Research Support Fund

This page provides general information about the Research Support Fund (RSF) program at 大象传媒. Detailed information about 大象传媒's RSF processes are available on the internal RSF web page for staff and faculty (大象传媒 log-in is required; please use your personal 大象传媒 account as role accounts may not allow for access to this page).

What is the Research Support Fund?
What are Incremental Project Grants (IPG)?
What is the Research Security stream of IPG?
What are the indirect costs of research?
How is the RSF allocated at 大象传媒?
Affiliated hospitals and health institutes
RSF and IPG spending, objectives, indicators and outcomes
RSF impact on 大象传媒 research
Resources

What is the Research Support Fund?

Canada's (RSF) assists postsecondary institutions with the costs associated with managing their research enterprise. This helps the institutions maintain a world-class research environment, thereby helping make Canada a world leader in research and development. RSF grants can be used to maintain modern labs and equipment; provide access to up-to-date knowledge resources; provide research management and administrative support; meet regulatory and ethical standards; or transfer knowledge from academia to the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.

What are Incremental Project Grants?

The (IPG) funding opportunity is a stream of RSF. IPG provides funding, in addition to an institution鈥檚 RSF grant, which provides additional support to the indirect costs of research. To receive IPG funds, an eligible institution must submit an application for specific projects. These projects must fit within a group of priorities that cut across RSF鈥檚 five existing categories of eligible expenses. IPG's initial four priority areas are: innovation and commercialization activities; facilities renewal, including deferred maintenance; information resources, including digital resources, open access and databases; and equity, diversity and faculty renewal (in the context of equity, diversity, and inclusion).

What is the Research Security stream of IPG?

Starting in FY22-23, a was added to IPG to provide institutions with funding to support the indirect costs of research security and to support the . This funding stream will provide institutions across Canada a collective total of $125 million over five years. Research Security is considered a fifth priority area of the IPG program, and enables institutions to build capacity to identify, assess and mitigate potential threats to research security.

What are the indirect costs of research?

RSF and IPG support the indirect costs of research, which are the 鈥渉idden鈥� costs that are incurred in the support of research-related activities that cannot be easily attributed to a specific research project.

At 大象传媒, the indirect costs of research include:

Maintaining high quality research infrastructure through the renovation and maintenance of research facilities, upgrades to equipment and the operating costs of research space;
Providing in-house technical expertise for ongoing and daily support to research facilities;
Acquiring research resources including library holdings and datasets;
Facilitating research through institutional support for the completion of grant applications and proposals, financial administration and reporting, and research planning and promotion;
Ensuring the requirements of regulatory bodies are met, including the Tri-Council & Canadian Council on Animal Care;
Managing the licensing of university technologies.

How is the RSF allocated at 大象传媒?

Breakdowns showing how 大象传媒 has spent its RSF among the RSF expenditure categories and IPG priority areas can be found in the RSF and IPG Spending, Objectives, Indicators, and Outcomes section below.

At 大象传媒, RSF is generally divided between the university and the initiating faculty, as is the case with overheads realized from research funded through contracts. The initiating faculties report each year on the use of these RSF funds, so that 大象传媒 can fulfill reporting requirements.

Additional details about internal 大象传媒 RSF processes and allocations are available on the 大象传媒 Internal RSF Program webpage (大象传媒 staff or faculty login required).

Affiliated Hospitals or Health Institutes

The following Health Institutes are considered 大象传媒鈥檚 affiliates for RSF grants:

First Nations Health Authority
Fraser Health Authority
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
The Occupational Health & Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia

Contact

For more information about the Research Support Fund at 大象传媒, please contact Kimberly Sivak, Associate Director, Research Management, at ksivak@sfu.ca.

RSF and IPG Spending, Objectives, Indicators, and Outcomes

2025-2026

In 2025-2026, 大象传媒 expects to receive $7,334,284 in RSF grants, $1,743,350 in general IPG funding, and $497,922 in Research Security IPG funding. The charts and linked PDF below outline how 大象传媒 intends to use these funds.

