Research Support Fund

The Research Support Fund (RSF) helps Canadian postsecondary institutions with the costs associated with managing research funded by the three federal research granting agencies.

Indirect Costs of Research
The “hidden” costs associated with managing research are called indirect costs and include the cost many institutional activities and services that are required to support research but are not covered by research grants and contracts. Some of these are:

• Salaries for staff who provide administrative support for researchers and their projects (research office, finance, legal, IT, library);

• Costs related to the maintenance of laboratories and research facilities (power, security, building and equipment maintenance).
• Research resources

Research and scholarship are part of a teaching-intensive regional university and contribute significantly to excellence in undergraduate education. Research and scholarship enhance UFV’s social, cultural, economic, and environmentally-responsible development and contribute to the strategic goals of UFV.

The Research Support Fund is essential to building and sustaining a culture of research and scholarship at UFV as well as pragmatically supporting everyday activities and operations. The fund enables UFV to employ staff (Director of Research; Ethics and Compliance Officer, Grants and Contracts Officer; Research Services Assistant; Financial Analyst and Liaison) who support faculty and student researchers. Many initiatives supported by the RSF showcase UFV faculty and student research and promote interdisciplinary networking within the institution and community.

The value of each grant is calculated as a percentage of the institution’s total federal research funding from NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR with some exclusions. Detailed information about the Research Support Fund can be found here. The actual amount of the RSF grant that UFV receives does not cover the total amount of eligible costs, so the grant is attributed to the cost of maintaining the office of Research, Engagement, and Graduate Studies.

Allocation of UFV Research Support Funds 2022-23

Research management and administration

Salaries and training costs for staff who work on grant applications, research proposals, and support the research enterprise; costs associated with publications and events that highlight UFV research; costs of grant-writing workshops and professional memberships.

The Research Support Fund plays a vital role in many of our successes, either directly or by allowing us to redirect funds to support research activities. Some examples of our support for UFV faculty and student researchers in the 2022-23 academic year are listed below:

• Committing funds in support of faculty research projects and assisting researchers from all disciplines.
• Assisting faculty and students to publish research outcomes and present at professional conferences.
• Awarding UFV’s Research Excellence Award to faculty member Dr. Robert Harding, Associate Professor, Social Work and Human Services.
• Hosting a faculty MicroLecture where 23 faculty presented two-minute lectures on the findings and implications of their current research.
• Offering annual workshops for faculty and students: Faculty Sabbatical Planning and Application workshop; Grant Mentorship Program; Research Option and Scholarly Activity workshop; Research Ethics Workshops, NSERC and SSHRC Scholarship workshops and ROMEO training workshops.
• Assisting more than 26 undergraduate students who presented at national and international professional conferences.
• Supporting seven students who received NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards.
• Presenting 25 students with Undergraduate Research Excellence awards for excellence in research done in 23 disciplines, industry, and Indigenous communities.
• Supporting more than 371 undergraduate student research assistants.
• Hosting the Student Research Day where more than 100 students presented 55 posters while competing for 11 financial awards of $500 each.
• Reviewing over 187 research ethics protocols to ensure UFV met TCPS and CCAC compliance.
• Providing HREB members and Research Office staff opportunities to attend national conferences such as CAREB, CARA, and CCAC for training and networking.
• Allowing the Director of Research to dedicate more time to supporting faculty and students in group meetings and one-on-one mentoring.

RSF Funds Allocation Table

RSF Public Disclosure Statement for 2021-2022

RSF Public Disclosure Statement for 2020-2021

RSF Public Disclosure Statement for 2019-2020

RSF Public Disclosure Statement for 2018-2019

RSF Public Disclosure Statement for 2017-2018