Overview
 
Research funding provided through three federal research granting agencies [Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)] is generally limited to direct project costs (e.g., research equipment, research assistant salaries, etc.). Institutions whose researchers receive funding for research also incur costs to manage their research enterprise. These are often called “indirect costs of research.” From 2015-2016, the Research Support Fund (RSF) program replaces the former Indirect Costs Program established in 2003.

The RSF assists Canadian postsecondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with the indirect costs/expenses associated with managing the research funded by the three federal research granting agencies. The RSF grant can be used to:

• maintain modern labs and equipment;
• provide access to up-to-date knowledge resources;
• provide research management and administrative support, including support for equity, diversity and inclusion practices;
• meet regulatory and ethical standards/requirements; and
• transfer research results/knowledge from academia to the knowledge users (private, public and not-for-profit sectors).

The RSF grant that UCN receives each year helps to defray a portion of these costs. A full list of RSF eligible expenses is provided at www.rsf-fsr.gc.ca/administer-administrer/expenditures-depenses-eng.aspx. More details about the RSF program is available at http://www.rsf-fsr.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx.

Affiliated Organizations

UCN does not have any affiliated organizations.

RSF Allocation in 2021-2022

The RSF grant assists Canadian postsecondary institutions with the costs associated with managing their research enterprise, helping them to maintain a world-class research environment. In 2021-2022, the notional RSF grant amount allocated to UCN is $69,517. UCN has planned to distribute this RSF grant under the five expenditure categories as listed below:

1. Research Facilities ($5,000; 7.2%): Research equipment, furniture, maintenance and operating cost.
2. Research Resources ($20,517; 29.5%): Campus-wide SPSS license, NVivo license, library holdings, telecommunication, IT and databases.
3. Management and Administration ($15,000; 21.6%): Research grant consultancy, grant writing workshops, research planning and promotion, research collaboration, and memberships and conference participations in CARA, CAUBO, CICan and others.
4. Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation ($17,000; 24.4%): Participation in CCAC program, animal user training for students and faculty, and memberships and conference participations in CAREB, CCAC and others.
5. Intellectual Property and Knowledge Mobilization ($12,000; 17.3%): Annual truth and reconciliation conference, and Indigenous knowledge initiatives. 

RSF Communications Strategy for 2021-2022
 
UCN acknowledges and is grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and three federal research granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC), through its RSF.

The RSF grant provides financial support to UCN by allowing the University College to achieve its research goals by minimizing the costs in five eligible expenditure areas: research facilities, research resources, management and administration of research enterprise, regulatory requirements and accreditation, intellectual property management and knowledge mobilization.

Research at UCN contributes to the achievement of our Strategic Plan, and contributes to the economic well-being of the peoples of Northern Manitoba and beyond.

In an effort to provide information about the role of the RSF grant in supporting and building capacity for research at UCN, the following specific communications strategies will be followed through 2021-2022:

1. UCN Website:
   UCN’s website, www.ucn.ca, contains a webpage specifically highlighting the RSF and its impact on research and research capacity building at UCN. The RSF webpage, located at www.ucn.ca/sites/RI/Research/Pages/Research-Support-Fund.aspx, highlights research success stories by faculty, staff and students. Any research related articles, videos and audio clips will acknowledge the impact of RSF. UCN’s RSF webpage will be updated regularly. The webpage of UCN’s Office of Research, Reconciliation and Academic Innovation (https://www.ucn.ca/sites/RI/Research/Pages/Research.aspx) will have a report listing all research-related and scholarly activities.
2. Publications:
   UCN will capitalize on publications created by its faculty, staff, students, and others associated with federally-funded research activities, in order to highlight and share research stories with both internal and external audiences. The RSF will be given a direct reference in publications, emphasizing the value it has brought to strengthening the research environment at UCN.
3. Media Relations:
   Existing local and regional media contacts will be contacted, and relationships will be built with new media sources in order to share UCN’s research stories and successes. Any stories being published through news releases will acknowledge the support of the RSF grant in the release.
4. Social Media:
   Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) will be utilized to share news and generate conversations about UCN’s research expertise and contributions.
5. Presentations/Lectures:
   All federally-funded research-related presentations will acknowledge contributions from the RSF grant. This could be a verbal acknowledgement and/or acknowledgement through inclusion of the RSF on the ‘Benefactors/Thank You’ page of a slideshow presentation.
6. Annual Truth and Reconciliation Conference:

Recognition for the support of the RSF will be also included in the opening and closing remarks of our annual Truth and Reconciliation academic conference which is well-attended by both academics and the general public.

