How to Start in Canada

How to Start Using SSHRC Web Forms for a Research CV and Application in Canada

Use SSHRC's online application and CV forms in Canada — My Portfolio, one SSHRC CV per email address, Save and Verify, and Submit to your research administrator — and how that route differs from the Research Portal with a Canadian Common CV, the Convergence Portal, ResearchNet, and the NSERC on-line system.

Written November 3, 2026 · Edited November 7, 2026 · 26 min read

Applies in: CA

SSHRC's online forms are the older, general-purpose application system that sits alongside two newer portals, and starting in the wrong one wastes the whole application. The Forms and online application tools page lists, under Grants, an Online application and CV form, a Research Portal entry marked Insight Development Grants only, and a Convergence Portal entry, with no statement on that page that one tool covers all grants. The How to apply page names no system at all: it directs applicants to the Instructions in the Apply column of the funding opportunity description and then to the appropriate application forms in the same Apply section. That silence is the point of this guide. The route is read from the opportunity, in the competition year, and the steps below describe only the online forms system: My Portfolio, a CV created automatically, Save, Preview, Verify, and Submit to a research administrator. Anything in this guide that sounds like a Research Portal application overview, a Convergence Portal profile, a ResearchNet task list, a CIHR PIN, or an NSERC numbered form belongs to another system and should be treated as a warning sign, not a step to follow.

The premise that web forms create, edit, and save a CV, an application, and a Final Research Report is only partly verified, and the unverified part matters. Creating, editing, and saving a CV and an application through the online forms is verified on the Help with online forms page, which is headed Registration and login, Creating an online form or CV, Filling out an online form or CV, Saving an online form or CV, Printing an online form or CV, Filling out a PDF form, and Technical support. Filing a Final Research Report through the web forms is not the current requirement for most SSHRC grants: the Achievement reports page states that SSHRC has replaced the final research report and activity report with an achievement report in survey format on a secure web platform. Section 5 below therefore describes the achievement report, not a Final Research Report form, and preserves the New Frontiers in Research Fund final-report exception separately. No portal address, sign-in partner, fee, or deadline is stated in this guide beyond what the opened SSHRC pages state, because none was verified on an opened page; where a detail could not be verified, the guide states the check instead of filling the gap.

1. Confirm the route in the funding opportunity's Apply section before creating anything

Work from the funding opportunity description, not from a university checklist or a program name remembered from a previous year. Open the description and check the Apply column in the overview at the top. The How to apply page sets the order: determine whether the research falls under SSHRC's mandate by reviewing subject matter eligibility and selecting a funding agency guidelines, select the funding opportunity, read the description carefully to determine personal eligibility, context, requirements and deadlines, value and duration, and evaluation and adjudication details, then, once the opportunity is open, review the application instructions by selecting Instructions from the Apply column, and click on the appropriate application forms in the same Apply section. Check the Results announced section of the same overview for when funding decisions will be announced. If the instructions in the Apply section name the Research Portal or the Convergence Portal, stop and follow those instructions: the web-forms steps in this guide do not apply, and a CV built in the wrong system does not transfer. The Canadian Common CV (CCV): Frequently Asked Questions page explains why both wordings persist: SSHRC is phasing in the CCV starting with Insight Development Grants, and applicants to other funding opportunities continue to use the legacy SSHRC Web CV while the migration proceeds, maintaining both where they apply to both kinds of opportunity. That phasing statement is undated on the opened page, so treat it as the current statement on that page, not as a timetable: the opportunity's instructions for the competition year are the authority on which system and which CV format apply.

For most grant funding opportunities, the applicant, the principal investigator, must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution, while researchers not affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution are eligible as co-applicants to selected opportunities and as research collaborators to any SSHRC-supported project, according to the How to apply page, with eligibility criteria specific to each opportunity detailed in its description. Scholarship citizenship rules differ by program: the same page states that Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, Master's applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada, while Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, Doctoral and Canada Postdoctoral Research Award applicants may be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons of Canada, with international applicants eligible under certain conditions. Anyone participating in SSHRC-funded research activities must not be under SSHRC sanction for financial or research misconduct. Read the opportunity description for the program being entered rather than carrying an eligibility rule from another program.

