Research Facility Support Grants

Research Facility Support Grants (RFSG) provide funding to extend the useful life of shared research equipment at UBC through support for their operation, replacement of parts, repair or upgrade.

• RFSGs provide up to $50,000 for a term of one year to improve the capabilities of shared research equipment, or to provide one-time bridge funding to support staff in shared research facilities. Researchers located on the UBC Vancouver campus and affiliated hospital sites are eligible to apply.

Eligibility 

Researchers located on the UBC Vancouver campus and affiliated hospital sites are eligible to apply. The lead applicant must be a UBC Faculty member who currently holds NSERC, CIHR, and/or SSHRC research funding, and may only submit one application per RFSG competition. Shared research platforms that already receive support from VPRI are ineligible to receive funds from this competition.

Applicants may apply in one of two categories: 1) shared facility, as part of a research facility delivering services to a wide range of users OR 2) shared equipment, as part of a group of three or more researchers sharing equipment. Information is provided below to help applicants choose the most suitable category in which to apply:

1. SHARED Facility

A shared facility must meet criteria #1, #2, and #3; and one or more of criteria #4, #5 or #6 for the purpose of this competition.

1. The facility offers services or access to instruments, to a range of users that extends beyond the usual collaborators of the faculty member directing the facility and across various disciplines.
2. The facility must not currently have significant institutional support from UBC or have more than 20% left in its Infrastructure Operating Funds.
3. The facility has its own worktag(s) in Workday, separate from a research worktag.
4. The facility has a publicly-available fee structure published online and can provide past records to show that most users are invoiced using this fee structure.
5. The facility has dedicated space outside of a faculty member’s own laboratory.
6. The facility has staff solely dedicated to providing service to users or maintaining the facility.

2. Shared equipment 

Applications in this category are for shared equipment that is not part of a facility as described above, and must be used by three (3) or more principal investigators (PIs), with at least one currently holding NSERC, CIHR, and/or SSHRC research funding.

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include:

• Materials, supplies, replacement of broken parts, repairs and minor upgrades essential to extend the useful life of shared equipment.
• Bridge funding for salaries of technical and professional research support staff in a shared facility (as described above) employed to operate and maintain equipment, and provide assistance to users. The need and justification for any bridge funding should be clearly described, including the nature and timing of currently held and potential future funding.
  Note: bridge funding is available only to shared facilities, and shall only be granted to a facility once within its lifetime.

Ineligible expenses include:

• Service contracts
• Purchase of new scientific instruments
• Furniture or other office equipment

AWARD DETAILS

Total funding available for this competition is $750,000. Successful applicants will be notified by November 30, 2023, and funds will be distributed shortly thereafter. Awards must be spent by November 30, 2024. Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief online report through  UBC Research + Innovation Apply confirming use of funds and impact of the award by February 1, 2025.   

online Application PROCESS

To apply to the RFSG competition, the lead applicant must log in to VPRI’s online application system UBC Research + Innovation Apply using their campus wide login (CWL), and follow the instructions provided. Once the application has been initiated, the lead applicant may invite co-applicants with a CWL to contribute using the “add collaborator” button located in the left side block. Applications can be saved and completed at a later date before final submission, and can be downloaded as a PDF at any time. Each section must be marked as complete before the lead applicant can submit the application. Applications must be submitted by the end of the day, October 23, 2023.

Application components:

• Applicants/ Facility information
• Need for Funding (700 words max)
  
  • Shared Facilities must identify sources of revenues, and acknowledge in-kind or cash support from UBC
  • Shared Equipment may include letters of confirmation of departmental/ faculty in-kind and/ or cash support (optional unless request is above $50,000; up to 3 letters max)
• Use of facility or equipment, and its impact on research at UBC (500 words max)
• Research Excellence (500 words max)
• Two-page biosketch CVs for primary applicant and two co-applicants (for shared equipment stream ONLY)
• Training Opportunities (300 words max)
• Contribution to EDI (300 words max)
• Contribution to Sustainability (300 words max)
• Budget information with required vendor quotes
  • Note: Budget should have clear line items that correspond to and match line items in the quotes. Failure to provide suitable quotes may result in the application being withdrawn
• Signed RPIF

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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Specific assessment criteria and their weighting for the RFSG are:

1. Demonstrated need for funding of the facility or shared equipment to support UBC research programs (30%)
2. Evidence of use of the facility by, and its impact on the UBC research community, OR use and impact of the shared equipment on the research progress of a group of principal investigators (20%)
3. Evidence of research excellence within the past 5 years related to the use of the equipment for which this funding is being requested (20%)
4. Evidence of high-quality training directly related to the shared equipment for which this funding is being requested (10%)
5. EDI and ECR considerations are addressed (10%)
6. The request is aligned with sustainability principles (10%)

Questions should be directed to the Manager, Internal Research Competitions, Dr. Stacey Herzer.

TIMELINE

Sept 12, 2023: Competition launch

October 23, 2023, 11:59 pm PT: Applications due

November 30, 2023: Notification of results

November 30, 2024: All funds must be spent

February 1, 2025: Final report due

FAQS