Full Proposal Application Form

CANADA FIRST RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FUND (the Fund)

File number: (leave blank)

APPLICATION FORM PART A:
INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY AND PROPOSAL SUMMARY

The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (the Fund) application form for Competition 1 of the Fund consists of two parts:

· Application Form Part A— Institutional Strategy and Proposal Summary

· Application Form Part B—Scientific Strategy

Completed applications must include one Part A and one or more parts B (one Part B for each scientific area of focus). Each eligible institution can only submit one application.

The completed application form (parts A and B) must be uploaded in the Fund’s application portal by 9 p.m. (eastern), March 2, 2015.

Institution:

Contact Person

Surname or Family Name:
Given Name or Initials:
Title/Position:
Telephone:
Email Address:

Institutional Strategy

Title of institutional strategy

Proposal summary

Provide a 50-word summary describing the institution’s overall strategy, relative to the Fund, to achieve global excellence and leadership in research, in areas of strategic relevance for Canada. This summary will be used in the peer review process, as well as for publicity and program communications purposes.

Proposed Use of Funds—Institutional Strategy

Budget for implementation of the institutional strategy

Indicate the sources of funding, and how funds will be used, among the two categories of eligible expenses (direct and indirect costs) for the implementation of the institutional strategy. (Funding requested for and allocated to each scientific strategy must be outlined in Part B.) The amounts indicated in the table below should be rounded to the nearest 10,000, and should correspond to the total planned expenditures over the duration of the grant. Please refer to the Fund website for details on the eligible costs under each category of expense.

Include planned expenses to be incurred as of September 1, 2015. Include funding and contributions (one-time and ongoing) committed and available as of September 1, 2015 (not retro-active). Other relevant contributions (one-time and ongoing) committed and available prior to September 1, 2015 can be reflected in the attachments. Do not include funds from NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR, any tri-agency program or Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Institutional Strategy Budget Table (Part A): Direct Costs of Research

Category of expense / Funding requested from the Fund / Funding from the lead institution / Funding from eligible partner institutions / Secured contributions from other sources
Cash / In-kind
Direct costs of research (if applicable)
Compensation-related expenses / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Recruitment and relocation / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Travel and subsistence / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Sabbatical/research leave / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Equipment and supplies / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Computers and electronic communications / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Dissemination of research results / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Services and miscellaneous expenses / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Other direct cost expense categories, not eligible under the Fund / $ 0 / $ / $ / $ / $
Subtotal (1) / $ / $ / $ / $ / $

Institutional Strategy Budget Table (Part A): Indirect Costs of Research

Category of expense / Funding requested from the Fund / Funding from the lead institution / Funding from eligible partner institutions / Secured contributions from other sources
Cash / In-kind
Indirect costs of research (if applicable)
Research facilities / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Research resources / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Management and administration of research enterprise / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Regulatory requirements and accreditation / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Intellectual property / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Other indirect cost expense categories, not eligible under the Fund / $ 0 / $ / $ / $ / $
Subtotal (2) / $ / $ / $ / $ / $

Total Part A: Direct and Indirect Costs of Research

The total funding requested to cover the indirect costs of research cannot exceed 25 per cent of the total grant amount. However, the funding requested to cover the indirect costs of research in any of Part A and Part/parts B can exceed 25 per cent of the total requested for that Part.

Proposed Use of Funds—Scientific Strategy

Summary of proposed funding for scientific strategy/strategies

Indicate the sources of funding, and how funds will be used, for the duration of the grant, for each scientific strategy included in the application (Part/parts B of application). The amounts indicated in the tables below should be rounded to the nearest 10,000. Note that a separate Application Form Part B must be submitted for each of the titles listed below.

Scientific strategy/strategies budget table

Part B
Title(s) / Funding requested from the Fund / Funding from the lead institution / Funding from eligible partner institutions / Funding from other sources / Total
Direct costs of research / Indirect costs of research / Cash / In-kind
$ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
$ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
$ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $
Total
Part/Parts B / $ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $ / $

Budget Table—Total Grant Request

Total Funding Requested from Fund
Direct Costs of Research / Indirect Costs of Research ** / Total
Total Part A / $ / $ / $
Total Part/Parts B / $ / $ / $
Total Grant Request * / (A) $ / (B) $ / (C=A+B) $

* If a Fund grant is awarded, the total budget will be disbursed to the institution in equal installments over the duration of the grant (maximum seven years).

** The total funding requested to cover the indirect costs of research cannot exceed 25 per cent of the total grant amount (i.e., in the table above, B can be up to 25 per cent of C.) However, the funding requested to cover the indirect costs of research in any of Part A and Part/parts B can exceed 25 per cent of the total requested for that Part.

