Federal Research Support Fund

The amount of UBC’s RSF grant is calculated using an algorithm based on the amount of funding awarded in the previous fiscal year by Federal granting agencies. According to this calculation, in 2017/18 UBC's allocation will be $30,169,683. The expected allocation across the expenditure areas is as follows.

A portion of this allocation is retained to support central research administration units and core facilities, and the rest of the allocation is distributed to UBC faculties and affiliated research institutes where eligible costs are incurred.

The amount of UBC’s RSF grant is calculated using an algorithm based on the amount of funding awarded in the previous fiscal year by Federal granting agencies. Using this calculation, in 2016/17 UBC received a grant of $30,999,045. The expected expenditure across the five categories is shown in the chart. 

Research Facilities $4,731,000.00
Research Resources $12,823,045.00
Management and Administration $10,830,000.00
Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation $2,153,000.00
Intellectual Property $462,000.00

A portion of this allocation is retained to support central research administration units and core facilities, and the rest of the allocation is distributed to UBC faculties and affiliated research institutes where eligible costs are incurred.

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Carey Hall and Carey Theological College

Centre for Health Services and Policy Research

Fraser Health Authority

Institute of Health Promotion Research

Interior Health Authority

Kinsmen Lab of Neurological Research

Providence Health Care

 - Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences

 - Providence Health Research Institute

     - Holy Family Hospital

     - Mount St. Joseph Hospital

     - St. Vincent’s Hospital

 - St. Paul’s Hospital

     - BC Centre of Excellence for HIV/AIDS

  - Canadian HIV Trials Network

Provincial Health Services Authority

 - BC Cancer Agency

     - BC Cancer Research Center

     - Terry Fox Laboratory

 - BC Centre for Disease Control

 - BC Centre for Excellence for Women’s Health

 - BC Mental Health Society

 - BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI)

 - BC Provincial Renal Agency

 - BC Transplant Society

 - Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of BC

     - Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children

- Child and Family Research Institute

- Women’s Health Research Institute

 - Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission

     - Forensic Psychiatric Unit

Regent College

St. Andrew’s Hall

St. Mark’s College

TRIUMF

UBC Okanagan

Vancouver School of Theology

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

 - Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute

     -  Community Health Facilities in Powell River, the Sunshine Coast and along the coastal corridor

     -  Lions Gate Hospital

      - Richmond Hospital

     - Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre

     - Arthritis Research Centre of Canada

     - GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre

     - Mary Pack Arthritis Centre

     - UBC Hospital

     - Vancouver General Hospital

     -  Jack Bell Research Centre

     -  Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation [C2E2]

     -  Centre for Hip Health and Mobility [CHHM]

     -  Centre for Respiratory, Cardiac and Critical Care Medicine

      - Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

       - Immunity and Infection Research Centre

       - International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries [ICORD]

       - Vancouver Prostate Centre

FACILITIES

RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND ACCREDITATION

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

FACILITIES

Reported Outcome: Target Met

The Preclinical Discovery Centre is scheduled for completion in 2017.  This leading-edge facility is based at an academic health centre site, and is intended to replace an existing but out-of-date rodent-holding facility.  With animals expected to occupy the facility this year, the capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of our animal care and use program will be significantly enhanced, particularly given its location at a teaching hospital. 

The Research Support Fund also enabled the physical integration of the Advanced Research Computing team.  This team had previously been distributed across UBC, and their now being co-located has immediately enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of the high-performance computing and advanced research computing consulting services the team offers the UBC research enterprise.

RESOURCES

Reported Outcome: Target Met

The Advanced Research Computing team has completed over 100 consultations, 38 data-research infrastructure presentations to internal and external stakeholders, 18 training sessions to over 450 attendees, and has over 150 participants registered for a high-performance computing Summer School.  The University Data Centre has expanded, and new users are engaging with the Advanced Research Computing unit each month. 

The University Library has implemented the first automated storage and retrieval system in Canada, and has a capacity of over 1,000,000 volumes. 

The Research Metrics portal, a central, curated resource for senior administration, grant facilitators and others, now has almost 400 registered users.  The number of users has been steadily increasing on a year-over-year basis.  The portal presents data on research funding awarded to UBC, and is a resource for operational and strategic decision makers. 

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

Improvements in the RISe system have focused on reducing turnaround time in the application and development cycle. Turnaround time in application processing has been improved through deployment of an onsite signatory at BC Children’s Hospital Institute. Further efficiencies will be realized in a new RISe workflow that enables paperless approval. Other improvements continue to be made that improve the efficiency of the entire review cycle.  For example, a newly implemented pre-review feature allows certain types of deficiencies in applications to be addressed before the application is sent to the ACC or REB for review.  The RSF will enable additional improvements to the RISe system in FY17/18. Business analysis is ongoing to assess and prioritize additional system efficiencies.

The University-Industry Liaison Office implemented an automated industry-friendly NDA web-portal.  This resource allows UILO staff to focus on more complex agreements, while reducing the number of negotiated non-disclosure agreements by 40%.  

