Strengthening Indigenous research capacity strategic plan extended to 2029

In 2018, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), on behalf of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee, led the co-development of a strategic plan, Setting New Directions to Support Indigenous Research and Research Training in Canada, to identify new ways of doing research by and with Indigenous communities.

The strategic plan was launched in 2020 and identifies four strategic directions, objectives and mechanisms to support Indigenous research and training:

• building relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
• supporting research priorities of Indigenous Peoples
• creating greater funding accessibility to granting agency programs
• championing Indigenous leadership, self-determination and capacity-building in research

This plan has been championed and adopted by Canada’s federal research funding agencies—the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and SSHRC—along with the Canada Foundation for Innovation. It represents the Government of Canada’s commitment to responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call to establish a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples—one that creates a more equal society, respects the value of traditional knowledge systems, and is based on mutual respect.

Based on feedback gathered from partners, including members of the Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research, the strategic plan has been extended to March 31, 2029. This extension reflects the need for additional time to fully implement existing commitments, assess the plan’s impacts to date, and further engage Indigenous partners to inform future directions the agencies may take beyond the strategic plan.

The extended timeline will also ensure that work continues to proceed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, and that the outcomes and mechanisms set out within the strategy demonstrate meaningful progress or completion.

For more information, contact Indigenous-Autochtone@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca.