In 2013 the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada / Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du
Canada (SSHRC/CRSH) initiated a review of the training, career development
needs, and administration of postdoctoral fellows (‘postdocs’) in the social
sciences and humanities in Canada.

Under consideration were proposals to shift
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships (S-PDF) to a model of co-delivery with
universities and to require prospective host institutions to submit research
training plans as part of the SSHRC PDF application process.

SSHRC invited CAPS/ACSP to participate in this
discussion by reviewing current literature on postdoctoral fellows (PDF),
soliciting feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders on how best to
implement proposed changes, preparing a report for consultation by SSHRC in its
decision making process, and co-organizing a workshop with key stakeholders.
CAPS also analyzed a sample of data from 165 postdocs’ final evaluation reports
from 2009-2011 to help determine what the needs of SSHRC funded social sciences
and humanities S-PDF were in relation to training.

The final report prepared by CAPS/ACSP and
submitted to SSHRC in January 2014 is available here: Improving
the Experiences of Social Sciences & Humanities Postdocs in Canada