2. Log in and work from My Portfolio, saving often and verifying as you go

Log in with a primary email address and password, and work only inside the online forms system from the My Portfolio screen. The Help with online forms page states that once logged in, the user is transferred to the My Portfolio screen, a CV is created automatically, and clicking a name opens the CV for completion. Create a blank form by clicking Create New Form, and open an application already in progress by clicking the name of the funding opportunity. Only one online CV can be maintained per email address, so do not create a second account or a second CV to work around a problem: fix the existing CV in its own account, and contact the helpdesk if the account itself is locked. Multiple applications are permitted, so separate competitions get separate forms, each with its own verification.

The working discipline is save, preview, verify, repeat, because the system does not protect unsaved work. Data is not saved automatically when changing screens, the user is prompted to save before exiting a screen or selecting another screen, and saving every 10 to 15 minutes is recommended. The session ends 60 minutes after the last interaction, where Save and Preview count as interactions and entering data or clicking the List button does not, so a long stretch of typing without saving is not a session kept alive. Do not use the browser Back, Forward, or Refresh buttons to move between screens, because unsaved information will be lost; use the system's own navigation and save before leaving a screen. Type or paste plain text only: the system accepts regular uppercase and lowercase text and rejects underlined, bold, or italic text, script or formulas, curved or slanted apostrophes, double quotation marks, and long dashes, so strip formatting by saving source text in text-only format before pasting, and check pasted French text for unusual characters. Where a List button selection is too long to see in full in the field, save the screen and use Preview to print the PDF form and confirm the selection is correct.

Verification is a separate action from saving, and it must be done at the level the instructions require. Mandatory fields are marked by boldfaced labels, indicating the minimum requirements for the application to be reviewed, and the Verify function flags any mandatory field left incomplete. Clicking Verify ensures all mandatory sections and fields are completed and generates a verification report listing anything to be provided or corrected; once verified, Checked appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the first page of the printed form or CV. If PLEASE VERIFY or DRAFT appears on the first page of a preview, verification has not succeeded: go to My Portfolio, click Verify, complete or correct what the report lists, and confirm the words disappear. The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award applicant instructions add the stricter rule for that program, which should be treated as a warning for all web-forms applications: Preview and Verify must be clicked on each page as it is completed, verification must be repeated after any change on a page, final verification of the entire application can be stricter than verification of individual modules, and validation confirms only that mandatory sections, including uploads and letters, have been completed, not that the content is valid. Print or save a PDF by Preview at any time while working, and use Fit to Page on 8.5 by 11 inch paper so the text prints within the margins. The form language follows the language of the list of available forms, and after the Registration screen the language can be toggled between English and French by clicking Français in the top menu bar. If the account locks after three incorrect passwords, or the password is forgotten, follow the recovery steps in the FAQ answer above and contact the helpdesk at 613-995-4273 or webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca rather than re-registering, since re-registering creates the duplicate-account problem the system is designed to prevent.

3. Complete the CV format the funding opportunity names, in the participant's own account

Start with the CV, because the application attaches it and a co-applicant's unverified CV holds up the whole application. For web-forms opportunities, each participant completes or updates their own SSHRC online CV in their own account, using an Internet browser, consulting the SSHRC CV instructions and the Help with online forms document, with an Instructions button inside each screen linking directly to the instructions for that screen. Only the Name and Language Proficiency information in Identification is made available to selection committee members or external assessors; Citizenship and Statistical and Administrative Information are used by SSHRC for administrative and statistical purposes only, and the Statistical and Administrative Information section is optional. Enter the given name, initials, and family name exactly as SSHRC should use them in correspondence, language proficiencies, citizenship status, and, where known, the Council Identification (CID) number SSHRC assigned; permanent residents specify the date of permanent residency, and applicants who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of Canada can apply to SSHRC grant programs provided they are employed in teaching or research by the administering institution for the entire duration of the award, unless the program's eligibility criteria state otherwise.

