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Program directory · Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Research Support Fund

Program code
BNU01 (SSHRC)
Core responsibility
Institutional support for the indirect costs of research
In Departmental Plans
2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

This program provides support to institutions in the form of funding in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health. This program builds institutional capacity by offsetting the central and departmental administrative costs that institutions incur when supporting research, which are not attributable to specific research projects.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-282028-29Research Support Fund 2018-19: $398MResearch Support Fund 2019-20: $407MResearch Support Fund 2020-21: $415MResearch Support Fund 2021-22: $429MResearch Support Fund 2022-23: $452MResearch Support Fund 2023-24: $452MResearch Support Fund 2024-25: $467MResearch Support Fund 2025-26: $484MResearch Support Fund 2026-27: $510MResearch Support Fund 2027-28: $555MResearch Support Fund 2028-29: $603MResearch Support Fund
Bars: spending by fiscal year (dark: actual; light: actual restated on the 2017-18 program structure; outlined: the latest plan's forecast; grey: related programs). Bands: each program in the lineage over the years it has data.
ProgramRelationYears with dataActual spending over those years
Research Support FundThis program2018-19 – 2028-29$3.02B

No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.

Significant changes in scope and budget

Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.

YearWhat changedSource
2024Budget 2024 measure “Enhancing Research Support”: $1,795M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match).Budget 2024, PDF page 226

Success criteria

The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.

Historical: targets against results

Percentage of funds invested in research resources
Expected result: Investment in research resources
20%2018-19✓ met22%2019-20✓ met22%2020-21✓ met22%2021-22✓ met22%2022-23✓ met21%2023-24✓ met20%2024-25✓ met

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2018-1913% – 23%201920%Met
2019-2013% – 23%202022%Met
2020-2118% – 28%202122%Met
2021-2215% – 25%202222%Met
2022-2315% – 25%202322%Met
2023-2415% – 25%202421%Met
2024-2515% – 25%202520%Met

Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets

Percentage of funds invested in research resources
Expected result: Investment in research resources
15%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-2715% – 25%2027—Planned

Future goals: targets due after 2026-27

No targets with a later due date.

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

2018-19: $370M2018-19: $398M2018-192019-20: $408M2019-20: $407M2019-202020-21: $415M2020-21: $415M2020-212021-22: $428M2021-22: $429M2021-222022-23: $428M2022-23: $452M2022-232023-24: $453M2023-24: $452M2023-242024-25: $453M2024-25: $467M2024-252025-26: $484M2025-262026-27: $510M2026-272027-28: $555M2027-282028-29: $603M2028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2018-19$370M$398M
2019-20$408M$407M
2020-21$415M$415M
2021-22$428M$429M
2022-23$428M$452M
2023-24$453M$452M
2024-25$453M$467M
2025-26$484M—
2026-27$510M—
2027-28$555M*—
2028-29$603M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2018-19: 22018-19: 32018-192019-20: 72019-20: 42019-202020-21: 72020-21: 42020-212021-22: 42021-22: 72021-222022-23: 52022-23: 72022-232023-24: 92023-24: 62023-242024-25: 62024-25: 62024-252025-26: 62025-262026-27: 62026-272027-28: 62027-282028-29: 62028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2018-1923
2019-2074
2020-2174
2021-2247
2022-2357
2023-2496
2024-2566
2025-266—
2026-276—
2027-286*—
2028-296*—

Planned spending, plan by plan

Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans

Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.