RSF 2025 - 2026

IPG 2025 - 2026

* For IPG, $1,055,767 is intended for strengthening community-focused partnership initiatives, $414,652 is intended for the development of and enhancements to research systems, and $272,931 is intended for the WearTech Labs Facility Renewal.

All $497,922 of the Research Security funds are intended to be used for Research Security program maturity. View the details of RSF, IPG, and Research Security objectives, indicators, and targeted outcomes (.pdf).

2024-2025

In 2024-2025, 大象传媒 received $7,046,299 in RSF grants, $1,332,541 in general IPG funding, and $466,658 in Research Security IPG funding. The charts and linked PDF below outline how 大象传媒 intended to use these funds.

RSF 2024 - 2025

IPG 2024 - 2025

* For IPG, $574,610 was spent on strengthening community-focused partnership initiatives, $485,000 was spent on the development of and enhancements to research systems, and $272,931 was spent on the WearTech Labs Facility. All $466,658 of the Research Security funds were spent on capacity and structure development. Details of RSF, IPG, and Research Security objectives, indicators, and targeted outcomes are outlined in Research Support Fund & Incremental Project Grant Spending, Objectives, Indicators And Outcomes (.pdf).

2023-2024

In 2023-2024, 大象传媒 received $7,057,937 in RSF grants, $1,049,546.00 in general IPG funding, and $464,411 in Research Security IPG funding. The charts and linked PDF below outline how 大象传媒 used these funds.

RSF 2023 - 2024

IPG 2023 - 2024

* For IPG, $450,000 was spent on 大象传媒's Research Administration Information Utility Systems and $599,546 was spent on the strategic development of innovation and commercialization partnership support. All $464,411 of the Research Security funds were used for capacity and structure development.

View the details of RSF, IPG, and Research Security objectives, indicators, and outcomes (.pdf)

2022-2023

In 2022-2023, 大象传媒 received $7,221,790 in RSF grants, and $1,078,709 in IPG funds, and an additional $477,405 in Research Security funds. The charts and linked PDF below outline how 大象传媒 used these funds.

* For IPG, $400,000 was spent on 大象传媒's Research Administration Information Utility Systems and $678,709 was spent on strategic development of innovation and commercialization partnership support. All $477,405 of the Research Security funds were used for capacity and structure development. Details of RSF, IPG, and Research Security objectives, indicators, and targeted outcomes are outlined here (.pdf).

2021-2022

In 2021-2022, 大象传媒 received $7,487,450 in RSF grants and $1,132,552 in IPG funding. The charts below outline how 大象传媒 used these funds.

* For IPG, $370,000 was spent on 大象传媒's Research Administration Information Utility Systems and $762,552 was spent on strategic development of innovation and commercialization partnership support.

Details of RSF & IPG objectives, indicators, and targeted outcomes and reported outcomes are outlined here (pdf).

2020-2021

In 2020-2021, 大象传媒 received $7,242,096 in RSF grants and $915,961 in IPG funding. See the charts below outlining how 大象传媒 allocated these funds.

* For IPG, $207,980 was used for 4D LABS Service Expansion, $132,981 was used for ImageTech Lab, $75,000 was used for the CL3 Lab, and $500,000 was used for the Strategic Partnerships Hub.

Details of RSF & IPG objectives, indicators, targeted outcomes and reported outcomes are outlined here (pdf).

What impact has the RSF had on 大象传媒 research?

The RSF contributes to 大象传媒's ability to provide a supportive research environment through the provision of staff and services that allow researchers to pursue their research programs and seek new funding opportunities. It also enables 大象传媒 to provide research facilities and other resources that help to attract and retain high-calibre researchers and graduate students. In turn, the presence of leading researchers and highly qualified personnel ensures 大象传媒's continued participation in major, multi-institutional and international research initiatives.