Work through the CV screens in order, respecting the limits the instructions set, because the system sorts entries once saved and extra entries cannot be carried forward by repetition. Current Position records the current place of employment or university affiliation and contact information, and a new position entered there automatically becomes the first Work Experience entry. Work Experience lists up to 15 other positions, most recent first, without repeating Current Position. Academic Background lists up to five degrees, designating the highest degree earned, with degrees in progress carrying an expected completion date rather than being marked as the highest degree. Credentials lists up to six awards, scholarships, fellowships, distinctions, licences, and professional designations most pertinent to adjudication, without repeating Funded Research. Research Expertise records ongoing research interests: keywords separated by semicolons, up to five ranked disciplines, up to three areas of research, up to two temporal periods, up to three geographical regions, and up to five countries, with no duplicate entries. Funded Research lists up to eight grants or contracts for research funding from SSHRC and other sources, with project title and total amount without decimals or cents, sorted in reverse chronological order by year awarded. Where the opportunity instead requires an SSHRC CCV, follow the separate CCV route in the FAQ answer above, including selecting SSHRC in the Funding Source and CV Type drop-downs on the CCV site at ccv-cvc.ca, submitting the CCV, recording the confirmation number, and uploading it in the Research Portal with a fresh confirmation number for each application. Where the opportunity requires a tri-agency CV, use the provided template and the formatting limits in the FAQ answer above, and upload it as the opportunity directs. Do not maintain a web-forms CV and a CCV as if they were the same record: the CCV FAQ states that data cannot be migrated from an SSHRC Web CV to an SSHRC CCV, and both must be maintained and updated where an applicant applies to both kinds of opportunity.

Co-applicants in the web-forms system have their own acceptance step, and it must be completed early. The Connection Grants co-applicant instructions describe the pattern: accepting the invitation attaches a copy of the verified SSHRC CV to the form, and modifying the attached CV means clicking the participant's name under Curriculum Vitae, making the changes, verifying and correcting the data until the Verification Report indicates successful verification, and clicking Refresh CV for that form. Co-applicants affiliated with a postsecondary institution must submit a full SSHRC CV, while co-applicants from a non-academic organization may attach a full SSHRC CV or complete only the mandatory fields listed in those instructions: Identification correspondence language and permanent postal code, Current Position organization, department, start date, address, and primary phone number, and Research Expertise keywords and Discipline number one. Once the form is complete, the co-applicant returns to the Portfolio page and verifies until the Verification Report indicates successful verification, at which point a PDF copy of the CV and any attachments becomes part of the full application, the Portfolio status changes from In Progress to Verified, and the status changes to Submitted when the applicant submits the application form to the institution's research administrator. A co-applicant who decides not to participate clicks Delete, which removes the invitation from the Portfolio and SSHRC's database and generates an email to the applicant; the applicant may also remove a participant at any time, with a system-generated email to the participant. In addition to the CV, Connection Grants co-applicants with an SSHRC CV must attach a research contributions and relevant experience document of no more than five pages, covering research contributions over the last six years, other research contributions, up to five most significant career research contributions, contributions to training, and relevant experience, with an optional career interruptions and special circumstances attachment of no more than one page. Those page limits and attachment rules are for that invitation form: read the equivalent attachment instructions for the opportunity being entered, and never attach a contributions document as a substitute for completing the CV itself.

4. Build the application, attach documents to specification, and verify the whole package

Build the application from the opportunity's own instructions, section by section, in the online forms system. The general submission chain is verified across the opened instructions: complete every mandatory field, attach every mandatory electronic file, ensure every co-applicant and collaborator has submitted an Accept Invitation form, verify and correct until the Verification Report confirms verification, and submit to the research administrator by the institution's internal deadline. The Insight Development Grants applicant instructions state the applicant's responsibilities in that order, and state that the research administrator's Forward action certifies the applicant's affiliation and time and facilities, the institution's willingness to administer the grant under SSHRC policies, and verification that budgetary estimates accord with institutional rates and policies. Read the Identification, Activity details, proposal, budget, and attachment modules for the specific opportunity rather than importing a section list from another program: the postdoctoral instructions, for example, run through Application profile, Program of work, Bibliography and citations, Diversity considerations in research design, Program information, Tenure location, Areas of study, Referees, Allowable inclusions, Research contributions, Supplement justification, and Contact information, while the Insight Development Grants instructions run through Activity details, Summary of proposal, Roles and Responsibilities, Knowledge mobilization plan, Expected outcomes, Funds requested, Detailed description, Timelines, and List of references. The module names, page limits, and mandatory labels differ by opportunity, and the opportunity's instructions are the only authoritative list for the competition being entered.

Attachments are the most mechanical failure point, and the specification must be followed exactly. All electronic attachments must be saved as PDF files, and the online application form system will not accept Word, Excel, or any other format, according to the Help with online forms page, which gives a Detailed Description maximum of six 8.5 by 11 inch pages as its example. The Connection Grants co-applicant instructions require 12-point Times New Roman font, margins of at least three quarters of an inch (1.87 cm), and a page size of 8.5 by 11 inches (216 mm by 279 mm), warning that an attachment not following the specified requirements may render the application ineligible. The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award applicant instructions state the same discipline from the applicant side: follow the specified requirements for margins and font size or the application will be deemed ineligible, an error message appears if a file does not meet the required page length and file size specifications, and clicking View attached file after attaching is recommended to ensure the proper file was attached and is not corrupted. Do not assume the font, margin, and page-count specification from one opportunity applies to another: read the Attaching a document section of the opportunity's instructions, prepare each attachment to that specification, attach it, view it, and verify again after any replacement, since replacing an attachment can require re-verification of the page.

