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Research & Innovation

SSHRC 2026 Partnership Grants – Stage 1

Research Admin Offices:

  • ROADS

Funding Type:

Grant

Opportunity Type:

  • Grant

Value:

Stage 1: Up to $30,000 to prepare a Stage 2 application.
Stage 2 (by invitation): Up to $500,000/year, max $2.5 million total.

Disciplines:

  • DeGroote School of Business
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Health Sciences

Sponsors:

  • Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Deadlines:

Internal Deadline:

November 14, 2025

Sponsor Deadline:

February 10, 2026

Additional Dates:

  • Notify ROADS of intent to apply - November 14, 2025
  • First draft due to ROADS for content review - December 15, 2025
  • Second draft to ROADS for  content review - January 19, 2026
  • Application Due to ROADS for Final Review: - February 2, 2026
  • Sponsor Final Application - February 10, 2026

Description:

Purpose: Support formal partnerships (new or existing) for 4–7 years to advance research, training, and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities
Focus: Projects must align with either the Research partnerships program or the Research training and talent development program.
 
Teams: Intended for large collaborations between postsecondary institutions and/or public, private, or not-for-profit organizations.
 

Additional Program Information:

McMaster-Specific Instructions
Faculty endorsement is required for all applications involving McMaster researchers (as lead or co-applicant).
Contact Pamela McIntyre, Associate Director, Development, ROADS, at by November 14, 2025

Eligibility:

Ineligible activities: projects whose primary objective is curriculum development, preparation of teaching materials, program evaluation, digitization of a collection or creation of a database. See Subject Matter Eligibility for more information.
Applicants: Must be submitted by an eligible Canadian institution.
Project Director: Prepares the application on behalf of the host institution.
Co-applicants/Co-directors: Must be affiliated with eligible Canadian or international institutions.
Collaborators: Can be from any sector; do not need to be affiliated with an eligible institution.
Partner Organizations: Can be Canadian or international, from public, private, or not-for-profit sectors.

Application/Nomination Process:

CONTENT REVIEW: First Draft of application submitted by 9:00 am on December 15, 2025
CONTENT REVIEW: Second Draft (along with details and documents confirming McMaster and partner contributions, including letters of engagement) submitted by 9:00 am on January 19, 2026.
FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW: Final Draft submitted through the application portal and a signed Application Approval Form submitted by 9:00 am on February 2, 2026.
ROADS will forward Stage 1 PG applications to SSHRC by 4:30 pm on February 10, 2026.
Application Process (2 Stages): Stage 1: Full proposal due February 10, 2026. Adjudicated by a selection committee.
Stage 2: By invitation only, in Fall 2026, for applicants successful in Stage 1.

Resources:

Additional details.

Contact:

For more information on how to apply contact, Amanda Graveline, Senior Advisor, ROADS.