Scholarly Activity DatabaseFrequently Asked Questions
Please feel free to contact the Research & Scholarly Activity Office staff other specific questions that you might have.
What is the typical timeline & tasks to complete an application?
For a thorough application anticipate starting the process 6 months to a year in advance. See the Tips and Guidelines for Writing Grant Applications web page for resources and a full timeline.
Are there examples of grant applications?
Yes! We have various grant applications on file at the Research & Scholarly Activity Office. Some faculty members have given us permission to share their applications to assist others. Please make an appointment with the Grant Facilitator to make your request.
What title do I use on my grant application?
Professor? Assistant Professor? Teacher? Other?
For SSHRC and NSERC: Use University-College Professor. If the grant application has a list of possible titles which doesn't list university professor, use Other and put University Professor in the Other, Explain field.
For CFI: CFI does not have a policy. They suggest we try to use the best match for the position of the researcher. Consult with the Research and Scholarly Activity Office to determine the best match.
Am I tenured according to SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC since we don't have a traditional rank and tenure system here at VIU?
At VIU, if you hold a 'Regular' faculty position which is defined (Article
4.1.1.1 of the VIUFA Agreement): The term "regular" shall refer to faculty
with a renewable contractual appointment of one year or more', then SSHRC
considers that to be the equivalent of tenure.
For NSERC, on the front page of Form 100 (Personal Data Form) use the title
'University-College Professor' and select 'No' for 'Tenured or tenured track
appointment' and indicate whether your appointment is full-time or part-time
then proceed to fill out Appendix
B of Form 100. Check the boxes: 'academic appointment', and for the box
'is this position of a limited duration' check 'No', and you can write: This
is a full-time, continuing appointment at a University which does not currently
have an academic rank and title system. Research and scholarship are a recognized
component of the workload of University professors.
What should a CV contain? Do you have examples?
A CV not only contains information about your academic background and professional experience (see this resource on CVs and check their examples) but it is read very carefully by grant peer review committees. For example, they will look at it to help answer questions like:
- What did you do in your Masters and Phd. and have you done research since? Iif so, was there a natural step from your degree to the research or did you go off in a totally different direction? They want to see if you are developing a line of inquiry and will look at various sections of your CV to check for hints showing there is a logical progression in your career/research path.
- Have you done research where you were the lead researcher (this shows that you are an independent researcher)?
- Did you complete the research? If they can not see a completion date, then they might assume you have not finished and hence have not proven that you can successfully manage the research project process or the administration of a grant (budget management, reporting back, supervising staff, etc).
- Did you publish or present the results of your research as this shows that your research was not just a professional development activity (knowledge in rather than knowledge out) and, if your research was funded, they want to see that society benefited from you receiving those funds.
So your CV tells about your education and experience but it also tells the reader a whole lot more about you. Check these resources at The Chronicle.
Some grants provide a release time stipend
(RTS). How much should I ask for?
Vancouver Island University is trying to support and encourage faculty to become more involved in research and scholarly activity and will try to match RTS, keeping in mind the realities of our tight budget.
VIU will attempt to budget an amount each year which would be available
for faculty to apply for Research Time Stipend. First priority would be those
faculty who apply for a grant in which RTS is provided and the University
is required to match that amount. At the time of signing the Institutional
Signature Sheet, the faculty member must discuss RTS funding with the Dean.
The VPAP will match 50% of the University’s commitment as long as the
Dean provides the other 50%. The faculty member/researcher must budget for
at the higher end of a backfill rate which in 2011/2012 is $13,600 (ie. not
the sessional rate which is $7,500).
If there are any unused RTS funding still available, then multi-year Tri-Agency
grants (e.g. Discovery Grants or SSHRC Insight grants) will have the next
priority with the Dean and VPAP sharing the RTS costs. The Institutional Signature
Sheet will be used to record RTS allocation agreements.
Can I hire a student research assistant? Will grant agencies pay for them? How much should I budget?
Yes, you can hire students and current research says that involving students helps mentor them and provides very satisfying learning experiences. However, be sure to provide jobs that are beneficial to them and relate to research and learning. Hiring for any duties that would normally be performed by a member of a bargaining unit (i.e. CUPE) needs to be done in accordance with that relevant contract agreement.