Bring contributor forms in well before the deadline, because they block submission. For the postdoctoral program, the applicant must ensure both referees have submitted their Letter of Appraisal forms, the proposed supervisor has submitted the Research Appraisal form, and the department head has submitted the Institutional Nomination and Commitment form, each showing the status Referee form completed, and must provide contributors with the program of work, related documents, and evaluation criteria well in advance. For grant applications, every co-applicant and collaborator must have submitted an Accept Invitation form. Check each contributor's status in the Portfolio rather than relying on a verbal assurance, and chase a missing form while there is still time for the contributor to complete, verify, and submit it. If personal contact information changes after submission, the postdoctoral instructions direct the applicant to email fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca to update it; do not attempt to edit a submitted application to correct contact details. Keep a downloaded copy of the complete application, including PDF attachments and the CV, at submission time: the Insight Development Grants instructions state that applications remain available for download for 30 days after the deadline and are then deleted, and no correction window after submission is described on the opened pages.

5. Submit through the research administrator, read the statuses, and file the achievement report

Submit only after the whole package verifies. In the web-forms system, click Submit on the Portfolio screen, where the Submit button appears next to the Preview and Print button once the form is complete and verified, according to the Help with online forms page. All CVs, the applicant's and any team members', are electronically submitted along with the application form at that point. For most grant applications, Submit sends the application to the research administrator at the applicant's institution, not directly to SSHRC: submitting to the research administrator constitutes electronic approval replacing a handwritten signature, the administrator validates the information and forwards it to SSHRC, the status reads Forwarded, and once SSHRC has processed it the status changes to Received, as stated in the Insight Development Grants applicant instructions and the SSHRC CV instructions. SSHRC acknowledges receipt and assigns an application number to be cited in all correspondence. Where the opportunity permits direct submission, as for eligible doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows submitting directly to SSHRC, the postdoctoral instructions describe the equivalent direct chain: verify and correct until the Verification Report indicates successful verification, click Submit, and the status first updates to Received and then to Forwarded, both confirming proper submission, with the data transferred to SSHRC's corporate database and an acknowledgement email sent to the primary email address entered in the CV. Results for the postdoctoral program are made available via the SSHRC Extranet for Applicants, and are not provided by telephone or email, according to those instructions; for other opportunities, check the Results announced section of the funding opportunity description, as the How to apply page directs, rather than telephoning for a result.

After funding ends, the reporting duty is separate from the application system and must not be left to the web forms. File the achievement report named for the funding opportunity on the Achievement reports page, in survey format on the secure web platform, previewing the questions before beginning so all relevant information is at hand. Unless otherwise stated, the report is due within six months of the end of the grant period, inclusive of any extension, and a recipient who misses the deadline is ineligible for future grants or awards until the outstanding report is submitted. Consult the Notice of Decision for the complete list of reporting requirements for the award held, use the contact email listed for the funding opportunity's report for program questions, and direct technical inquiries to corporate-performance@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. Do not treat the achievement report as part of the web-forms application: it is a different survey, on a different platform, with its own privacy notice and consent step in Voxco, and once submitted it cannot be changed on request. If the award is a New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration grant, follow that program's final-report instructions through the Convergence Portal instead: the 2025 Exploration Competition page states the NPI must submit a final report through the Convergence Portal three months after the award end date, and a previous Exploration grant's final report must be submitted and approved at least one month before the full application deadline of a new Exploration competition. File any outstanding achievement report before starting a new SSHRC application: the achievement reports page states that recipients who do not meet the deadline will be ineligible for future grants or awards until the outstanding report has been submitted.