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND ACCREDITATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

In FY17, 820 students were trained in the animal care and use program, compared with 748 in FY16.  With the benefit of the Research Support Fund, the Animal Care & Use Program (ACUP) has been able to improve the efficiency of a system for sharing sensitive policy and other documents.  We are also using this resource as a repository for training materials, and as a communication pathway for users of UBC’s animal care facilities.  The ACUP website has been refreshed to provide a much more engaging, easy-to-navigate and comprehensive resource for people wanting to learn about the Program.  The site now houses guides to help researchers navigate the process from funding and proposal development through to knowledge translation, guidelines on general rodent care and procedures, and information about the University’s training requirements for animal handling and protocol writing.  

Applications to the Animal Care Committee (ACC) are now automated in the University’s RISe system, and we have already seen a decrease in cycle time for applications to the ACC as a result of this change.  

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

During fiscal year 2017 the number of technology disclosures received by the UILO remained steady at 154. A total of 154 patents were filed in FY2017, down from the previous year, but commercialization agreements increased to 122 (encompassing licenses, assignments, term sheets and options). In FY16 the number of spin-off companies based on UBC intellectual property rose to 13 from 8 in FY15, and rose again in FY17 to 15. The RSF helped enable a new automated, industry-friendly NDA web-portal in order to re-allocate staff time on to higher value contracts. As a result, the number of negotiated NDA decreased 40%.  1,326 industry-based research contracts were carried out in 2017, with a combined budget value 11% higher than in FY16.   

FACILITIES

Reported Outcome: Target Met

In 2015, the Centre for Disease Modelling (CDM) underwent a major renovation and reconfiguration.  This facility houses mouse and rat facilities, and was expanded to accommodate animals from another facility on campus that was being decommissioned.  Upgrades to the facility – that will allow a broader range of research activity – included improved vibration and sound control, elimination of airlocks creating safer and more efficient transport of supplies, and improved physical barriers between breeding and other zones within the facility. 

Other more general upgrades included an improved air filtration and HVAC systems, new autoclaving and laundry systems, an expansion of the network to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide which are now available to more procedure rooms within the facility, and installation of additional drains in the cage processing rooms, allowing for more efficient operations and reduced downtime for reusable assets.  Existing assets including a DEXA scanner and gamma irradiator were moved to other parts of the CDM facility to allow greater access and improved efficiency. 

The renovation also saw improvements in staff facilities, including enhancements to locker rooms, office space, and other common areas.

RESOURCES

Reported Outcome: Target Met

In the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the Library saw an increase in the use of all library e-resources since the previous year.  In particular, ebook section downloads increased over 40% from previous year. In 2014-2015, the section downloads were 5,223,874. In 2015-2016, the section downloads increased to 7,308,647, representing an increase of 2,084773 downloads.

Ejournal article downloads increased 11% over the same time period. In 2014-2015, article downloads were 7,115,728. In 2015-2016, the article downloads increased 805,399 for a total of 7,921,127.

In addition, Library holdings (electronic and physical) were increased in several areas. The increases were not as great as compared to previous years as a result of the collections budget situation.

A decision was made to acquire access to the SciVal platform through the Office of Research Services rather than the library.  The UBC Research Metrics portal is managed through the VPRI Office, and was expanded to include data on international partnerships. 

The University is assisting the Library this year (2016-2017) with a lift to the collections budget of $2 million dollars. $300,000 of the $2 million lift will be a permanent addition to the collections budget. With this assistance the Library is able to renew the vast majority of the serial and databases subscriptions this year as well as restart the Library monographic approval plans. Without the assistance this would not have been possible. In fiscal year 2015-2016, the University assisted the library with a one -time $600,000 dollar lift.

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

In FY16 research funding at UBC increased by 13% from $530 million to $599 million compared to the past year. Total number of funded projects also increased by 6% from 8,278 to 8,766.   Numbers of new, peer-reviewed projects, showed a significant increase of 16% from 3,560 to 4,142 over the year. Review and approval time for applications approved by the university remained constant despite the increased volume. Review and processing time from the time of award to issuance of account details decreased by one day from 13 to 12 days. 

Workflows were streamlined in the Researcher Information Services (RISe) system with enhanced modules in research funding reporting as well as a new peer review module. Improvements to the existing Extended Reporting module made self-service reporting for the faculties and departments easier. To leverage improved technology upgrades to the RISe new reporting tools are being evaluated with the goal of enhancing and expanding current reporting capabilities. The new peer review module for animal care was successfully deployed allowing secure and streamlined review of protocols within RISe as well as automated workflow to handle routing of documents through the review processes.

Project management software WorkZone was implemented in the ORS in 2015/16.  This package provides strategic research funding development services designed to develop capacity and build collaborations. Implementing WorkZone is still in process and is being evaluated as it, and other project management systems, are being assessed for suitability to meet the needs of the entire group.

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND ACCREDITATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

The average cycle time from protocol submission to approval is 42 days.  Since the introduction of pre-review and conditional approval, a large percentage of protocols are approved outright. Conditional approval is given when protocols are missing information that does not affect animal welfare.

