News > 2008 > A Major SSHRC Grant to Support Research into Globalization and Work

A Major SSHRC Grant to Support Research into Globalization and Work

March 4, 2008

Four HEC Montréal professors and researchers, members of the Inter-University Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT), are among the main players in a vast study of work and employment in the context of globalization. The research will be supported by a $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), which recently announced that one of the four grants awarded this year as part of its Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) will go to CRIMT. The HEC Montréal professors involved in the project are Urwana Coiquaud, Christian Lévesque and Lucie Morissette, from the Department of Human Resources Management, and Linda Rouleau, from the Department of Management.

“The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funds research that builds understanding of complex issues that affect our society,” said SSHRC President Chad Gaffield. “The MCRI program supports leading-edge interdisciplinary research and fosters international collaboration, strengthening Canada's leadership role in global research.” Note that when it comes to interdisciplinarity and international outreach, the CRIMT – directed by Professor Gregor Murray, of the Université de Montréal, and co-directed by Christian Lévesque, of HEC Montréal, and Jacques Bélanger, of Université Laval – brings together 75 researchers from 16 Canadian universities and 25 institutes and universities in 10 other countries.

The CRIMT team will be trying to gain a better understanding of the involvement by institutional players in dialogues concerning change and to get a clearer picture of the abilities required to flourish in this new environment. The topics to be studied include:


According to Christian Lévesque, “This type of international project is extremely demanding, but represents a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of our own society, to integrate a new generation of researchers at HEC Montréal and to offer our students international research and training options. Globalization is having an incredible impact on the importance of remaining competitive and obliges decision-makers to revisit their ways of doing things and rethink work-related institutions. Our challenge, as a research centre, is to get a clearer view of changes in the world of work and identify the arrangements and mechanisms that will make it possible to keep organizations competitive while guaranteeing employees’ well-being and citizenship at work.”

HEC Montréal Director Michel Patry added: “CRIMT’s work responds to the present-day concerns of business leaders and political decision-makers. The CRIMT team is shedding new light on issues in the working world and contributing to bringing young researchers into the field, with its approach based on both local and international concerns. HEC Montréal is very proud to be one of the three founding institutions of CRIMT, with the Université de Montréal and Université Laval.”


About the SSHRC

The SSHRC is an independent federal government agency that funds university-based research and graduate training through national peer-review competitions. The SSHRC also partners with public and private sector organizations to focus research and aid the development of better policies and practices in key areas of Canada’s social, cultural and economic life. The SSHRC's MCRI program supports research projects that address critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance. It co-ordinates the work of many researchers from around the world under the banner of single, large-scale research projects. MCRI grants span seven years. They are designed to contribute to deeper understanding of people and society, while also providing graduate students with opportunities for research training.