Related guides:

Using SSHRC web forms for a CV and application, in five stages

  1. Confirm the route in the funding opportunity's Apply sectionRead the funding opportunity description, then review the application instructions in the Apply column and click the appropriate application forms there. If the opportunity names the Research Portal or the Convergence Portal instead, follow that route, not the web-forms steps in this guide.
  2. Log in and work from My Portfolio, saving oftenA CV is created automatically on login; click your name to complete it, and create a blank form with Create New Form. Data is not saved automatically, so save every 10 to 15 minutes, because the session ends 60 minutes after the last Save or Preview interaction.
  3. Complete the CV format the opportunity namesFor web-forms opportunities, complete or update the SSHRC online CV in your own account: one online CV per email address. Where the opportunity instead requires a Canadian Common CV or a tri-agency CV, follow the instructions for that format; the three are not interchangeable.
  4. Build the application, attach PDFs, and verifyComplete the mandatory fields, marked by bold labels, attach PDF documents to the specified margins and font size, make sure co-applicants and collaborators have submitted their [Accept Invitation forms](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/insight-development-grants/2026/competition/instructions/applicant.aspx), and verify and correct the data until the Verification Report confirms verification.
  5. Submit to the research administrator, then report at the end of the grantClick Submit to send the application to the research administrator, who validates it and forwards it to SSHRC. After the grant ends, file the achievement report for the funding opportunity, normally within six months of the end of the grant period, including any extension.

Questions people ask

Which SSHRC system do I use — web forms, the Research Portal, or the Convergence Portal — and how does that differ from ResearchNet and the NSERC systems?

The funding opportunity decides, and the systems are not interchangeable. The [How to apply](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/how-to-apply.aspx) page gives the general route for SSHRC grant and scholarship funding opportunities: determine whether the research falls under SSHRC's mandate, select the funding opportunity, read its description, and once the opportunity is open, review the application instructions by selecting Instructions from the Apply column in the overview at the top of the description, then click on the appropriate application forms in the same Apply section. The [Forms and online application tools](https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/forms-formulaires/index-eng.aspx) page lists three separate tools under Grants: Online application and CV form, Research Portal (Insight Development Grants only), and Convergence Portal. This guide covers the first of those three only: the online forms system described in the [Help with online forms](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/help-with-online-forms.aspx) page, where work happens from a My Portfolio screen with Save, Preview, Verify, and Submit. Do not carry steps from another system into a web-forms application. No opened SSHRC page names ResearchNet, a CIHR PIN, or ResearchNet tasks as part of an SSHRC application: ResearchNet is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) system, described in the companion ResearchNet guide, and its account, PIN, and multi-factor sign-in steps do not belong in an SSHRC web-forms application. The NSERC Research Portal and the NSERC on-line system are likewise separate NSERC systems, described in the companion NSERC guides, with their own accounts and forms. A SSHRC opportunity that names the Research Portal or the Convergence Portal follows that portal's instructions, not the My Portfolio steps here. Check the Apply section again in the competition year, because the named system can change between competitions.

Which CV do I need — an SSHRC online CV, an SSHRC Canadian Common CV, or a tri-agency CV?

All three formats exist on opened SSHRC pages, and the funding opportunity names the one for its competition, so the conflict between the pages is preserved here rather than resolved by picking one. For web-forms opportunities, the format is the SSHRC online CV, also called the SSHRC Web CV and the SSHRC CV on different opened pages. The [SSHRC CV instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/instructions/cv.aspx) state that all participants, applicants and co-applicants, must complete or update their own SSHRC online CV using their Internet browser, that the system attaches a copy of the CV when the applicant submits electronically to the research administrator at their institution, and that forwarding by the research administrator transfers the CV and application data to SSHRC's corporate database. The [Canadian Common CV (CCV): Frequently Asked Questions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/ccv-faq.aspx) page states the other wording in full: SSHRC is phasing in use of the CCV, starting with its Insight Development Grants, other funding opportunities will be migrated to the CCV in the coming years, applicants to other funding opportunities will continue to use the legacy SSHRC Web CV in the meantime, and applicants applying to Insight Development Grants as well as other SSHRC funding opportunities will need to maintain and update both their SSHRC Web CV and their SSHRC CCV. The CCV route runs through a separate system and a different submission path: the [How to use the Canadian Common CV (CCV)](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/how-use-ccv.aspx) page directs applicants to the CCV site, to select SSHRC as Funding Source and CV Type, to submit the CCV and record the confirmation number provided on screen, and then to return to the Research Portal and upload the CCV by entering that confirmation number. The CCV FAQ adds that each time an SSHRC CCV is attached to an application on the Research Portal, a new confirmation number must be obtained, and that data cannot be migrated from an existing SSHRC Web CV to an SSHRC CCV because of differences between the data models. The third format is the tri-agency CV: the [Tri-agency CV instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/tri-agency-cv-instructions.aspx) require the provided tri-agency CV template, an English version of no more than five pages or six pages for French, 12-point Arial font, a minimum margin of 0.79 inches (2 cm), pages sized 8.5 by 11 inches, and an unprotected PDF no larger than 5 MB, and direct applicants to consult the funding opportunity details to determine whether any appendix sections are required. SSHRC CCVs are no longer required or accepted for collaborators, according to the How to use the CCV page, while the SSHRC CV instructions still describe co-applicants in the web-forms system; follow the participant rule in the funding opportunity for the competition. Where the opportunity names one format, use that format only, and do not upload a CCV confirmation number into a web-forms application or expect a web-forms CV to attach inside the Research Portal.

