In 2020/21, UBC received a total of $759,097,528.51 in research funding from all sources, supporting a total of 10,116 projects.
Important note for 2020/21: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it difficult to determine meaningful comparative funding trends. While some regular funding competitions were delayed or otherwise impacted, other new COVID-19 funding competitions and significant funding supports were provided. We are aware that all disciplines and funding sectors were impacted differently, and that the longer-term impact of the pandemic on funding patterns will not be fully realized for a number of years.
Overall totals were significantly impacted by government and Tri-Agency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund was responsible for $54.4m of the 2020/21 total, while Tri-Agency COVID-19 supplements for existing projects accounted for a further $17.0m.
UBC researchers also attracted an estimated $38.1m in funding through new opportunities offered by various sponsors for COVID-19 research. (These projects were identified based on project title or funding competition references to COVID-19 or related terms.)
Support for UBC research is broadly summarized in the following tables.
Funding by Faculty
| Faculty | Total Value | Project Count |
| Applied Science | $73,172,050 | 1,268 |
| Arts | $34,642,290 | 959 |
| Dentistry | $4,445,422 | 51 |
| Education | $6,965,930 | 259 |
| Forestry | $12,734,875 | 299 |
| Land and Food Systems | $10,098,908 | 206 |
| Medicine | $406,194,765 | 4,062 |
| Peter A. Allard School of Law | $1,725,834 | 81 |
| Pharmaceutical Sciences | $10,457,831 | 139 |
| Sauder School of Business | $6,088,409 | 149 |
| Science | $127,954,405 | 1,434 |
| Other* | $27,472,449 | 42 |
| UBC Vancouver Subtotal | $721,953,167 | 8,949 |
| UBCO School of Engineering | $16,695,169 | 470 |
| UBCO Creative and Critical Studies | $579,963 | 42 |
| UBCO Education | $330,372 | 11 |
| UBCO Health & Social Development | $6,769,306 | 190 |
| UBCO Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | $2,528,911 | 130 |
| UBCO Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science | $7,713,959 | 246 |
| UBCO Management | $1,099,052 | 62 |
| Other** | $1,427,630 | 16 |
| UBC Okanagan Subtotal | $37,144,362 | 1,167 |
| UBC Total | $759,097,529 | 10,116 |
*Other includes UBCV Graduate Studies, President's Office, VP Academic ( Academic and Admin Units), VP Research & Innovation
**Other includes UBCO VP Academic (Academic Units) and Graduate Studies
Funding by Federal Funding Agency
Canada's Tri-Agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) provide grants to support the direct costs of research. Grants are awarded through peer-reviewed competitions.
| Tri-Agency | Total value | Grant Count | % of subtotal value |
| Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) | $149,155,370 | 1,208 | 55.25% |
| Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) | $91,965,662 | 1,352 | 34.06% |
| Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) | $24,924,548 | 624 | 9.23% |
| New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) | $3,937,029 | 50 | 1.46% |
| Subtotal | $269,982,609 | 3,234 | 100% |
Infrastructure Funding by Agency (CFI/BCKDF)
Infrastructure funding supports buildings, facilities and large equipment used for research. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) typically funds 40% of an approved infrastructure project, which is often matched by the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). The University is responsible for funding the remaining 20%. Funding from each source for individual projects does not flow evenly in each year.
| Agency | Total value | Grant Count | % of subtotal value |
| Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) | $25,414,519 | 229 | 54.16% |
| BC Knowledge Development Fund | $10,486,498 | 38 | 22.35% |
| CFI Matching | $11,020,049 | 188 | 23.49% |
| Subtotal | $46,921,066 | 455 | 100% |
Funding by Economic Sector
| Sector | Total value | Project Count | % of total value |
| Government (Tri-Agencies) | $269,982,609 | 3,234 | 35.57% |
| Government (Other agencies) | $259,089,657 | 2,529 | 34.13% |
| Non-profit | $167,825,211 | 3,000 | 22.11% |
| Industry | $62,200,051 | 1,353 | 8.19% |
| Total | $759,097,529 | 10,116 | 100% |
Funding by Award Type
| Award Type | Total value | Project Count | % of total value |
| Grant | $557,913,418 | 6,637 | 73.50% |
| Contract | $112,782,548 | 1,261 | 14.86% |
| Clinical Trial | $37,917,748 | 783 | 5.00% |
| Internal Funding* | $50,483,815 | 1,435 | 6.65% |
| Total | $759,097,529 | 10,116 | 100% |
*Following implementation of Workday, internal funding (inlcuding start-up funds) is now a distinct category. In previous years it was captured primarily within the grant category.
Funding by UBC-affiliated Institute
| Institute | Total value | Project Count | % of total value |
| UBC | $435,006,279 | 6,624 | 57.31% |
| Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute | $113,003,376 | 1,231 | 14.89% |
| BC Cancer | $71,530,984 | 643 | 9.42% |
| BC Children's Hospital (includes Research Institute) | $64,128,426 | 909 | 8.45% |
| Providence Health Care Research Institute | $60,796,663 | 539 | 8.01% |
| BC Centre for Disease Control | $7,628,441 | 67 | 1.00% |
| BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Institute | $1,249,396 | 19 | 0.16% |
| Interior Health | $225,249 | 7 | 0.03% |
| BC Women’s Hospital (includes Research Institute) | $5,528,714 | 77 | 0.73% |
| Total | $759,097,529 | 10,116 | 100% |
Funding by International Research
All figures are stated in CAD.
| Category | Total value | Project Count | % of subtotal value |
| Foreign Companies | $10,576,280 | 119 | 14.74% |
| Foreign Foundations & Nonprofit | $3,528,080 | 61 | 4.92% |
| Foreign Government | $1,015,295 | 23 | 1.42% |
| Foreign Granting Agencies | $784,036 | 21 | 1.09% |
| US Companies | $18,835,550 | 309 | 26.26% |
| US Foundations & Nonprofit | $14,204,501 | 179 | 19.80% |
| US Government | $8,326,112 | 52 | 11.61% |
| US Granting Agencies | $14,421,677 | 115 | 20.10% |
| US Industrial Associations | $46,261 | 2 | 0.06% |
| Subtotal | $71,737,793 | 881 | 100% |