Internal Research Funding

Application Form

Download (.docx)

Deadlines

October 16, 2019, and February 1, 2020

Objectives

Under the terms of Article 25.55 of the Fifteenth Collective Agreement, a sum of $150,000 shall be provided by the Board of Governors of Acadia University for the support of research in each academic year (1 July - 30 June).  This is known as the University Research Fund.

Guidelines for Applicants

One - (1) year and two (2) year awards may be made and the maximum amount of an award per project shall be $5000 and only one (1) award may be received in a given academic year. 

The one- (1) or two-(2) year period shall commence on the date of the letter of award notification.  An individual who has received an award for a two- (2) year project may not apply for funding again until the end of the two-(2) year cycle. An automatic one-(1) year extension of deadlines shall be granted.

TIP:  Unless you are certain that your study will require a full two years, it may be best to apply for a one-year award.  IF it then becomes apparent that you will require extra time, you can automatically extend your award for an extra year, as per Article 25.55(d).  This avoids the situation of receiving a two-year award, finishing early and then not being able to apply again until the two-year term has ended

The funds will be administered through the Office of Research and Graduate Studies which will appoint a committee to allocate the funds.  The committee consists of:

I.    The Dean of Research and Graduate Studies (Chair);
II.   Two members of each Faculty chosen from a pool of six members of each Faculty;
III.  One librarian chosen from the University librarians.

Please see Article 25.55 of the Fifteenth Collective Agreement for full details. Application forms are available on the Research and Graduate Studies website.

Key Points:

• Hand written applications will not be accepted. Applications are to have a minimum 12-point type size.
• It is important that you justify (not just describe) the budget clearly. Remember, if you are requesting travel funds to present a paper, please include a letter of acceptance and an abstract of the paper being presented.  
• PLEASE NOTE: Article 25.55(g) states, "Applications must also include an updated curriculum vitae of the applicant." Please send a pdf of your current CV to donna.dillman@acadiau.ca
• You must submit the original to the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies with an electronic copy to donna.dillman@acadiau.ca. The deadlines for submission each year are October 15 and February 1.   Decisions will be announced by November 15 and February 28 respectively.

TIP: Please remember that there may be no one on the Adjudication Committee who shares your expertise or even your disciplinary background.  Write for clarity and understanding throughout your application

Note: Please download the most recent version of the Application Form (February 2019) from the Research and Graduate Studies website, and follow the instructions carefully.

The current suggested pay rate for undergraduate students is $12/hour and $15/hour for graduate students. These rates do note include 4% vacation pay. The research grant holder is required to cover the following additional costs: 4% vacation pay, 10% for the mandatory employer costs for EI and CPP, as well as 2% for WC coverage. These additional costs are included as part of an employee’s pay, but show up as deductions in the researcher’s general ledger (GL) account.

Please note that all pay rates are subject to change.

University practices and procedures must be followed at all times*. See the Travel Expense Claim Form for details.

*Note:  As per the 15th Collective Agreement, Tri-Council policy on eligible expenses shall apply to Article 25.55.  The rates shall be those established by the National Joint Council Travel Directive, Appendices B, C, and D. These can be accessed at:

www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/travel-voyage/index-eng.php.

Documents

Download Application Form (.docx)

Download Evaluation Criteria (PDF)

SSHRC Institutional Grant (SIG)

Through the SSHRC Institutional Grant (SIG) the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada provides annual block grants to universities to help fund small-scale research and research-related activities by their faculty and students in the social sciences and humanities. SIG funds are intended to help Canadian postsecondary institutions strengthen research excellence in the social sciences and humanities.

For 2019-20, applications must be made using the internal 2019 SIG Application. Applications in the form of one signed original and one electronic copy must be submitted to the Office Research and Graduate Studies c/o Barb Baker (barbara.baker@acadiau.ca) by Monday, May 31 at 4:30 pm. 

When completing an application, please refer to our SIG Evaluation Criteria for this competition and read the application instructions carefully. Individuals may apply for a maximum of $3,000.

New for 2019-20

SIG funds will be offered as two grant types:

SSHRC Explore Grants, which:

• support social sciences and humanities researchers with modest research funding requirements at any stage of career;
• allow for small-scale innovation and experimentation by providing funding to develop a research project or conduct pilot work; and
• enable researchers to hire students at any level to participate in their research projects thereby contributing to their professional development.

SSHRC Exchange Grants, which:

• support the organization of small-scale knowledge mobilization activities, such as workshops and seminars, in order to encourage collaboration and the dissemination of research results both within and beyond the academic community; and
• allow researchers to attend or present their research at scholarly conferences and other dissemination venues that align with SSHRC’s mandate in order to advance their careers and encourage the exchange of ideas and research results at the national and international level.
• SSHRC expects that all SIG-funded research training will incorporate appropriate dimensions of the Guidelines for Effective Research Training.

SIG Applicant Eligibility

• Recipients must be affiliated with a SSHRC eligible Canadian postsecondary institution and must maintain such an affiliation for the duration of the grant period. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian institution, are not eligible to hold these grants.
• Postdoctoral researchers affiliated with the institution are eligible to receive support for eligible activities, provided they will maintain their affiliation for the duration of the grant period.
• Students are not eligible to hold SIG-funded grants; however, SSHRC encourages researchers to employ students in SIG-funded research.

Guidelines for SIG Applicants

Competitions for SIG grants occur once per year in the spring/summer. At least one month prior to the adjudication process, a call for applications is announced to the SSH departments and schools on campus. The form requires applicants to (1) provide a succinct description of their intended research/activities, to a maximum of two pages, (2) a detailed budget, and (3) a justification of each budget item. Please refer to the SIG Evaluation Criteria document for information on how proposals will be evaluated.

Funds received in this competition must be spent in the fiscal year in which they were awarded; i.e. your account must show a zero balance by March 30, 2020 (accounts are closed at the end of March and any outstanding balances will revert to the general SIG account). SSHRC requires this office to submit a report on the research funded; therefore, a report on your research must be submitted to Research and Graduate Studies by the end of April 2020.

The current suggested pay rate for undergraduate students is $12/hour and $15/hour for graduate students. These rates do note include 4% vacation pay. The research grant holder is required to cover the following additional costs: 4% vacation pay, 10% for the mandatory employer costs for EI and CPP, as well as 2% for WC coverage. These additional costs are included as part of an employee’s pay, but show up as deductions in the researcher’s general ledger (GL) account.

Please note that all pay rates are subject to change.

University practices and procedures must be followed at all times*. See the Travel Expense Claim Form for details.

SIG Reporting Guidelines

SIG Grant holders must provide a written report (max 1 page), describing the completed research/activities to Barb Baker (barbara.baker@acadiau.ca) by March 31.

Reports should highlight how the objectives of the research project/activities were met, and any particular successes or challenges that resulted. Please indicate if SIG funds have led to the development of any other funding applications.

Please also be sure to address the following two questions:

1. If applicable, how many students, post doctoral researchers, and/or other non-students were supported using your SIG funds? For students, please indicate if they were undergraduate, Master's or Doctoral students.

2. How many "knowledge products"* resulted from your SIG funds? *knowledge products are defined by SSHRC as "traditional academic outputs such as peer-reviewed articles, books, conference presentations, etc., as well as other knowledge mobilization activities."