How do I log in, create a form or CV, save my work, and know it is verified?

The [Help with online forms](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/help-with-online-forms.aspx) page sets out the whole working method, and no sign-in method beyond it is stated on any opened SSHRC page for this guide: no GCKey, Sign-In Partner, or multi-factor code claim is made here, because none was verified on an opened SSHRC page. Log in with your primary email address and password. The password must be at least six characters and no more than 10 characters, may include alphabetical or numeric characters, is case-sensitive, and should include both letters and numbers but not special characters, according to the same page. If the password is entered incorrectly three times, the account is suspended for security reasons, and re-activation is by contacting the helpdesk by telephone at 613-995-4273 or by email at webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. If the password is forgotten, do not re-register: enter the email address, click Forgot your password, and follow the instructions, and the password will be sent to the email address on file. To change a password, log in, click My Account at the top of the Portfolio, enter the current and new passwords and confirmation, and click Save; to change a primary email address, log in, click My Account, enter the new address and click Save, and the address does not change until confirmation is received that it is valid. Once logged in, the My Portfolio screen appears, a CV is created automatically, and clicking your name opens it for completion; a blank form is created by clicking Create New Form, and clicking the name of the funding opportunity opens applications already in progress. Participants should complete or update their CVs in their own account, and only one online CV can be maintained per email address, although applicants can create multiple applications. Saving is manual and unforgiving: data is not saved automatically when changing screens, the user is prompted to save before exiting a screen or selecting another screen, and the page recommends saving periodically, every 10 to 15 minutes. For security, the session is terminated after 60 minutes from the last interaction with the system, such as Save or Preview, and the user must log in again; entering data or clicking the List button does not count as an interaction. Browser Back, Forward, and Refresh buttons must not be used to move between screens, because unsaved information will be lost. Only regular text, uppercase and lowercase, is accepted: the system will not accept underlined, bold, or italic text, script or formulas, curved or slanted apostrophes, double quotation marks, or long dashes, and non-ASCII characters should be removed by saving the file in text-only format. Mandatory fields are marked by boldfaced labels, and forgotten mandatory fields are flagged when the Verify function is used. Clicking Verify checks that all mandatory sections and fields are completed and generates a verification report listing anything to be provided or corrected; once verified, the word Checked appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the first page of the printed form or CV. If PLEASE VERIFY or DRAFT appears on the first page of a preview, the data has not been successfully verified: return to My Portfolio, click Verify, complete or correct what the report lists, and the words disappear from the preview. Printing is by the Preview button at the top or bottom of each screen, or from My Portfolio by selecting the form or CV and clicking Preview, which launches a PDF for printing on 8.5 by 11 inch paper with Fit to Page selected.

What sections make up the SSHRC online CV and a web-forms application, and what happens when I submit?