RSF Grant Usage, Performance and Outcomes in 2020-2021

Budget Allocated in 2020-2021 RSF

Statement of Account / Expenditures Incurred in 2020-2021 RSF

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, 2020-2021 RSF grant period was extended for 3 months. Therefore, 2020-2021 RSF grant period is from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The performance of UCN and outcomes achieved through the RSF grant in 2020-2021 are summarized below.

Research Resources: The RSF grant helped us to cover costs associated with many essential research resources including UCN-wide SPSS software license, Survey Monkey subscription, iPad Pro and MS Surface Pro for research work, and a communication device for the Research Office.

Management and Administration: UCN has one Manager of Research position at its only Research Office. As we want to maximize the use of RSF grant to cover key research functions and resources, UCN uses internal salary funds to cover this position. In 2020-21, the RSF grant was used to cover costs related to the operations of the Research Office, internal research-related workshops/trainings, and participation of our Manager of Research in the conferences conducted by Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), National Indigenous Virtual Tech, and Aboriginal Education Research Forum.

Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation: In 2020-21, the RSF grant has enabled UCN to meet regulatory and accreditation requirements including costs related to the operations of UCN’s Research Ethics Board (REB) and Animal Care Committee (ACC) and related professional developments. The REB Coordinator has participated in the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards (CAREB) national conference. Three ACC members have attended the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) national workshop, and the ACC Coordinator has participated in the ACC Coordinators meeting. The RSF grant has also covered costs related to UCN’s participation in CCAC program and animal user training for 11 UCN students enrolled in Natural Resources Management Technology program’s field practicum courses.

Intellectual Property and Knowledge Mobilization: A team of three was invited from the University of Regina. They provide online workshops and training on “the landscape of Indigenous research: emergence, ethics and priorities” and “how to conduct qualitative data analysis with NVivo and ATLAS.ti software applications”. An online workshop titled “undergraduate research fundamentals: empowering students” conducted by American Library Association was provided to faculty, staff and students. The costs associated with these workshops and trainings were paid from 2020-21 RSF grant. They are important for UCN’s intellectual property management and knowledge mobilization.

Communication Strategies Used in 2020-2021 RSF Grant Year

The following communications strategies were used in 2020-2021 to inform about UCN’s RSF grant and its support to the research at UCN.  

•  Website: UCN’s RSF webpage (www.ucn.ca/sites/RI/Research/Pages/Research-Support-Fund.aspx) has highlighted RSF grant and its impact on research activities and research capacity building at the UCN. Research related articles, videos and audio clips have acknowledged the support of RSF grant. The UCN’ Research Office webpage located at https://www.ucn.ca/sites/RI/Research/Pages/Summary-of-Research,-Scholarly-Activity,-Capacity-Building-and-Service.aspx has listed research-related and scholarly activities happened in 2020-21 at UCN. 
• Publications: The publications done through the RSF grant usually give a direct reference in publications, emphasizing the value it has brought to strengthening the research environment at the UCN.
• Media Relations: Local and regional media contacts and sources have been used to share the UCN’s research stories and successes. They usually acknowledge the support of the RSF grant.
• Social Media: Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) are being used to share news and generate conversations about UCN’s research expertise and projects.
• Presentations/Lectures: The RSF grant’s support and contributions have been acknowledged in presentations and lectures by verbal acknowledgement and/or including a ‘Thank You’ page in slideshow presentations.

RSF Allocations/Usages at UCN in Previous Five Years

Acknowledgement

UCN gratefully acknowledges the support of the Tri-Council Research Granting Agencies (CIHR, NSREC and SSHRC) and Government of Canada for the Research Support Fund.

Contact

For more information, contact:

Guru Chinnasamy, Ph.D.
Manager of Research
Phone: 204-677-6363
Email: gchinnasamy@ucn.ca