We are pleased to announce the 2025-26 Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) Small Research Grant competition.
The SSN Small Grants scheme provides funding to support junior/early-career scholars working in economically under-resourced regions of the world. This year, we will be able to fund two awards of up to £1500 each, to be used during the 2025-2026 academic year in support of surveillance studies research (for more information about what constitutes surveillance studies research, we recommend reviewing articles published in Surveillance & Society (http://surveillanceand-society.org/), the international journal of surveillance studies). These awards will also be accompanied by a two-year SSN membership.
The Small Grants Committee will review and select recipients based on the following criteria and process:
Eligibility
Surveillance Studies Network members (or non-members who conduct surveillance-related research and would like to become part of SSN) are encouraged to apply, with preference given to persons who:
-justify themselves as working in an economically under-resourced region;
-are early career researchers (i.e., a doctoral student or researcher who has earned their PhD in the last five years);
-have not previously received funding through the SSN Small Research Grant; and,
-submit all required materials prior to the application deadline.
Evaluation Criteria
We will be evaluating applications based on their articulation of specific research-related activities that would significantly augment the applicant’s program of research, but that would not be feasible without additional funding. Additionally, we will take into consideration the overall feasibility of the proposed work and the extent to which it is likely to make a significant contribution to surveillance studies. Priority will be given to scholars from UN-ranked LDCs but applications from all economically under-resourced regions are welcome. This justification can be a brief narrative description of the funding realities for academic research in your specific institutional or regional context.
Process
Please submit a brief proposal (approximately 1 page, single spaced) outlining:
-the activities to be conducted with the funding,
-the importance of these activities to your program of research,
-justification of your region of residence as economically under-resourced,
-description of your suitability for the award based on the other criteria of preference, and
-a timeline for completion of the activities planned. (All awarded funds must be spent by January 5, 2027).
Additionally, please submit a budget (1-page maximum) outlining your plans for using any awarded funds up to a maximum of £1500 (e.g., transcription services, informant/human-subjects payments, travel costs to conduct field research, technical equipment, conference fees, etc.).
Send your proposal and budget as one document (PDF preferred) to Adam Molnar at adam.molnar@uwaterloo.ca on or before January 5, 2026. Please include the following text in your email subject header: “SSN Small Grants Application.”
We aim to notify all applicants of the results by January / February 2026.
Post-Award Expectations
Successful applicants will be asked to submit a post-award report outlining the research they conducted using the funds and noting how the SSN Small Grant contributed to the success and implementation of their research. These reports will be due on April 1 in the year following the award (i.e., April 2027). Additionally, applicants are encouraged to publish a “Research Note” on our blog Blink (https://medium.com/surveillance-and-society).