The sections are set by the instructions for the specific funding opportunity, so this answer gives the verified web-forms skeleton and the submission chain, and the opportunity's own instructions govern the rest. The [SSHRC CV instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/instructions/cv.aspx) list the online CV screens as Identification, Current Position, Address, Work Experience, Academic Background, Credentials, Research Expertise, and Funded Research. Identification covers names and initials as SSHRC will use them in correspondence, language proficiency in both official languages and any other languages, citizenship status, and an optional Statistical and Administrative Information section, including a Council Identification (CID) number, the unique identifier SSHRC assigns to each participant, which may be left blank if not yet assigned so SSHRC assigns one. Current Position records the current place of employment or university affiliation and contact information, and changing positions creates a new position while the previous one moves automatically into Work Experience. Work Experience lists all other positions, academic and non-academic, most recent first, up to a maximum of 15 other positions, without repeating the Current Position entry. Academic Background lists up to five degrees, with the highest degree designated and degrees in progress not listed as the highest degree. Credentials lists up to six awards, scholarships, fellowships, distinctions, licences, and professional designations most pertinent to adjudication, without repeating Funded Research entries. Research Expertise covers the applicant's own ongoing research interests, not a particular proposal: keywords separated by semicolons, up to five ranked disciplines, up to three areas of research, up to two temporal periods, up to three geographical regions, and up to five countries, with duplicate entries not permitted. Funded Research lists up to eight grants or contracts received from SSHRC and other sources, for research funding as opposed to general awards, sorted in reverse chronological order once saved. For the application itself, the [Insight Development Grants applicant instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/insight-development-grants/2026/competition/instructions/applicant.aspx), a Research Portal competition whose applicant-responsibility and submission wording is the fullest opened statement of the chain, state that by clicking Submit the applicant certifies all information is accurate and is responsible for completing all mandatory fields with bold labels, attaching mandatory electronic files, ensuring all co-applicants and collaborators have submitted their Accept Invitation form, verifying and correcting the data until the Verification Report confirms verification, and clicking Submit to the research administrator for approval by the institution's internal deadline. The research administrator then validates the information before forwarding the application to SSHRC on the applicant's behalf, the status is Forwarded, and once processed by SSHRC the status changes to Received; the same page states that SSHRC will acknowledge receipt and assign an application number to be cited in all correspondence, and that applications remain available for download via the SSHRC online system for 30 days after the deadline, after which they are deleted. In the web-forms CV instructions, the submission step carries a legal meaning: submitting an application to the research administrator constitutes the applicant's electronic approval and replaces a handwritten signature, and a co-applicant accepting an electronic invitation to participate likewise constitutes electronic approval replacing a handwritten signature, with the system attaching a copy of the CV when the application is forwarded to SSHRC. Eligible doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows can submit directly to SSHRC in the cases the instructions name, rather than through a research administrator; check the Administering organization wording in the opportunity's instructions before assuming the direct route. Attachments in the web-forms system must be PDF files: the Help with online forms page states the online application form system will not accept any other format, and the [Connection Grants co-applicant instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/connection-grants/2026/competition/instructions/co-applicant.aspx) require specified margins and font size, warning that a file not meeting the page length and file size specifications produces an error message, and recommending clicking View attached file to confirm the file is the proper file and not corrupted.

What are the deadlines and timing traps, and who do I contact for help?

There is no single SSHRC deadline stated on the opened general pages, and none is stated in this guide: the deadline, value, and duration for a competition are read from the funding opportunity description, as the [How to apply](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/how-to-apply.aspx) page directs. Two clocks run before the published deadline. First, the institution's internal deadline comes first wherever the route runs through a research administrator, because the administrator must validate and forward the application before SSHRC receives it; the Insight Development Grants instructions state that applicants must allow enough time for their institution's internal approval process, and the Help with online forms guidance is to check with the research administrator regarding internal deadlines. Second, the pattern on opened competition pages is an 8:00 p.m. eastern deadline: the [Canada Postdoctoral Research Award applicant instructions](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/opportunities/canada-postdoctoral-research-award-program/2025/competition/instructions/applicant.aspx) require electronic submission to SSHRC before 8 p.m. eastern on September 11, 2025, state that if a deadline falls on a weekend or a public holiday observed in Ontario, where SSHRC's offices are, the online application system will remain open until 8 p.m. eastern on the next business day, and state that at 8 p.m. eastern on the deadline day the Submit button will disappear and no further changes or submissions will be possible, with no applications accepted after the deadline under any circumstances. That date is a Canada Postdoctoral Research Award date for the 2025 competition, not a general SSHRC deadline: read the date and time on the opportunity for the competition being entered. Three timing traps are verified on opened pages. The 60-minute session termination and the need to save every 10 to 15 minutes mean a long drafting session without a Save or Preview interaction can end in a fresh login and lost unsaved work. Verification must be repeated after any change: the postdoctoral instructions require Preview and Verify on each page as it is completed, re-verification after changes, and warn that final verification of the entire application can be stricter than verification of individual modules, while validation confirms only that mandatory sections have been completed and does not validate content. Contributor forms block submission while outstanding: the postdoctoral instructions require both referees' Letter of Appraisal forms, the proposed supervisor's Research Appraisal form, and the department head's Institutional Nomination and Commitment form to read Referee form completed before the applicant can submit, and the co-applicant instructions describe the Portfolio status moving from In Progress to Verified only after successful verification, and to Submitted only when the applicant submits to the research administrator. For help, the [Help with online forms](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/help-with-online-forms.aspx) page gives the technical helpdesk as telephone 613-995-4273 and email webgrant@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca, available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. eastern, Monday through Friday, and advises leaving a detailed message including name, area code and telephone number, the question, and the funding opportunity name. Maintenance and upgrades are scheduled Monday to Friday between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. and on Saturdays between 8 a.m. and noon if necessary, and the system will normally remain available during those times. Questions specific to a funding opportunity, such as eligibility or the attachments section, go to the program officer responsible for that opportunity, and applicants needing help completing online forms because of circumstances arising from a disability should contact their institution as early as possible, or contact accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca directly. No application fee is stated on any opened SSHRC page for this guide, and none is claimed here: check the funding opportunity description for any fee wording before assuming there is none.

