On January 29th, the Microdata Access Portal (MAP) is slated to launch. It will replace the SSHRC portal which is currently used as the submission avenue for RDC proposals. At the same time, the way that RDC applications are assessed is also changing. A summary of the changes follows:
| Application | Before | After |
| Where to apply | SSHRC portal | Microdata Access Portal (MAP) |
| Review Process |
For non-student projects: Peer-review set up through SSHRC All projects: StatCan institutional review |
Streamlined peer review process (see below), and StatCan institutional review |
| Access and Fee-for-service questionnaire | Sent to researchers in .pdf format |
Webform included in the Microdata Access Platform |
Researchers will be able to login to the portal after submitting their proposal to see its progress through the review process.
Because of the change to the peer-review process for non-student projects that do not have funding from the tri-councils, it is possible applications made to SSHRC in the weeks leading up to the launch of the MAP will take longer to get approved than the same application made to the SSHRC portal in the weeks prior.
If you have any questions, training sessions will be available through StatCan, alternatively you can contact your Statistics Canada analyst at the RDC or the CRDCN
