The Research Support Fund (RSF) is an annual grant awarded to the University of Lethbridge to support the indirect costs of research. These funds are crucial for maintaining the university's research enterprise.
The Government of Canada Introduced the Research Support Fund as part of its strategy to position Canada as one of the world's top countries in research and development. It reinforces the federal governments research investment by helping institutions cover a portion of the indirect costs associated with managing the research funded by its three granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC), collectively known as the Tri-Agency.
Indirect costs are defined as any expenditure that cannot be traced to a specific research project but is a cost incurred by the University to provide the resources and infrastructure required to allow a research project to proceed. Indirect costs can include, but are not limited to:
- Provision of space
- Administration
- Maintenance of buildings
- Utilities
- Accounting
- Payroll
- Human resources and information technology services
- Grants and contract administration
- Provision for equipment replacement
Research Security
The Government of Canada introduced Research Security funding in Budget 2022 to further support the activities related to the indirect costs of research security and to support the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships. The goal is to "help build capacity within postsecondary institutions to identify, assess and mitigate the potential risks to research security."
Current Allocation
RSF grants are allocated annually based on a 3-year rolling average of the University's Tri-Agency revenue. A complete list of eligible expenses is available on the program website. uLethbridge's allocation for the 2023/24 fiscal year is $2,403,524, which includes $48,988 for research security.