The Collaborative Housing Research Network

The Collaborative Housing Research Network (CHRN) supports the focus on enhanced research under Canada’s National Housing Strategy. The Network is a joint initiative between CMHC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Council.

The Network’s objectives are to:

1. generate new knowledge by conducting research across a nationally-linked network of researchers and housing related stakeholders across all disciplines


2. bridge gaps between research outcomes and impact on housing by:
• accelerating the translation of research discoveries into decision-making, best practices and/or the marketplace
• developing, validating and evaluating interventions that change significant aspects of practice
• evaluating outcomes of implementation of interventions to demonstrate impact

The CHRN is a research partnership between academics and community organizations. Independent, interdisciplinary teams of academics and community partners will support housing sector innovation and new housing solutions. The network will focus on the holistic research of housing conditions, needs and outcomes in the priority areas.

The Canada-wide Network is composed of one National Knowledge Mobilization Hub and five Thematic Research Nodes with these roles:

• The Hub will coordinate and manage research collaboration and planning internally between the nodes, as well as externally to academia, government and the housing community.
• Each Thematic Research Node will bring together a unified group of investigators and other stakeholders. They are encouraged to have national representation with a minimum of three regions represented in each node. Every node will focus on one thematic area identified in the strategy.

The Hub and Nodes will contribute to:

• knowledge creation – short-term and longitudinal research, data development and analysis
• knowledge dissemination – publications, conferences, case studies and workshops with relevant stakeholders
• capacity building – professional development, mentoring of researchers and for research professionals across the career continuum

Funding to develop and implement the network will be available through SSHRC’s Partnership Grants.

The Network will use the feedback gathered from the 2016 CMHC-led national Let’s Talk Housing consultations. Opinions were solicited from individual Canadians and housing organizations, experts and stakeholders. The analysis featured in What We Heard: Shaping Canada’s National Housing Strategy helped identify important housing challenges where research could help provide answers.

All Canadian postsecondary institutions eligible at SSHRC can submit an application for a Partnership Grant. The academic institution must partner with community organizations, non-profits, housing industry and thought leaders outside academia.

Applicants must have experience with co-leadership in research design and knowledge dissemination. The applications are open to all fields related to housing. Examples include social sciences, humanities, sociology, geography, economics, finance, engineering, architecture, urban planning, community development, health, intervention research, and more.

Each funded team will form a network involving academics, community groups and other interested partners. These teams – the Thematic Research Nodes – will link together through the National Coordination Hub. The Nodes will also work together to create and mobilize knowledge.

Applicants can apply to develop either a Thematic Node or the National Coordination Hub.

If applying for a Thematic Node, the application must identify the theme on which the node will conduct research.

Applicants for Partnership Grants must demonstrate quality and commitment of formal partnerships within their application. Applicants must include relevant documentation to allow for an informed evaluation of the quality and level of commitment of the proposed formal partnerships.

Note: Applications must identify a critical mass of researchers within the academic and community sectors who will be actively involved in the research.

There are two types of grants available.

Partnership Development Grants provide support for new and existing formal partnerships.  These grants help to found the creation of the National Knowledge Mobilization Hub and the Thematic Research Nodes and facilitate networking. They advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities through mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership. Partnership Development Grants are intended for large teams working in formal collaboration between academic institutions and/or organizations of various types.

Partnership Development Grants will launch in collaboration with SSHRC early in the 2018—19 fiscal calendar year. 

Funding to develop and implement the CHRN will be available through SSHRC’s Partnership Development Grants (Stage 1) and Partnership Grants (Stage 2). Only successful applicants at the Stage 1 will receive an invitation to submit an application for Stage 2.

Stage 1

Applicants will submit a proposal for a Partnership Development Grant. This application identifies the research institutions, partnerships, and whether it is for the National Knowledge Mobilization Hub or Thematic Node.

Successful applicants will be offered for a Partnership Development Grant (PDG) worth $80,000 for one year. This grant will help develop their proposals.

Recipients are required to send 1-2 key representatives to attend the strengthening workshop in Ottawa in March 2019. This workshop will foster collaboration and help teams to solidify their application for the second stage.

Successful grant recipients will receive an invitation to submit an application in Stage 2 for the Partnership Grant.

Stage 2 (By Invitation)

Successful applicants in Stage 2 will be offered a Partnership Grant (PG) under the joint initiative worth:

• Knowledge Mobilization Hub: maximum $135k/year for Year 1, maximum $250k/year for Years 2-5
• Research Nodes: maximum $175k/year for Year 1, maximum $300k/year for Years 2-5

The Network will have an initial 5-year duration. The Network may then apply to renew for the remaining three years of the strategy.

Total funding available will be $13.9M divided between the National Knowledge Mobilization Hub and Thematic Research Nodes, over the duration of the program.

CMHC’s contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds. Parliamentary appropriations vote on funding annually and dictate any conditions attached to them.

Anticipated Timelines

General inquiries about the National Housing Strategy or technical support:

• Phone: 1-800-668-2642 (Business hours: 7:30 am to 7:30 pm Eastern Time)
• Email:  Innovation-Research@cmhc.ca