ORIS is accepting applications for Stage 3 funding from CRCEF to support research maintenance and ramp up costs incurred due to COVID-19. Applications are due November 17, 2020.
Funding in Stage 3 supports direct costs of research that have been incurred to:
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maintain essential research-related commitments during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
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support ramping-up to full research activities as physical distancing measures are eased and research activities can resume.
The University of Lethbridge's notional allocation for Stage 3 is $296,699.
More information on the CRCEF program can be found by visiting the program webpage.
Eligible Expenses
- They are unanticipated additional costs that would not have been incurred in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot be funded by existing sources of funds
- They are direct costs associated with maintenance and ramp-up of research activities
- They are costs borne by research projects
Extraordinary incremental costs are defined as unanticipated additional costs that would not normally have been incurred in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot be funded by existing sources of funds.
The University must report on the use of the Stage 3 funds by November 16, 2020 or risk losing its allocation. In order to ensure reporting validation for the external deadline, ORIS requests that all eligible expenses be processed by November 10. Where this is not possible, please advise ORIS at time of application.
Maintenance costs
Costs incurred within the eligible period and associated with maintaining essential research-related activities during the pandemic that are exceptional and incremental to those already covered by existing sources of funds, funded at up to 75%. This includes:
- animal and specimen care through the crisis period;
- maintenance of equipment, software, cohorts, datasets, including warranties, licenses and service contracts;
- technological equipment for remote access to maintain assets; and
- safety equipment for personnel dedicated to maintenance.
Ramp-up costs
Costs incurred within the eligible period and associated with full ramp-up of research activities, as physical distancing measures are eased and research activities can resume. Only costs that are exceptional and incremental to those already covered by existing sources of funds will be supported, at up to 75% of expenses. Eligible expenses include those incurred at the project level and associated with:
- re-organizing the research environment and activities;
- additional costs to bring the research back to its pre-pandemic level, including experiments or related to the restart of collections and datasets (e.g., population-based, environmental);
- user fees charged by shared platforms to researchers to restart research activities (e.g., animal- care facilities, digital labs);
- re-scheduling and restarting human and clinical trials;
- exceptional costs to access special facilities, shared platforms and resources, knowledge transfer meetings and workshops;
- restarting, reassembling and safety checks of equipment and facilities;
- reacquiring lost and donated laboratory and field supplies and equipment, reagents, perishable materials, laboratory animal and other living specimens; and
- personal protective equipment and related items for research personnel.
NOTE: Salaries of research personnel
Research personnel salaries incurred between August 30, 2020 and November 15, 2020 can be eligible for partial reimbursement up to 75% provided that they meet the Stage 3 eligibility criteria.
If you have any questions on the eligiblilty of an expense, please contact Penny Pickles (pickpj@uleth.ca) prior to application.
How to apply
Faculty members that have incurred eligible Stage 3 expenses are invited to submit an application. Please note the application deadline has changed from October 30, 2020 to November 17, 2020.
Application Adjudication
Applications will be reviwed by an internal adjudication committee. Funding decisions will be announced in mid-November.
FAQs
Please consult the CRCEF program guidelines for a full list of FAQs.
No. CRCEF only supports costs associated with maintenance and ramp-up of research activities.
The costs of research personnel can be eligible for partial reimbursement at up to 75% in Stage 3 for the period of August 30, 2020, to November 15, 2020, provided that the costs meet the Stage 3 eligible expenses criteria
All sources of funding are eligible (including government, assocations and foundations, industry, and internal sources).
The portion of the salaries that can be claimed are the portions of the salaries that have been incurred by a research project for research maintenance or ramp-up activities. For example:
- coordinating lab member schedules and reorganizing lab space to ensure social distancing.
- remaking or reording any reagents that might have expired during the research restrictions.
- performing equipment re-start and re-calibration on equipment that was shut down during research restrictions.
- restarting research experiments/projects once research restrictions were eased.
Yes, all eligible expenses can be claimed regardless of their funding source. Internal and external funding sources are eligible.
They can be eligible if they meet the Stage 3 eligible expenses criteria.
Yes, as long as the expenses claimed are not covered by other broad-based federal COVID-19 measures (e.g., the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy), by COVID-19 research support from the federal research funding agencies or by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
As a general indication:
- Tri-agency projects that have been extended in time only are eligible to Stage 3.
- Tri-agency projects that have been extended with funding for salary support (support announced on April 22, 2020) are eligible to Stage 3, but a same salary cannot be supported by the two measures for a same period.
They can be eligible if they meet the Stage 3 eligible expenses criteria.
Lost costs are not eligible, but replacement costs are, as long as they are paid from a specific research project. For example, if samples spoiled during the pandemic and had to be replaced, then the replacement costs would be eligible, but not the costs incurred for the original spoiled samples.
Animal per diems for research maintenance and animal purchase costs to ramp-up the population are eligible, provided they are paid from a specific research project.
It depends. IT equipment purchased to enable general research activities (e.g. writing papers, drafting grant applications, maintaining contact with your research group) are not eligible expenses. However, if IT equipment or services were specifically purchased to maintain or re-start a direct research activity (e.g. continue data acquisition) then this would be eligible.
Internet connection, land line, cell phone connection, and equipment for working remotely are only eligible expenses if they otherwise meet the CRCEF Stage 3 eligibility criteria, i.e. they must have been necessary to maintain or re-start a direct research activity (e.g. continue data acquisition).