SSHRC General Research Fund

1.0 Purpose

1.1     To outline the Mount Allison University policy on the use and administration of the SSHRC GRF

1.2     The SSHRC General Research Fund (GRF) is a special account held in trust by the institution President, into which unspent award funds from expired or terminated grants are deposited. These funds are to be reinvested to support research in the fields of social sciences and humanities.

1.3     The Provost and Vice President, Research and Academic (hereafter, Provost) is the President’s authorized delegate, and is responsible for the administration of the SSHRC GRF account. The Provost is responsible for the management and use of funds within this account. No other party may initiate or authorize expenditures without the President’s or Provost’s written delegated authority.

1.4    The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have established Guidelines for the General Research Fund.  These guidelines provide information on the management and use of the funds, including the eligibility of funds for transfer and the eligibility of expenditures that can be charged to them.
 

1.5    The guidelines identify criteria used to assess the eligibility of residual funds for transfer to the GRF. SSHRC expects each institution to spend at least 50 percent of the year’s opening balance on eligible expenses and to report on those expenses through the Statement of Account (Form 300) by June 30 of each year. If an institution fails to meet these requirements, transfer of funds to the GRF will be put on hold and the institution will need to demonstrate a tangible need for the additional funds. Account balances will continue to be assessed every year.

1.6    SSHRC encourages the use of GRF funds for the development of research capacity in the social sciences and humanities.  This may include funding for support for early career researchers, those who require bridge funding between grants, or additional funds for professors to support their research.

2.0 Applicability

2.1    This policy applies university-wide to any eligible SSHRC grant

3.0 Implementation

3.1    SSHRC-funded researchers who have residual grant funds at the end of their grant period (or by the end of SSHRC-approved extensions to use funds, where applicable) will have the opportunity to present to the Provost a proposal for their timely use in accordance with the following:

I.    The proposal must be communicated to the Provost in writing at least two (2) months before the end of the approved period to use funds, and outline the proposed use of grant funds, the amount of residual funds available (as confirmed by Financial Services) and the amount required for the proposed activities, as well as a timeline for expenditures (maximum of 2 years).

II.    Discretion to award GRF funding rests with the Provost, in consultation with the Office of Research Services and the Financial Services Department.
III.    Once SSHRC confirms that a grant’s residual balance is eligible for transfer to the GRF, re-awarded grant funds will be placed in an internal research account. Note: Re-awarded grant funds will not be automatically available immediately following the end of the SSHRC grant’s approved period to use funds. Researchers should anticipate a delay in accessing re-awarded funds via an internal research account. The timing of this delay may vary in accordance with SSHRC’s internal processing timelines.  Anticipated delays will be communicated to researchers by Financial Services or the Office of Research Services.

IV.    Unspent balances are transferred back to the SSHRC GRF at the end of the approved internal grant period of 2 years.

V.    Researchers must have an active and formal affiliation with Mount Allison to be eligible to apply for use of un-spent residual grant funds. Formal affiliations include:

1.      appointment as a full-time faculty member, as identified in the MAFA collective agreement;
2.     designation as Associate Professor or Professor Emeriti (as per Policy 3002);
3.     designation as Adjunct Professor (as eligible per Policy 3003);
4.     designation as Research Professor (if identified as other mutually agreed support in the letter of appointment, as per Policy 3004).

3.2    Each year, Mount Allison will establish a budget that represents at least 50% of the residual balance of the SSHRC GRF account which will be dispersed via the following priorities:

•  Projects that are adjudicated for the President’s Research and Creative Activities (PRCA) fund competition that are recommended for funding by the Senate Research and Creative Activities Committee may be supported in part or in full by the SSHRC GRF. These projects will not have received support via the SSHRC Small Institution Grant.
•  Supplemental awards to support research conferences that are in social sciences and humanities disciplines organized by Mount Allison faculty, who have already applied to the Conference Organization Support Fund.
• Bridge funding or seed grants to productive researchers in the social sciences and humanities disciplines.
•  Other priorities as identified by the Provost in consultation with the Senate Research and Creative Activities Committee.

3.3     The ability to provide these awards will be subject to the availability of funding in the SSHRC GRF account on an annual basis.

3.4    All funds awarded from the SSHRC GRF that are not spent by the end of the specified allowable period will be transferred back to the SSHRC GRF for re-distribution in the following year.

4.0 Policy Review

4.1     This policy shall be reviewed and updated every five (5) years or at such shorter time period as necessary

Acknowledgement: This policy document was originally adapted from the policy of St. Francis Xavier University