The animal care training program at UBC was re-engineered to include a significant amount of hands on training and score participants based on their competency and proficiency, as opposed to being evaluated on a simple pass/fail basis.  The training program is made up of online modules including the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) ethics course, and practical components.  The number of participants in this training program has increased yearly:

We believe this enhanced training has resulted in the reduction in the number of any non-compliance issues that has been observed since the revised approach was implemented. 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

Reported Outcome: Target Met

Thirteen spin-off companies were created by UBC faculty, staff and students in 2015/16, 5 more than in 2014/15.  Since 1984, UBC and the UILO have supported the creation of 182 spin-off companies.  This puts UBC in the 92nd percentile among North American universities and the 97th percentile for Canadian universities for start-up activity. The 61 start-ups formed from licensed UBC technology between 2005 and 2015 have together raised greater than $540 million in capital and employ more than 400 people.

The UILO’s Sponsored Research Group leads Canadian universities in contract negotiation, having negotiated 2,523 contracts in 2015/16, accounting for $142.6M in research funding.  The number of contracts negotiated has been increasing by approximately 8% every year over the last decade, while the time to negotiate those contracts is steadily being reduced. 

The e @ UBC program created numerous opportunities for participation in entrepreneurship activity throughout the pathway from idea to funding.  Two sector-specific activity tracks were created – one in the life sciences and one in impact (social / environmental) ventures to reflect specific entrepreneurial potential on campus.  Increased participation was seen in activities across the idea-to-funding process funnel; notable examples include consistent attendance at weekly orientation sessions, and more than 120 attendees at so-called Startup Weekends, which are concentrated, sector-specific opportunities for teams to develop business ideas and hypotheses.  A new lecture series on venture creation topics was very well attended, as was a venture showcase event which exposed high potential ventures to an external business and financial audience.  Other collaborative initiatives engaged stakeholders from key Faculties to develop and promote entrepreneurship at UBC.  

Facilities

UBC’s average building age is approximately 35 years old, and deteriorating laboratories have to be improved to comply with current codes and to meet changing demands in order to attract and retain world-class investigators.

RSF funds at UBC mitigate deferred maintenance, cover operating costs and help provide valuable technical support for our laboratories, helping to provide an optimal lifecycle for our buildings. 

Specific examples of RSF support for facilities include:

• The renovation of the Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre atrium space located at the Vancouver General Hospital campus.  The new space will support advanced cross-disciplinary researchers from the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, OvCare and the Vancouver Prostate Centre. 
• The replacement of vital components for research and communications systems and the renewal of important maintenance contracts
• The occupancy costs of new buildings such as the Centre of Brain Health
• Support of the WestGrid for UBC Information Technology

Resources

RSF funding supported multiple resources at UBC, including the UBC Library.

In the past year UBC Libraries has, through subscriptions, provided online access to:

• More than 1.8 million e-books; usage exceeds 3.9 million annually
• More 331,000 e-journals (tripled since three years ago); usage exceeds 7.6 million article downloads
• More than 2,000 bibliographic and full text databases
• More than 500,000 locally produced digital items

UBC Libraries physical collections include:

• More than 7.4 million items in the collection
• Nearly 877,599 maps, audio, video and graphic materials
• More than 5.3 million microforms

UBC also provided access to Springers' ebooks and ejournals.

Management + Administration

Expenditures pertaining to the management and administration of UBC’s research enterprise represent the largest portion of our RSF grant funding. Without these key personnel the research performance at UBC would be significantly impaired. Examples of RSF funded support include:

• UBC is exploring mechanisms such as shared research systems to increase the efficiency and decrease costs in BC.
• Many of UBC’s faculties and affiliated institutions hire dedicated staff to assist with research and grant facilitation and planning.
• RSF funds also support the planning and promotion of research at UBC

Regulatory Requirements + Accreditation

RSF Funds have supported activities to ensure the health and safety of UBC researchers, and to enable them to pursue world-class research in  facilities found only in premier institutions. Some examples of RSF fund allocation include:

• UBC’s affiliated Research Ethics Boards (REBs) oversee more than 7,000 research studies involving humans annually 
• An internal audit of our processes was conducted for ensuring compliance with US Federal Government enacted regulations pertaining to Financial Conflict of Interest requirements
• RSF funds contributed to UBC’s continuing efforts to assist with provincial harmonization of multi-jurisdictional studies in BC.    
• Continual review and approval to ensure appropriate safe handling, use, and disposal of infectious agents and hazardous materials.
• An effective Occupational Research Health and Safety Program, including an ever-expanding Biosafety Program, Chemical Safety program, and a Radiation Safety program

Intellectual Property

As the first Canadian office of its kind, the UBC University Industry Liaison Office (UILO) exemplifies the pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit of UBC, and the University has become a recognized international leader for its commercialization activities.

Funding from the Research Support Fund has provided critical value-added support for several key positions and activities within the UILO.  Through the salary support of key staff in the UILO office, the Research Support Fund is core to the success of technology transfer operations and has allowed the development and support of successful new initiatives such as the UILO start-up services voucher program, knowledge mobilization initiatives and the Global Access Initiative. 

RSF funding has been used to support patent applications and to provide salary support for multiple positions within the UILO.