University Research Fund
Application Guidelines and Procedures
Introduction
The University Research Fund (URF) provides research support to both new and established eligible faculty who holda faculty appointment at UNB.
The Fund is intended to assist faculty members (must hold a minimum 3 year term) to prepare projects for future submission to the tri-agency granting councils (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR). It is expected that successful URF applicants will apply for a tri-agency grant within two years of theirURF award. URF-funded projects should, therefore, be completed within one year, and must fit within the mandate of the tri-agency program to which the researcher will apply. The URF is not a substitute for external funding sources, and faculty members are expected to make every effort to obtain support for their research from external granting agencies.
Subject Matter Eligibility
There is no restriction onthe field of research that may be supported. Applicants who wish to obtain support for projects involving human subjects, the use of animals, or possible biological hazards must demonstrate adherence tothe pertinent university policies and procedures prior to any funds being released.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be eligible to apply to one of the tri-agency granting councils. However, due to restrictions to the fundsavailable for this competition, established faculty*whocurrently hold tri-agencyfunding are not eligible to apply for a URF grant, unless they wish to apply for UNB support for one of the priority areas listed in the research notice for the current competition.
*Established Faculty are those who have previously held URF funding or are beyond two years of their appointment at UNB or have held or currently hold tri-council funding, unless within two years of their appointment at UNB.
New faculty are those who are within two years of their appointment at UNB.Once a URF has been held, the holder can no longer be considered new faculty.
Established faculty who currently have tri-agency applications under review may apply for a URF, but if the pending NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR grant application is successful, any URF funds that have beenawarded must be returned to the university.
All applicants must hold a remunerated position at UNB for the duration of the grant.
Anyonecurrently enrolled as a student at this or any other university at the time of application isnot eligible to apply.
Items and Activities Eligible for Support
Grants may be requested for such items as the purchase of research equipment and supplies not provided for in departmental budgets, for the hiring of research assistants, especially graduate students, and for travel directly related to the proposed research. Research assistants must be paid at the rates set by Human Resources for the appropriate class of employee and must include appropriate fringe benefits.
Research travel may include travel to other universities, libraries or research centres for research purposes, and field trips for the purposes of making observations or measurements, for data collection, etc.
Travel expense claims must comply with the current University regulations that govern transportation, accommodation, and meal costs. Grants from this Fund must not be used to provide personal remuneration for the grantee or for members of the grantee's family.
Items and Activities not Eligible for Support
Items not eligible for support include telephone and fax charges, the purchase of books already availablein any UNB library collection, periodical subscriptions, page charges for journal articles, publication support costs, and the purchase of computer software duplicating UNB site licenses. Expenses for travel to conferences, symposia, special courses, etc. are not eligible.
Application Procedures
Applications for grants up to $7,000 must be completed using the URF application forms found on the ORS website ( These include the Application Form (pdf), the Detailed Proposal Form (Word doc), and the BudgetJustification form (Word doc).Since applications will be ranked and signed by department Chairs (if applicable) and Deans; please contact your Department/Faculty to enquire about internal deadlines and the number of printed or electronic application packages required. Your Department/Faculty will deliver your signed and ranked application to ORS by the deadline date.
Applicants are asked also to email one complete copy of their application package to the competition deadline date.“URF Grant Application” should appear in the subject line. The application package must include the following:
- Application Form – 1 page
- Detailed Proposal Form – 2 pages
- Budget Justification Form – 1page
- If Applicable: URF Priority Area form,as described in the research notice for the current competition.
Please convert all documents to PDF. It is understood this emailed package will not contain signatures or be ranked by the Chair or Dean.
Due to the tight schedule involved in the review process, late applications cannot be accepted.
Eligible faculty members may submit one application only and all information must be contained within the forms provided. No other attachments are permitted.
Grant Selection Procedures
All applications will be reviewed and awards determined by a Grant Selection Committee, chaired by the Vice-President Research in two streams: new faculty and established faculty. The committee will evaluate applications with regard to the soundness of the proposed research, appropriateness of and justification for the budget, the nature and extent of student training (where appropriate), and the Chair’s/Dean’s ranking. The standards applied by the Committee will be at the level of those used by national granting agencies.
As the membership of the Selection Committee is representative of a broad spectrum of research interests, applicants should refrain from extensive use of technical terms or jargon. A clear statement of objectives, methodologies, potential results, and the significance of the research should be made. All proposed expenses must be justified and sufficient detail given to enable an adequate assessment of the merit of the proposal and the budget by the Selection Committee.
Availability of Grant Funds / Duration of Grant
In most cases grant funds will be available for use beginning April 1st of the competition year. If your research requires certification, funds will be held until the Office of Research Services receives approval for the project. Funds will be made available in the form of a restricted research account administered by the Office of Research Services.
The URF program is partially supported by funds from the NSERC and SSHRC General Residual Fund (GRF). These funds must be spent in a timely manner, as per the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide (Administrative Matters section:Residual Balances): In 2015 we were advised that the agencies expect “at least 50% of available funds [to] be spent on a yearly basis.” This includes monies transferred to researchers through the URF program. To meet this requirement, researchers are encouraged to spend 50% of their award by December 31stof the year of the grant award. If remaining funds are not used within one year of the grant award (i.e. by March 31st of the following year),awardees can request an extension of no more than one year to use any remaining funds, but monies not spent by March 31st of the extension yearwill be automatically returned to the URF general account.
Reports on Use of Grants
Each grantee must submit a brief report to the Office of Research Services concerning the use made of his or her grant within 18 months of receipt of the grant.
Further Information
Further information may be obtained by contacting ORS at (506) 453-4674 or .
Updated December 20161