Tri-Agency equity, diversity and inclusion resources 2024

If you’re applying for a Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) scholarship, you’ll likely be asked whether EDI considerations are applicable to your research proposal, and if yes, describe and explain it throughout your written plan.  Reviewers will look carefully at your answers.

There is an increasing number of cited studies that would have or have benefited from considering identity factors in the research design and process. A good source for such examples is CIHR’s “Impacts of integrating sex and gender in research” and the Stanford University Gendered Innovations project.

Research has demonstrated that overlooking certain identity factors, such as race or age, can lead to failed research projects. For example, many technologies using automatic facial, voice and skin recognition have failed to account for variations in these features across race or gender, resulting in technologies that fail when used by individuals with darker skin (Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect, Passport facial recognition software, and even automatic soap dispensers) or individuals with higher-registered or accented voices (voice recognition software in cars, Google, and medical software).

Be sure to access the resources provided by the Tri-Agency when writing your research proposal:

• Status of Women Canada online GBA+ module
• CIHR: How to integrate sex and gender into research
• NSERC: Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process
• SSHRC: Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications