Susan Bennett

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PREPARING THE BUDGETfor a Standard Research Grant
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• By
• Susan Bennett
• SSHRC Mentoring Coordinator

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How much is a Standard Research Grant?
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• An award of up to 250,000 over a 3-year period
  (no more than 100,000 in any one year) to
  support and foster excellence in social sciences
  and humanities research
• Average grant last year 83,712
• Average award varies by Committee (data for last
  year available on website http//www.sshrc.ca,
• under Winning Research follow Program
  Statistics link)

Bennett/University of Calgary (
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Sample committee averages
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• Committee 2 History, history of science,
  technology and medicine--average award 48,496
• Committee 5 Linguistics, applied linguistics and
  translation--106,970
• Committee 9 Geography, urban planning and
  environmental studies--92,103
• Committee 18 English (medieval to Victorian),
  French, German, Slavic--67,692
• Committee 24 Political science--75,527

Bennett/University of Calgary
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Research your Committee

• A committees average award good ballpark
• What would justify higher than average award?
• Scope of project
• More than usual needs
• Size of team

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What the application requires
The budget is constructed by line items on the
Budget pages AND elaborated in the Budget
Justification section Both are equally important
and must work together
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Budget Overview
What can I spend money on?
SSHRC says direct costs of the conduct and
communication of research,including students'
and research assistants' salaries and stipends,
prepublication costs for the production of a
scholarly edition, secretarial and clerical
services, travel and subsistence, technical
consultation, research equipment and supplies,
and dissemination of findings
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Budget Overview (2)

• All costs organized under five categories
• Personnel
• Professional and technical services and contracts
• Communication of results
• Equipment and supplies
• Travel and related subsistence costs

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Personnel

• Research personnel and support staff Your grant
  can be used to pay the salaries and related
  federal, provincial and institutional
  non-discretionary benefits, for work performed by
  research personnel, support staff and other
  personnel (i.e., administrative personnel, summer
  students, research associates and technicians).
• Institutional non-discretionary benefits normally
  include long- and short-term disability
  insurance, life insurance, pension, medical,
  vision and dental care and maternity leave.

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Personnel (2)

• Hourly rate--varies according to discipline and
  to nature of the work. There is no U of C
  standard rate.
• Consult in your home department--best resource is
  the departmental administrator who handles
  financial matters.
• VERY IMPORTANT Remember benefits!
• Rule of thumb is hourly rate 22

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Personnel (3)

• Students can be paid an hourly rate for work or
  given SSHRC student stipends
• Masters students up to 12,000/year
• Doctoral students up to 15,000/year
• Postdoctoral fellows up to 31,000/year (not
  usually awarded in Standard Research Grants)
• Cannot hold SSHRC doctoral or postdoctoral
  fellowship AND SSHRC stipend (can have teaching
  assistantship or other research money)

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Personnel (4)

• Employees must be Canadian, landed immigrant, or
  hold Canadian work visa
• Foreign research assistants may be employed if
  (1) if you are researching abroad and (2) if they
  are essential to the work
• You can pay research subjects modest incentives
  for participation where ethically acceptable

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Professional Technical Services

• All computer services for which researchers must
  pay a user fee are eligible expenses. University
  computer services are expected to offer grant
  holders most-favored-user rates.
• Safety waste disposal.
• Cost of subcontracts.
• Costs involved in providing personnel with
  training and/or development in novel techniques
  required for the conduct of the research project.

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Professional Technical Services (2)

• Consultants
• Grant recipients are expected to have the full
  qualifications and experience necessary to carry
  out research programs/projects for which they are
  funded, or to obtain the help of fellow scholars
  as part of reciprocal scholarly collaboration.
  Consulting fees may be charged against the grant
  only if the application proposal demonstrates
  that expert advice is needed to resolve highly
  technical problems.

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Communication of Results

• Circulation of findings through traditional
  media, as well as on video, CD-ROM, etc.
• Travel to scholarly meetings
• Translation
• Holding a workshop whose activities relate
  directly to the research funded. (The cost of
  meals for workshop participants may be charged to
  the grant, but alcoholic beverages may not.)

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Communication of Results (2)

• Preparing a manuscript for publication (e.g.,
  layout and preparation and/or purchase of
  illustrations, figures, maps, drawings and
  photographs)
• For research activities leading to the
  publication of a scholarly edition travel and
  subsistence of the editorial board
• Preparation of primary data to make them
  accessible to other researchers

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Communication of Results (3)

• Costs of sending copies of data, reports or
  publications to the community where the research
  was conducted (in Canada or abroad)
• Development of Web-based information, including
  Web maintenance fees.

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Equipment Supplies

• Computer hardware and software You may purchase
  or rent computers and associated hardware and
  software, if you do not have access to such items
  through the institution.
• Other non-disposable equipment You may purchase
  or rent equipment, such as microfilm readers,
  tape recorders, cameras, video equipment, field
  vehicles, laboratory accessories and equipment,
  if you do not have access to such items through
  the institution.

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Equipment Supplies (2)

• Other supplies You may claim the following items
  only if they are directly related to the
  research disposable supplies (such as
  stationery), postage, telephone calls, cards,
  tapes, books, documentation, microfilm and
  duplicated material.
• Safety related expenses for field work, such as
  protective gear, immunizations, etc.
• Monthly charges for the use of the Internet from
  your office or home.