Progress towards RSF objectives: Overall impacts

大象传媒 is among Canada's fastest growing research-intensive universities measured by growth of research income. Our sponsored research income has grown by 50% over the past 10 years, reaching $150.2 million in 2023.

大象传媒 continues to be the top ranked university among Canadian comprehensive universities in the Maclean鈥檚 annual university rankings. The 2024 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) placed 大象传媒 as Canada's top university for innovation and number two for industrial application. The 2024 Times Higher Education's Impact Rankings placed 大象传媒 first in Canada (3rd in the world) for both climate action and sustainable cities and communities. These achievements have positioned the university to attain national and international leadership in a number of research areas.

Learn more about 大象传媒's research performance and metrics.

Facilities

Approximately one-tenth of 大象传媒's main campus space is used for research activities. With the support of the RSF, 大象传媒 can maintain modern, safe facilities that enable its researchers to keep up with changes in techniques and methodologies in their fields. The state of the university's research facilities impacts 大象传媒's ability to participate in regional, national, and international research collaborations and to attract industrial partnerships. It is also a factor in the institution's ability to attract top faculty and students, and raise its research profile.

Without this support, 大象传媒 would be unable to maximize its return on external investment by maintaining the cleanliness, safety and efficiency of its research infrastructure, which are the foundations upon which research discoveries are made.

The major cost drivers in this category are the internal costs for labour (salaries and benefits) and the costs of parts and materials. The maintenance and operating costs associated with research space is about 50% higher than the average cost for the university. The RSF supports only a small portion of the 大象传媒's total facilities costs.

Examples of RSF impact at 大象传媒 facilities

Renovation and development of research facilities

BIO3 Lab

大象传媒's BIO3 Lab is one of a few biosecure facilities in Canada that are certified by the Public Health Agency of Canada. BIO3 stands for biocontainment for infections organisms, level three. Researchers can safely conduct infectious disease research on Risk Group 3 pathogens to help advance breakthrough discoveries. Since it opened in 2020, while 大象传媒 researchers have been safely working on better understanding SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes COVID-19, the lab now welcomes all 大象传媒 researchers working on other diseases related to Risk Group 3 pathogens. The facility is the first-of-its-kind at 大象传媒 and is in part possible because of RSF support.

Read the 大象传媒 News story

Read the story on

Resources

Support from the RSF provides 大象传媒 researchers with the tools and informational resources necessary to carry out their research programs. These include library resources, software and other digital tools, computing and network infrastructure, and research data sets. The accessibility of these resources allows 大象传媒 to participate in the global 24/7-research environment.

The major cost driver in this category are the fees charged by external providers for these resources.

Examples of RSF impact on 大象传媒 resources

Research Funding and Award Opportunities Database

With help from the RSF, 大象传媒 continues to improve upon the , containing the details of over 450 research grant and faculty award opportunities. The database is continuously updated and expanded by 大象传媒's Office of Research Services staff.

大象传媒's Research Expertise Engine

RSF supports 大象传媒鈥檚 Research Expertise Engine (REE), which is a database that has over 46,000 titles authored by 大象传媒 researchers, searchable by keyword, author, department or faculty. It helps 大象传媒 researchers connect to colleagues with similar interests, or with whom new multidisciplinary collaborations can be built; helps researchers and graduate students from other institutions find 大象传媒 researchers and 大象传媒 research works; and allows industry, government, partners and media to search for 大象传媒 scholars and research interests.

Management and Administration

Investment in research support through the RSF is vital to maintaining the smooth operation of 大象传媒's research enterprise. It maximizes return on external investment by freeing faculty members to focus their time and effort on research.

The major cost drivers in this category are annual step progressions, negotiated salary increases and benefit costs. Salary costs overall increase annually even when the number of positions remains the same.

Without RSF support, researchers would need to spend more time on management and administrative tasks, which would negatively impact their individual research output as well as 大象传媒's overall research productivity and competitiveness.

