From: Vivek Goel, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Date: December 19, 2019
Re: Call for Nominations – 2020 SSHRC Impact Awards (PDAD&C #30)

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has released its call for nominations for the 2020 Impact Awards. I encourage you to share this information widely and consider preparing nominations of your colleagues.

The Impact Awards recognize outstanding researchers and celebrate their research achievements, research training, knowledge mobilization, and outreach activities funded partially or entirely by SSHRC. The five awards are:

Gold Medal for sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought ($100,000);

Insight Award for outstanding achievement arising from a research project funded partially or completely by SSHRC ($50,000);

Connection Award for an outstanding SSHRC-funded initiative to facilitate the flow and exchange of research knowledge within and/or beyond the academic community ($50,000);

Partnership Award recognizing a SSHRC-funded formal partnership for its outstanding achievement in advancing research, research training, or knowledge mobilization ($50,000); and

Talent Award recognizing outstanding achievement by an individual who, on April 1, 2020, holds a SSHRC doctoral or postdoctoral fellowship or scholarship ($50,000).

Nomination Process

Divisional/Faculty awards coordinator or officers are working with us to meet the upcoming internal and external deadlines for the 2020 SSHRC Impact Awards and can inform you of review processes specific to your academic division. The University of Toronto may submit one nomination to each award competition per year.As such, I have established a small advisory committee of representatives from across the social sciences and humanities to review nominations to select the University’s nominees for 2020. 

To submit a candidate for consideration by the University of Toronto internal committee, please submit the two-page internal nomination form for the relevant award, available as a link embedded in each description for the Impact Awards on our new Honours & Awards Website. Please submit the nomination form and the candidate’s CV to vpri.awards@utoronto.ca by 12:00 noon on January 22, 2020.

One candidate will be selected for each award. My team will work with Divisional offices and with the School of Graduate Studies to facilitate the development of full nominations and ensure their submission to SSHRC by its deadline of April 1, 2020.

For further information, please contact your Divisional/Faculty awards coordinator/officer.