Application Guidelines and Procedures
Introduction
The University Research Fund (URF) provides research support to both new faculty and established faculty in a tenure-track or tenured appointment at UNB. If any faculty member currently holds federal research council funding, they are ineligible for URF support. A portion of the URF is funded by the SSHRC Institutional Grant and NSERC and SSHRC residuals. The Fund is intended as a means of assisting UNB faculty members to prepare projects for future submission to the granting councils. It is expected that applicants will apply for such an award within two years of the awarding of the URF. In addition, the Fund enables extra funding to be provided for research undertakings that are considered to be significant and meritorious. 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.
Eligibility for Grants
There is no restriction concerning the field of research that may be supported. Applicants who wish to obtain support for projects involving either human subjects or the use of animals or that may involve possible biological hazards must satisfy the pertinent university policies and procedures.
Due to the restriction to the dollars available for this competition, faculty that currently hold federal research council funding are not eligible to apply for a URF grant.
For faculty who are awarded a URF grant, if the applicant’s pending NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR grant application is successful, URF funds must be returned to the university.
Adjunct Professors and other appointments who do not hold a full-time position at the university at the time of application are not eligible to apply. Candidates for higher degrees at this or any other university at the time of application are not eligible to apply.
Items Eligible for Support
Grants may be requested for such items as the purchase of research equipment and supplies not provided for in departmental budgets, hiring of research assistants, especially graduate students, field trips and other 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 is considered to include: travel to other universities, libraries or research centres for research purposes (travel between UNB campuses is not included); and field trips for the purposes of making observations or measurements, or for data acquisition, etc. Travel for attendance at conferences, symposia, etc., and for attendance at special courses is not included.
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 not eligible for support
Items not eligible for support include telephone and fax charges, purchase of books already provided for by UNB libraries, periodicals subscriptions, page charges for journal articles, publication support costs and purchase of computer software duplicating UNB site licenses.
Application Procedures
Applications for grants of up to $7,000 must be completed using the URF form, which is available on the ORS website: URF form. The form should be completed electronically then printed for signature and submission. Please deliver the original plus seven (7) copies of your application package to the Office of Research Services by the deadline indicated on the Funding Programs page. Applicants should note that their applications must be reviewed and signed by their Chairperson and Dean before submission to the Research Office. 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 form provided. No attachments are permitted. Within the same form, the applicant may request support for more than one project.
As the membership of the Selection Committee is representative of a broad spectrum of research interest, applicants should refrain from extensive use of technical terms or jargon. A clear statement of objectives, methodologies, potential results, and implications of the research should be made. All proposed expenses must be justified and sufficient detail given to enable an assessment of the merit of the proposal and the budget to be made by the Selection Committee.
Grant Selection Procedures
All applications will be reviewed and awards determined by a Grant Selection Committee, chaired by the Vice-President Research. In considering applications, the committee will evaluate them with regard to the soundness of the proposed research, the relevance of the project to the department concerned, and the research record of the applicant. The standards to be applied by the Committee will be at the general level of those used by national granting agencies.
Availability of Grants / Duration of Grant
In most cases, grants will be available for use immediately upon receipt of a notice of award and delivery to the Office of Research Services of a completed Request to Open, Close or Amend Account form. If your research requires certification (e.g., ethics, animal care, biohazards, etc.), funds will be held until the Office of Research Services receives approval for the project. Grants will be made available in the form of a restricted research account administered by the Office of Research Services.
Funds must be spent by December 31 of the year following the grant award. There is an automatic one-year extension to use any remaining funds. Monies not spent will be automatically returned to the URF general account on January 1 following the extension year.
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.
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