Examples of RSF impact at 大象传媒: management and administration

Institutional Support for Researchers:

Institutional Strategic Awards

大象传媒's Institutional Strategic Awards (ISA) team strives to increase success, reduce administrative burden and make it possible for the university and 大象传媒 faculty members to successfully compete for the most significant and prestigious grants, prizes and awards available. RSF supports with funding for ISA staff with the mission of supporting 大象传媒 researchers to increase their success for grants, prizes and awards, and therefore contributing to the university's excellent research reputation.

Read the 大象传媒 News story

Regulatory Requirements

大象传媒 is in compliance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research involving human subjects and the use of hazardous materials, as well as the policies of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). The RSF supports the salaries of staff members who work to ensure 大象传媒's continued compliance with regulatory requirements.

The expansion of 大象传媒's research enterprise in recent years has created a substantial increase in workload for these positions. Without such support, 大象传媒 would be unable to keep up with this increased demand, and 大象传媒's ability to meet regulatory requirements would be compromised.

Examples of RSF impact at 大象传媒: regulatory requirements

Creation and Support of Regulatory Bodies:

Research Ethics

team upholds the highest ethical and regulatory standards of research involving human participants. Research Ethics supports researchers through the ethics review process, from the preparation of a new submission to continuing review of ongoing research. The team educates researchers in the policies and process of research ethics and ethics review and facilitates the review process conducted by the 大象传媒 Research Ethics Board and its subcommittees.

Technical Support for Animal Care

There are strict guidelines and policies in place to ensure the health and humane treatment of all animals used in research and teaching at 大象传媒 The same standards apply to all field studies as well. These standards are specified by a national agency, the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), as well as the university鈥檚 own policies, such as , under the direction of the office of VP Research and the University Animal Care Committee (UACC).

In order to conduct research involving animals, 大象传媒 faculty members must submit an application to the UACC for approval. No research is conducted without this approval. All Animal Care Protocols are reviewed annually and researchers must re-apply every four years, for long term studies.

A portion of 大象传媒's RSF is applied toward the salaries of the animal care staff, technicians and manager. Without the RSF support, animal research at 大象传媒 would be compromised and in many cases could not be performed. Without this support, the facilities and services for the proper and humane treatment of animals in our care would not function properly. In addition, this would affect the university's ability to maintain compliance with the Canadian regulatory standards for animal research.

Intellectual Property and Knowledge Mobilization

大象传媒 understands the importance of disseminating the products of research, both in respect to patent and copyright principles, as well as in respect to knowledge mobilization. 大象传媒 has various units that support its intellectual property and knowledge mobilization goals and obligations, and RSF and IPG funds enable these offices to be resourced appropriately.

Examples of RSF impact at 大象传媒: intellectual property and knowledge mobilization

Technology Licensing Office

大象传媒鈥檚 Technology Licensing Office (TLO) is focused on delivering intellectual property (IP) protection and technology licensing services and support to faculty, graduate students and university researchers for the strategic management of the IP they generate through their inventions.

The major cost drivers in this category are salaries, annual step progressions, negotiated salary increases and benefit costs. Ultimately, these positions help 大象传媒 researchers build effective working relationships with communities, industry, governments, NGOs and non-profits to increase the solution capability of 大象传媒 innovators.

Read a Q&A about the TLO

The Clean Hydrogen Hub

The 大象传媒 Clean Hydrogen Hub is an innovative and strategic effort that serves as a bridge between goals and reality, bringing together a variety of government and industry partners and associations from the regional and national levels to advance the clean energy transition. IPG funding enabled staff within 大象传媒鈥檚 Partnerships Hub, 大象传媒 Innovates, and 大象传媒鈥檚 Technology Licensing Office (TLO) to work together on the conception, development, fundraising, and launch of the Clean Hydrogen Hub. In addition, IPG funding enabled the TLO to actively support the knowledge mobilization of key IP for this core research facility.

Read the story - New 大象传媒-based Clean Hydrogen Hub to fuel clean energy research and innovation

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