Tri-Agency Cohort Program
Description & Scope
- The Cohort Program will support the development of competitive external funding applications through a program of instructional workshops and peer review.
- Programs supported include: NSERC Discovery Grant, SSHRC Insight, SSHRC Insight Development, CIHR Project Grant, SHRF Establishment Grants, and SHRF Solutions Grants.
Program Components
- Applicants are expected to attend workshops, feedback sessions, and consult with their Research Facilitator throughout the development of their proposal. For 2023, the workshops will be held remotely.
- Workshops are designed to provide insight into the elements of a successful application, and opportunities for discussion and feedback with senior scholars and peers.
- Applicants will develop their proposal in stages, allowing for the integration of critical feedback throughout the process.
- Further review and input from external peer reviewers may be available.
- No funds are available to Cohort participants. Researchers needing initial funding support for their projects are encouraged to apply to either the President’s Seed Grant (for health, science and engineering related projects) or SSHRC Explore Grant competitions.
Eligibility
- Academic faculty in permanent, term, probationary, and adjunct appointments at the University of Regina (including federated colleges) that meet funder eligibility requirements are eligible to apply to the Cohort program.
Application Process
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Applicants will be contacted by a Research Facilitator to meet and discuss their participation in the Cohort program.
For more Information, Please contact the applicable Health, Science or Social Sciences Research Facilitator
Previous Attendees Testimonials
The Cohort was a savior for me. Barb is super organized and lays out the steps and timelines needed to get a successful application in by the deadline. Advice from peers both within and outside my discipline was invaluable. I'm not sure how many other universities run this type of Cohort, but I consider it one of the gems of this university.
The SSHRC IDG cohort equipped me with the relevant knowledge to prepare a competitive grant application. The facilitators covered topics such as preparing the budget, applying for ethics approval, and writing the research plan. Huge thanks to Barb for coordinating the cohort sessions!
Participating in our University of Regina SSHRC Cohort in support of research for our faculty and graduate students has been immensely gratifying. The Insight and Insight Development Grants workshops organized by Barb Flynn for faculty are extremely valuable in helping both junior and senior faculty fund their research agendas. At the graduate level, as Associate Dean of Graduate and Research in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance, I co-organize a Doctoral workshop with the Faculty of Education. I also organize a Master's workshop for MAP students, where we meet over the summer months to listen, advise and help build students' visions for their advanced research. Since 2020, we have had several students succeed at both levels. The SSHRC Cohorts are essential to the continuing success of the University of Regina's research and discovery enterprise. It's a pleasure to participate in mentoring and supporting the next generation of University of Regina faculty and grads.
I have participated in the Tri-Agency Cohort primarily as a presenter but once as an applicant, although as SSHRC Leader I have had follow-up discussions with applicants who have participated in the Cohort over the last number of years. The Cohort is excellent as it provides applicants with very useful and pertinent guidance as they complete their applications. By focusing on the various components of the application, each applicant that participates in the program will be able to submit an application that meets and, indeed, exceeds SSHRC requirements, providing they have been active researchers for some time. The Cohort initiative is great for making a good application better and more likely to be successful. However, the Cohort program cannot be expected to produce success if the applicant has a weak track record, delays completing the application until the last moment, and has a poorly developed research proposal. The Cohort must be seen as only one and perhaps the final step in a researcher’s journey to sustained Tri-Council funding. Barb and others involved in leading the program do a wonderful job with eager researchers but we can’t expect them to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear so to speak, even if they spend a lot of time trying to make something seem better than it actually is