Deadline: 22-Jan-2026
The Destination Horizon Grant Program provides support to researchers affiliated with eligible Canadian postsecondary institutions to build capacity, foster existing partnerships, and further develop networks and/or consortia with European Union and other “associated countries” researchers, with the ultimate goal of applying to Horizon Europe—Pillar II calls for proposals.
The 16 global challenges focus on key social, environmental, and technological issues shaping the modern world, including digital transformation, global health, social inequality, gender diversity, environmental sustainability, surveillance, biotechnology, governance, security, truth and misinformation, and the evolving roles of art, culture, and human relationships in contemporary society.
The Destination Horizon Grants offer up to $15,000 over one year to support collaborative activities that strengthen ties between researchers in Canada and their counterparts in Europe and associated countries.
Funds cannot be used to pay salaries or stipends to applicants, co-applicants, or collaborators, nor for research activities or course release time. However, consultation fees for expert or technical services and expenses supporting equitable, inclusive, and accessible participation are eligible.
These grants are not meant to support the implementation of Horizon Europe projects but rather to facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary exchanges, scholarly exchanges, intersectoral collaboration between academic researchers and practitioners, and international research collaborations that connect Canadian postsecondary researchers with those from the EU and other associated countries.
Applicants must have a primary affiliation with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution in the social sciences or humanities and must demonstrate readiness to develop networks or consortia with European partners with the aim of eventually applying for Horizon Europe—Pillar II funding. Each application must also include a 100% matching cash contribution from the host institution.
Applications can be submitted by individual researchers or teams consisting of an applicant and one or more co-applicants or collaborators. While postdoctoral researchers and students are not eligible to apply, eligible co-applicants may include individuals affiliated with Canadian postsecondary institutions, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic foundations, think tanks, or provincial, territorial, or municipal governments, as well as international postsecondary institutions. Collaborators can be from any sector, including the private or federal government, though they may only participate in that capacity.
Only Canadian postsecondary institutions with institutional eligibility can administer the grant. Institutions must ensure that a research administrator is designated in the Convergence Portal to forward the application to SSHRC before the deadline. A maximum of three applications per institution can be submitted for each competition.
All eligible applications will enter a randomized selection process, where application numbers are assigned random values through an independent code-based generator. Grants are awarded in order from the lowest to the highest random number until available funds are exhausted.
Successful applicants will be notified via the SSHRC Extranet for Applicants, while institutions will access results through the Grants and Scholarships Administration Portal. Grant holders are required to report on fund usage, activities, and outcomes.
The deadline to apply is January 22, 2026.
For more information, visit Government of Canada.