Signature and Submission

If the lead institution proposes to transfer a portion of the grant amount to other Canadian postsecondary institutions eligible under the Fund, either for implementation of the institutional strategy (Part A) or the scientific strategy/strategies (Part B), the representative (president, rector or principal of the institution, or authorized representative) for each institution must sign a separate signature page. All pages must be included in the application package submitted by the lead institution.

On behalf of our institution, , I confirm that the general conditions governing the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, as outlined on the program’s website, are understood and hereby accepted by the institution involved in this application.

It is agreed that the use and disclosure of information by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, as outlined on the program website, are understood and hereby accepted by the institution.

I understand that maintaining public trust in the integrity of researchers and research administrators is fundamental to building a knowledge-based society. By submitting an application to the Fund, or by accepting funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, or Canadian Institutes of Health Research, I affirm that I and all parties involved in this application have read and agree to respect all the policies of these agencies that are relevant to the research activities proposed herein, including the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship. In cases of serious breach of agency policy, the agency may publicly disclose the names of the parties involved, the name of the institution(s) where they were or are currently employed, and the nature of the breach. I accept this as a condition to applying for and receiving agency funding and I consent to such disclosure.

______

Signature of institutional representative Title (President, Rector or Principal of the institution, or authorized representative)

Date:

dd/mm/yyyy

Please print, sign and mail the original of this signature page to the Chairs Secretariat at:

Chairs Secretariat

350 Albert Street, 16th Floor

P.O. Box 1610

Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6G4

Instructions for Completing Part A

1. Context

In Part A, institutions must present a formal overall institutional strategy, relative to the Fund. This strategy should indicate how the institution plans to achieve the Fund`s ambitious objectives, in areas of strategic relevance for Canada and in line with approved corporate strategic plans. Part A must describe in detail how the grant would be used to achieve the institutional strategy’s stated objectives. It should also provide broad context and justification for the strategic choice of area(s) of focus and the overall institutional direction toward a position of global excellence and leadership in research.

Part A will be used in the adjudication process to assess the strategic and managerial aspects of the proposal. Specifically, it will be used to assess elements related to selection criterion 3: Quality of implementation plan:

· the institution’s vision and willingness to commit internal resources towards supporting the proposed initiative;

· demonstrated strength of the institution’s research culture and standards;

· quality of the implementation and risk management plans; and

· suitability of the institution’s performance measurement plan as a basis for monitoring progress and assessing results.

The intended audience for Part A is generalists.

2. General content instructions

Part A must include:

· the form above, duly signed;

· a maximum 12-page document that provides the details of the institutional strategy and proposal summary (see instructions in section 3 below);

· a budget justification (see section 4 below); and

· letters of support from any partner who will play a role in the implementation of the overall institutional strategy, if applicable.

All of the above must be uploaded in the Fund application portal by the application deadline (see section 5 below).

3. Institutional strategy and proposal summary

Page limit

This attachment must not exceed 12 pages. Any extra pages or materials other than those requested will be removed. Graphs and illustrations may be included, but will count as part of the page total. Either single- or double-column presentation of text, graphs and illustrations is acceptable.

Format

Information must be provided under the six headings provided under Headings below.

Presentation

The institution’s name must appear at the top of each page. Number all pages. Use 12-point or larger Times New Roman font. Paper must be 8 ½” x 11” (21.5 cm x 28 cm). All page margins must be set at a minimum of ¾” (1.87 cm).

Headings

· Vision and Commitment: A description of the institution’s vision, including the process by which this vision was arrived at and adopted by the institution; and a statement indicating the institution’s willingness to commit dedicated internal resources towards achieving the Fund’s objectives, as well as its willingness to support the initiative(s);

· Research Culture and Research Standards: A description of the institution’s demonstrated strength in research culture and research standards, and how it demonstrates best practices and global leadership as a custodian of a research enterprise.

· Implementation Plan: A plan that:

o outlines how the institution plans to use and allocate the grant funding and why;

o indicates the proposed governance, including accountabilities and the decision-making process regarding the allocation of the grant, and the respective roles to be played by governing bodies, senior management, management committees, partners, etc.; and

o includes a high-level outline of the scope of work and key activities, including a schedule with milestones and dependencies, a definition of roles and responsibilities, a plan for tracking progress, and expected outcomes and impacts.

· Risks: A risk assessment and management plan outlining the major risks that could impact progress or the achievement of the stated objectives of the initiative, as well as mitigation measures that will be put in place.

· Equity: An equity plan outlining how career and training benefits derived from the opportunities associated with the initiative will be made available to designated groups (women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people and persons with disabilities). The equity plan should include performance measures, including indicators, targets, and a monitoring and course-correction process.