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Travel Related Costs

• Travel costs must be based on standard rates or
  policies in effect at your institution.
• includes
• Airfare (lowest possible, never more than full
  fare economy)
• Car (only if essential to research)
• Subsistence (only when accommodation is also
  charged, not more than 125 days in a year)

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Travel Costs (2)

• University of Calgary subsistence policy
• Within Canada Breakfast 10, Lunch 12, Dinner
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• (45/day)
• Outside Canada Breakfast 14, Lunch 17, Dinner
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• (63/day)
• Itemized receipts for meal expenses in excess of
  daily allowance can be submitted--reimbursement
  of any form of alcoholic beverage not permitted
  under SSHRC regulations

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Travel Costs (3)

• Travel for research activities or communication
  of results
• Includes travel costs for collaborators
  (Canadian/foreign) only if the visit is for
  research planning, exchange of information or for
  the communication of research results
• Includes travel costs for student assistants if
  essential to the research

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Travel Costs (4)

• A member of the research team who is a nursing
  mother or single custodial parent can claim child
  care or babysitting expenses while travelling.
  The allowable cost for a single parent is limited
  to overnight child care costs incurred while
  travelling.

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Ineligible Costs

• Research by the applicant or co-applicant leading
  to a degree.
• Education-related costs, such as thesis defence,
  publication, tuition and course fees, etc.
• Research costs of research collaborators. (Note
  some travel costs may be eligible as explained)
• Any research expenses related to work being
  carried out by the researcher under contract to a
  public or private agency or firm for their own
  purposes, with the exception of work commissioned
  by a non-government publisher.

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Ineligible Costs (2)

• Activities that have no significant research
  component (e.g., conducting a public opinion poll
  which does not include analysis likely to produce
  new knowledge, reviewing literature, preparing
  research proposals, summarizing the findings of
  other researchers, etc.).
• Fees for consultation with colleagues or for
  their participation in the research.
• Contingency allowances.
• Indirect costs (e.g., medical insurance) or
  administrative overhead.

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Ineligible Costs (3)

• Purchase or rental of standard office equipment
• Child-care expenses (Exceptions noted above)
• Cost of memberships in professional associations.
• Professional training or development, including
  computer and language training.
• Preparation of teaching materials.
• Curriculum development (e.g., preparing course
  material or syllabus designed for a program of
  teachingunless it is of demonstrated theoretical
  importance or part of a research program or
  project).

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Ineligible Costs (4)

• Entertainment costs.
• Hospitality costs.
• The purchase of land.
• Administrative (or management) charges and fees.
• Passports and immigration fees.
• Standard monthly connection or rental costs of
  telephones.
• Voice mail, cellular phone rental or purchase.
• Library acquisitions, computer and other
  information services provided to all members of a
  institution.
• Any part of the salary, or consulting fee, of an
  individual whose status would make them eligible
  to apply for a grant.

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Ineligible Costs (5)

• During sabbatical and leave periods
• --Transportation costs of research personnel to
  and from your sabbatical or leave location for
  supervisory or academic purposes.
• --Transportation costs to the home institution
  for supervisory purposes during sabbatical leave.
• --Living expenses during sabbatical leave.

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Ineligible Expenses (6)

• The five slides do not cover everything listed on
  SSHRCs website, where they add
• This list is not exhaustive. If you are in doubt
  about the eligibility of a particular expense,
  contact your research grant officer or your
  university business office for clarification. If
  the university is not sure about the eligibility
  of an expense, your research grant officer will
  contact SSHRC for further clarification.

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SSHRCs advice
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• SSHRCs advice
• Reasonable and fully justified budget
• Check the list of eligible and ineligible
  expenses
• Explain role of students
• Link between research objectives and budget
  (cross-reference to project description as well
  as tie-in between budget and budget justification)

Bennett/University of Calgary (May 2009)
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Budget Checklist
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• Do you need to travel? Why?
• Be precise. Which conferences and to what
  purpose? Dont ask to go to the same conference
  every year
• Computer hardware/software and other
  equipment--be reasonable. No luxury items! No
  top-end laptop if you only word process. Does
  your university have a license for the software
  you need?

Bennett/University of Calgary (May 2009)
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Budget Checklist (2)

• Tailor use of students to project--writing a book
  doesnt require 6 PhDs as RAs. Roles and
  responsibilities according to level of student
  (undergraduate, masters, doctoral)
• Use the internet to research estimated costs
  (flights, hotels, computers, etc.)--committee
  members know how much things cost.
• MAKE SURE EVERYTHING ADDS UP!

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Budget Checklist (3)
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• Justify, justify, justify EVERY ITEM
• Committees looking to make cuts
• Logical for stage of program
• field research early on (year one?)
• only disseminate when you have some results
• fewer budget needs in final years
• use of students

Bennett/University of Calgary (May 2009)
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Budget justification
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• Use all the provided space!
• Dont leave doubts
• If you ask for for something, explain why it is
  essential item and provide appropriate breakdown
  of costs
• Dont whine or complain
• Emphasize the outcomes

Bennett/University of Calgary (May 2009)
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Further Information
Budget information/regulations can be found
at http//www.sshrc.ca Follow the link to
Using Your Funds and from there click on the
link to Grant Holders Guide
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Contact Information
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• SSHRC Program Officers--see list
• http//www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/background/standard_
  officers_e.asp
• Research Services
• Lori Foster (foster_at_ucalgary.ca) 220-3785
• Gabrielle Clark (gmclark_at_ucalgary.ca) 220-5647
• Mentoring Coordinator
• Susan Bennett (sbennett_at_ucalgary.ca) 220-6450
  after July 1

Bennett/University of Calgary (May 2009)