Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee

The Fundamental Science Review (The Naylor Report) highlights that Canadian researchers are increasingly applying interdisciplinary approaches to address societal challenges through their research projects. Building on existing collaborations, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) are committed to supporting interdisciplinary, investigator-initiated research projects. The Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee is part of the tri-agency response to recommendations made in the Naylor Report to ensure the agencies have robust mechanisms to review and support interdisciplinary research.

Building on the existing well established peer review processes at SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC, the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee provides an option for researchers working in interdisciplinary research to direct their application to a committee with expertise from across the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and health sciences. Individuals applying for SSHRC Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants, CIHR Project Grant, and NSERC Discovery Horizons will be eligible to be reviewed by this interdisciplinary peer review committee.

Please review the details below to learn more about this committee. For details about how the interdisciplinary peer review committee will apply to the specific competitions, please consult the relevant granting agency website:

• SSHRC Insight Grants competition
• SSHRC Insight Development Grants competition
• CIHR Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Project Grant competition
• NSERC Discovery Horizons Grant competition

Eligibility

Please see the eligibility requirements of the funding opportunity (SSHRC Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants, CIHR Project Grant, or NSERC Discovery Horizons) to which you are applying. Note that applicants (or applicant teams) cannot submit an identical project to more than one agency.

Application Relevance

The agencies recognize that the terms “multidisciplinary,” “transdisciplinary,” and “interdisciplinary” have different connotations and their usage across and between research disciplines can vary. For the purpose of this committee, “interdisciplinary” is used as an umbrella term to refer to all three concepts inclusively.

Applications considered relevant for review by this committee must represent research across disciplines and subject areas pertaining to two or more of the (1) social sciences and humanities, (2) natural sciences and engineering, and (3) health and wellness, and that clearly articulate interdisciplinary approaches.

Interdisciplinarity must be a key characteristic of proposed projects, where the project goals could not be achieved without an interdisciplinary approach.

Shared Peer Review Committee

The Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee will be composed of peer reviewers with broad expertise in interdisciplinary research who will be recruited in response to the applications that are submitted and deemed relevant to be reviewed through this committee, including experts from the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and health sciences fields.

While the four gateway funding opportunities (Insight Grants, Insight Development Grants, Project Grant, Discovery Horizons) have distinct timelines and processes, this initiative brings relevant applications together in one shared interdisciplinary peer review committee. Please note that applications reviewed by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee remain within the funding opportunity to which they were submitted, while benefiting from the broad interdisciplinary expertise of the committee.

Details of the shared peer review process can be found below:

• Evaluation Criteria
• Committee Peer Review Guide

How to Apply

Applicants should submit their application to the gateway funding opportunity — SSHRC Insight Grants, SSHRC Insight Development Grants, CIHR Project Grant, or NSERC Discovery Horizons — that supports the research project’s dominant research discipline or area. Applicants should refer to the guide on Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency to determine which agency’s mandate aligns best with their proposed research.

Please consult the relevant granting agency website for competition-specific requirements and timeline.

Timelines

Funding Decisions

While applications from the four funding opportunities will be reviewed by the shared Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee, funding decisions will be made, funding will be provided, and Grants will be administered by the agency to which the application was submitted, in accordance with that agency’s respective guidelines and decision making processes.

Questions?

• SSHRC: research@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
• CIHR: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or 1-888-603-4178
• NSERC: horizons@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or 1-855-275-2861

Date modified:

2024-07-04