Research Support Fund

What is the Research Support Fund? 

In 2003, the Government of Canada introduced the Indirect Costs Program to help post-secondary institutions offset the less obvious costs of research. The Indirect Costs Program was completed after the 2014-2015 fiscal year and replaced by the  Research Support Fund. 

The Research Support Fund  assists Canadian post-secondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with the expenses associated with managing the research funded by Tri-Council agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC). The annual grant helps institutions manage the financial demands of the indirect costs of research. By easing the institutional financial burden, the Research Support Fund helps the university create an environment where researchers can focus on their research, collaborate with colleagues, and translate their discoveries and innovations. 

What are the indirect costs of research?

In order for research projects to step off the pages of the funding application and come alive in an active, collaborative environment, there is a host of everyday, practical requirements that must be addressed and in place. These requirements, that may not be directly obvious, have associated costs; these are the indirect costs of research. Some of the specific costs include those behind-the-scenes expenses incurred by the university supporting the day-to-day research enterprise. Without heat, electricity, computer and network maintenance or administrative staff, research projects would be near impossible to complete. Costs incurred to keep the lights on, maintain database servers, or the wear-and-tear maintenance for lab space all contribute to the indirect cost of research. 
 

PLANNED ALLOCATION OF RSF GRANT FOR THE FORTHCOMING YEAR (2025-26) 

• Notional RSF Grant Amount: $1,112,002.00
• Facilities (40%) = $444,801.00
• Research Resources (25%) = $278,000.00
• Management & Administration (35%) = $389,201.00
• Regulatory requirements & Accreditation (0%) = $0.00
• Intellectual Property (0%) = $0.00 
   

Research Security Accountability and Public Acknowledgement

Research security project: Professional Development for Research Security

Total amount of Research Security funds allocated for the forthcoming year (notional amount): $5,898.00

Overview of Project: The project will support professional development activities for our Director of Research Grants and/or our Industry Liaison Officer to attend workshops, conferences, or networking activities on the evolving STRAC framework, as well as to provide information sessions (potentially inviting external advisory resources) on campus to build awareness of research security risks and assessment frameworks. The expected outcome is enhanced research risk security knowledge and capability in our research services group and anticipated results are that the research services group will be able to adequately assess research security risks associated with research proposals in a timely manner.