I was told to file a Final Research Report in the web forms. Is that still the report SSHRC wants?

No, not for most SSHRC grants: the Final Research Report has been replaced, and looking for its tab inside the web forms will waste the reporting window. The [Achievement reports](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/achievement-reports.aspx) page states plainly that all recipients of SSHRC funding must report on how they have used SSHRC funds and on the outcomes and impact of their research, and that SSHRC has replaced the final research report and activity report with a more concise, user-friendly achievement report. The achievement reports are in survey format on a secure web platform, applicants should preview the questions before beginning the report to ensure all relevant information is available, and the page lists a separate achievement report for each funding opportunity or group of opportunities, with a contact email for each. Unless otherwise stated, achievement reports must be submitted within six months of the end of the grant period, inclusive of any extension, and recipients who do not meet the deadline will be ineligible for future grants or awards until the outstanding report has been submitted. The achievement report is hosted on a third-party platform, Voxco, so information entered there is also subject to Voxco's privacy policy and jurisdictions, which could include locations outside Canada; SSHRC transfers the report to an internal repository once it no longer needs the information in Voxco, and anyone with concerns about using Voxco who would like alternate arrangements should contact SSHRC's privacy coordinator at 613-992-1058 or ATIP-AIPRP@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. Once an achievement report has been submitted, changes to it cannot be requested. Technical inquiries about achievement reports go to corporate-performance@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. One exception is preserved rather than smoothed over: the New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration competition, which runs through the Convergence Portal rather than the web forms, requires a final report through the Convergence Portal three months after the award end date, according to the [2025 Exploration Competition](https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/funding-financement/nfrf-fnfr/exploration/2025/competition-concours-eng.aspx) page, so a New Frontiers recipient follows the New Frontiers instructions, not the six-month achievement-report rule stated here. For every other SSHRC grant, consult the Notice of Decision for the complete list of reporting requirements, as the achievement reports page directs, and file the achievement report named for the funding opportunity. Do not file a Final Research Report through the web forms for a grant whose reporting requirement is now an achievement report.

Keep going

Sources

No portal address, sign-in partner, multi-factor sign-in method, application fee, funding value, or general SSHRC deadline is stated in this guide, because none was verified on an opened SSHRC page. Figures and claims cut during drafting: any GCKey, CanadaLogin, or Sign-In Partner sign-in claim for the online forms system; any web-forms portal URL, including a link target seen only in a search snippet and never opened; any claim that the Final Research Report is filed through the web forms, replaced by the verified achievement-report requirement; any single universal CV format, with the SSHRC Web CV, SSHRC CCV, and tri-agency CV wordings all preserved and the choice left to the funding opportunity; any general 8:00 p.m. eastern deadline, with the 8:00 p.m. pattern stated only as it appears on opened competition pages and labelled by competition; any self-identification questionnaire step for SSHRC web forms, since no opened SSHRC page described its wording or location in the web-forms system and no ResearchNet or CIHR questionnaire wording was imported; and any toll-free general SSHRC telephone number, since the numbers on opened pages are the helpdesk, program, and privacy contacts stated above. Both CCV phasing wordings are carried rather than reconciled, the Research Portal wording for Insight Development Grants is carried as a separate route rather than folded into the web-forms steps, and the New Frontiers final-report exception is preserved as a Convergence Portal requirement rather than treated as a web-forms report. Recheck the funding opportunity description and its Apply column in the competition year before applying, since the system, CV format, sections, attachments, and deadline are set there.

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