Scotland-Canada Academic Partnership (S-CAP) Visiting Research Fellowships

S-CAP Visiting Research Fellowships are designed to foster original research and scholarship by scholars utilizing the University of Guelph’s Scottish Studies Collection. Two fellowships, each valued at CAD$1,500, are intended to support research using the Scottish archival collections held at the University of Guelph’s McLaughlin Library. They are supported by the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph and the Scottish Government Office in Canada. The Fellowships provide a stipend intended to help defray living, travel, and/or research expenses of researchers to come to the University of Guelph to conduct their research utilizing the Scottish Studies Collection. This fellowship is not intended to cover any tuition costs in whole or in part.

The Scotland-Canada Academic Partnership (S-CAP) is a partnership between the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph and the Scottish Government Office in Canada. More details can be found on the College of Arts S-CAP webpage.

The University of Guelph, located 100 kilometers west of Toronto, Canada, is home to the Centre for Scottish Studies—the largest research-intensive centre of its kind outside Scotland—as well as extensive Scottish material in its Archival and Special Collections. The Scottish Studies Collection at the University of Guelph Library was established in 1965 to support the research and teaching interests of faculty and students in the History Department at the University of Guelph. The Library’s effort to build the Collection was developed in partnership with the History Department. Collection strengths include legal documents and political works and materials related to description, travel, tourism, emigration and settlement, culture, literature, religious and social history. Today, the Collection is unrivalled in extent outside of the United Kingdom.

How to Apply

To be considered, please forward a research statement of no more than 1,000 words outlining the scholarly context of the specific research programme, details of the programme, a list of specific sources held in McLaughlin Library’s Archival and Special Collections that will be consulted during the period of the Fellowship, and documentation of any other sources of funding to support the project. Please also include a curriculum vitae and two letters of reference, to be sent directly to the email address below

Applications will be assessed by a committee based on their relevance and relationship to the Scottish Studies Collection. Applications are encouraged from postgraduates and researchers at all career stages, from within and outside Canada.

Fellowship Details

• The Fellowships may be held at any point between March 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027
• Only applicants who are not associated with the University of Guelph and who do not reside in Guelph, Ontario will be eligible
• The Scotland-Canada Academic Partnership (S-CAP) Visiting Research Fellowship must be acknowledged in published works resulting from research conducted during the fellowship
• Recipients will be asked to provide the University of Guelph Library with one copy of any published work resulting from research conducted as a result of the Visiting Fellowship
• Recipients will also be invited to give a community talk about their research and experience during the fellowship
• Recipients will be responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate permissions to enter Canada, and for arranging their accommodation in Guelph.
• Researchers will be expected to spend the majority of their fellowship time working on campus in the McLaughlin Library ASC Reading Room
• Transfer of funds to successful applicants will occur after the submission of a final report at the end of their Fellowship
• The grant does not provide general tuition support

Application

Submissions and professional references should be sent directly to Ashley Shifflett McBrayne, Rare Book Librarian, Archival & Special Collections, McLaughlin Library: shifflet@uoguelph.ca

Deadline for submission of applications: 1 March 2026

For more information on the strengths of our Scottish Collection, a broader description of the Scottish Studies Collection is available online. Rare books are described in the library’s catalogue, and archival material can be searched in our online catalogue & Special Collections is transitioning to a new web-based discovery platform and as such, please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any reference assistance while preparing your application.

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