Granting agencies will usually pay for students but you need to read the grant guidelines for specifics. Many grant agencies prefer (but don't necessarily require) that you involve students. Also keep in mind that federal and provincial subsidies are often available but be aware that there are deadlines for applying. Check with the Campus Career Centre regarding the possibility of subsidies. Often internal (i.e. Research and Scholarly Activity Committee) and external grants can be used to match the subsidies.
Hiring of students is done in accordance with Vancouver Island University Board Policy 32.01 Employment of Students. Employment is also subject to the Employment Standards Act of BC, the BC Human Rights Code, the Workers' Compensation Act of BC, and the Vancouver Island University Board Policy 43.26 Employment of Relatives.
The internal VIU Research Awards Committee guidelines for support costs uses the following scale for Research Assistants: (These amounts include 4% vacation pay.)
- Undergraduates or Other: minimum $10/hr, maximum $18/hr
- Masters: minimum $10/hr, maximum $21/hr
- Ph.D.: minimum $12/hr, maximum $25/hr
Note: Overtime kicks in after 40 hours/week and needs to be budgeted for. Flexible work weeks are an option. See the Employment Standards Act of BC.
Don't forget to also budget for the employer's expenses of EI, CPP, and WCB which total 8.25%.
Example: 1 undergraduate student for 10 hours/week for 10 weeks at $12/hr (which includes 4% holiday pay)
| Total student wage: $12 x 10 x 10 | $1,200.00 |
| Total employer's expense (EI, CPP, WCB): $12 x 10 x 10 x .0825 |
$ 834.90 |
| Total to budget for student expense: | $2,034.90 |
What per diem travel rates should I use?
- VIU reimbursement rates and guidelines can be found on the Facial Services web site: Additional Guidelines for Reimbursement of Travel and Other Expenses.
- Refer to Board Policy 42.08 - Reimbursement of Travel and Other Expenses for additional details.
- See Financial Services Forms for appropriate forms.
Is there a budget template I can use?
Yes!
- Financial Services has put together a Budget Cash Flow Form in excel to assist with managing your research funds.
How do I acknowledge faculty/student collaboration and/or funding support in published material?
Faculty that receive funding support for their research or scholarly activity should acknowledge the funding source with a statement in their publications or other appropriate method of dissemination. It should acknowledge both funding support and acknowledge collaboration with other faculty and/or students.
For acknowledging collaboration:
Where appropriate in their published work, the faculty member(s) shall indicate affiliation with Vancouver Island University and acknowledge their indebtedness to students and their academic colleagues in relation to their own research.
For acknowledging funding, also include statements such as:
"This publication [or event] was supported by funds received from the Vancouver Island University, Capacity Building Grant and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council."
What do I need to know about publishing my research results?
You will need to be aware of the policies set out by your funding agency. Here are some examples:
- CIHR - Under a new policy, which applies to all grants awarded after January 1, 2008, grant recipients who receive whole or partial funding from CIHR must make every effort to ensure that their peer-reviewed research articles are freely available as soon as possible after publication.
- SSHRC – Research Data Archiving
If you are funded by a different agency, check your funding agency’s policies
I sent in my NSERC Form 180 - Notice of Intent to Apply for a Discovery Grant. Now I am writing up my Discovery Grant but I want to change the title of my application and the budget. Can I do that or do I have to stick with the Notice of Intent information?
The notice of Intent is only used to get a rough idea of how much funding is going to be asked for, how many applicants are planning on applying, how may applicants for each committee and to give the program staff a heads-up on preparing expert reviewers for the forthcoming application round. This means you are free to change the title or budget amounts, or the focus of your research; in fact everything on your NOI can be different.
Is my research area or discipline suitable for a Social Sciences & Humanities Research grant?
Read through the SSHRC web page Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency.
Can I re-allocate a portion of the student salaries budget to travel or supplies?
- For NSERC Discovery Grants, yes. A grantee may deviate from his/her proposed research activities. Funds for salaries may be reallocated to supplies or travel as long as all expenses relate directly to the project for which the funds were awarded.
- All other grants have different rules, so it is important to check the program description on the website to verify rules pertaining to use of funds. If you aren’t sure, please contact NSERC directly or the Research Services Manager.