Fully funded from Uni in UK: can still apply for SSHRC?

[misswanda]

I'd like to apply for the SSHRC for my PhD. I've been funded by my UK university but still have additional living costs to cover. 

 

Does anyone know if SSHRC pays you directly if you're an overseas student (from Canada to the UK), or if they go through the university to process the award?

 

Thanks all

[biisis]

Yes you should be eligible! (Unless there's some arcane provision in your internal funding package- be safe and double-check). 

 

You would apply directly to SSHRC, and receive a cheque in the mail twice a year in the local currency if you're successful. Best of luck!

[TakeruK]

Yes! Here is the Awards Holder Guide B for SSHRC award holders are foreign universities: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/using-utiliser/guide-B/regulations-reglements-eng.aspx

 

Note especially the section on "Other Sources of Income", where it says:

 

Other Sources of Income (employment and other awards)

You may not concurrently hold an award from SSHRC and another federal granting agency (CIHR or NSERC). You may, however, accept awards from other sources, regardless of value, e.g., foreign sources, Canadian provinces, private organizations, your university.

You may not hold full-time employment during any period of time in which you hold the SSHRC award.

If you held full-time employment at the time of application, you must provide your university with a letter from your employer attesting that you will be on an approved leave of absence during the period of tenure of your award. If you were a federal government employee, the letter must attest that you will be on an unpaid leave of absence during this period. Awards will not be paid unless these letters have been received.

Doctoral fellowship holders: SSHRC expects award holders to devote the majority of their time to the timely completion their degree program. SSHRC limits the number of hours of employment per 12-month period to 450.

Payment of the award during paid internships and co-op work terms that are a program requirement is permitted, provided you maintain full-time registration in your doctoral program. Should the internship preclude holding a fellowship, the fellowship stipend for the period of the internship must be relinquished and cannot be carried forward to a future date, since the duration of the internship will be included in the calculation of the number of eligible years of support.

You may work as a research assistant (receiving an hourly wage).

 

 

So, there is no restrictions imposed by SSHRC here. However, there may be restrictions on your university funding--the UK university may not provide you with the same amount of funding if you also have an external award. This is normal practice in many Canadian and US schools but I am not sure if the UK schools operate the same way. 

I hold a doctoral NSERC award at US school and at every school I've seen, we must report all funding sources, even external ones, to the Graduate Office. What happens in most Canadian and US places is that some or all of your SSHRC/NSERC award value is deducted from your University funding. In my current case, my NSERC award is 21,000 CAD per year and my stipend from the school is deducted by 21,000 CAD per year so that I make the same money as I would have without my award. (There is some small benefits due to income sources from Canada not being taxed the same way though). At my Canadian school where I held a Masters level NSERC award (which was about $17k), they didn't just increase my stipend by $17k, but instead, reduced my University-provided fellowship and my TA load so that I still earned about $10k above the "no-scholarship" stipend level, but it's not like you always get the keep the entire difference.

However, having external funding is still a great thing. Since I cost my school about $60,000 less over the course of my degree (which turns out to be only like 1/6th of the full cost), it does free up some of my advisors' funding to spend on me/my research in other ways (conference travel etc.) And it looks great on a CV to be able to bring in external funding.