The Policy Innovation Partnership Grant aims to support a partnership between a post-secondary research entity and one or more federal government departments to advance research, capacity and policy development in a specific target area.

Target Area for 2025:
Improving Canada’s Productivity

Applicants are invited to propose a long-term research program with high potential to inform policy-making in this area.

A range of research topics directly related to policies driving efficiency gains for Canadian companies is welcome, including, for example, technology adoption, innovation and commercialization, firm investment decisions, workforce skills gaps, competitive intensity, the regulatory environment, supply chain management, scalability, monetary and fiscal policy, and managing through economic disruptions, among others.

Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed program of research would contribute substantially to development of actionable public policies that strengthen Canada’s productivity.

Value and Duration

Policy Innovation Partnership Grants are valued at up to $6 million and the grant duration is up to 15 years. One partnership will be funded per competition and impact reviews will be conducted every five years to assess the relevance of the partnership and determine whether funding will continue.

Institutional and Partner Organization Contributions

For the initial five-year grant period, applicants must include a plan to secure contributions from the host institution and partner organizations amounting to at least 50 per cent of the budget requested from SSHRC. At least half of this amount must be in cash (25 per cent of the requested amount from SSHRC).

Further details can be found on SSHRC’s Policy Innovation Partnership Grants program web page. Kindly reach out to your faculty’s research office and to Shruthi Ravi in Western Research as soon as possible to notify us of your intent to apply, and/or to request consultation on readiness/eligibility to apply, or in case you are a team member on an application being submitted by another institution.

Deadlines	Required Steps
August 1, 2025	Finalize and confirm all faculty, department and/or other Western unit supports that will be included in the institutional (Western) letter of support.
August 7, 2025	Institutional (Western) letter of support draft submitted for review and institutional signature.
By August 18, 2025	Draft of application due to Western Institutional Research Programs Officer for detailed review and feedback.
August 25, 2025	Final full application due to Western Institutional Research Programs Officer for administrative review.
September 1, 2025	Applicants submit their final application to the Institutional Research Programs Officer via the Convergence portal for administrative & compliance review. ROLA Proposal completed and submitted.
September 10, 2025	SSHRC deadline: Institutional Research Programs Officer forwards to agency

SSHRC Webinars

March 26, 2025: 11 a.m. (Eastern) French: Register/join webinar

March 26, 2025: 1 p.m. (Eastern) English: Register/join webinar

Indigenous Research, Knowledge Mobilization and EDID supports

Dedicated support and resources for knowledge mobilization, Indigenous research and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization are available through the Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact team. You can complete a request for support form to receive more information or book a consultation. If you are unsure if your project involves Indigenous research, it is recommended that you contact the team early for determination and support.

Contact

Please contact Shruthi Ravi, Institutional Research Programs Officer, with questions about the program, to notify of your intent to apply and for proposal support.