at least three investigators, one being the Principal Investigator on the project.

Disciplines:

  • DeGroote School of Business
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Social Sciences

Sponsors:

Deadlines:

Internal Deadline:

October 31, 2026

Sponsor Deadline:

October 31, 2026

Description:

The key objective of the ARB is to cultivate a strong research base among the Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences and Business. Specifically, ARB supports:

  • research programs of new faculty,
  • new and/or collaborative, interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary research initiatives,
  • ongoing research that has a budget less than the minimum required for SSHRC applications,
  • research related conference travel, and
  • publication of peer-reviewed articles.

It is expected that funding will lead to increased individual and group participation, and success in external grant competitions. Seed funding is the Board Member‘s priority.

The following categories of grants are supported by ARB:

Eligibility:

To be eligible for ARB funding, an applicant must be affiliated with McMaster University and must be eligible for SSHRC funding under the SSHRC Institutional Grants (SIG) program. The following will be considered affiliated with McMaster University:

  • Faculty members of McMaster University with a tenured or tenure-stream academic appointment.
  • Former faculty members of McMaster University who have retired while holding a tenured academic appointment.
  • Persons holding at least a one-year appointment at McMaster University. In the event the grantee’s appointment at McMaster ends, unspent funds remaining at that time will be returned to the Arts Research Board.
  • Postdoctoral fellows who are conducting scholarly activity in Humanities or Social Sciences fields, and who are supervised by a faculty member of McMaster University who holds a tenured or tenure-stream appointment.
  • Individuals who hold teaching track or non-tenure track positions are eligible to apply for ARB funding for research and travel, provided they obtain explicit permission from their Faculty Deans (or delegate).
  • Other persons, including Adjunct Professors and Professional Librarians, who hold permanent appointments at McMaster University and who meet SSHRC eligibility criteria for SIG funding, provided they obtain approval from their Faculty Dean (or delegate).

Preferential treatment will be given to emerging scholars. Applicants qualify as emerging scholars if they have not applied successfully, as principal investigator or project director, for a research grant offered from the Tri-Agency (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR). However, may have previously held or currently hold knowledge mobilization grants and/or SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants. In addition, they must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Have completed their highest degree no more than six years before the competition deadline;
  • Have held a tenured or tenure-track postsecondary appointment for less than six years;
  • Have held a postsecondary appointment at a university where tenure-track positions are offered, but never a tenure-track position;
  • Have had their careers significantly interrupted or delayed for health or family reasons within the past six years.

Application/Nomination Process:

One electronic pdf of the application form, including the Department Chair’s comments (if applicable) and all required attachments, must be submitted to ROADSadmin, by October 31, 2026, 4:30 pm. If the deadline falls on a weekend/holiday, applications will be due on the next business day.

Application Forms & Guidelines

The guidelines and application forms for each of the SSHRC Exchange and SSHRC Explore category can be found below:

Final Reports Requirements

Researchers awarded ARB SSHRC Explore or Exchange funds previously and who did not submit a final report within 6 months of completing the project, must submit a final report with their application. Final Report forms for each category can be found below:

Resources:

The SSHRC Exchange and SSHRC Explore guidelines and applications for each category can also be found on the Research And Innovation website under Forms, Checklist and Samples.  The Research & Innovation website also includes the ARB Policy Guide.

Contact:

For more information on how to apply contact ROADSadmin.