General Research Fund

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• General Research Fund
• Bonnie Albrecht, Assistant Director Agreements,
  
• Research Services Office
• Annette Kujda, Administrative Professional
  Officer
• Office of Vice-President (Research)
• May 29th, 2008
• RAD

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• Researcher

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• Purpose
• Unencumbered funding for research-related
  activities
• Funds provided are not targeted for a specific
  project
• Funds are used for general support of research
  program
• Set-up of GRF is approved by Department Chair and
  Faculty Dean

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• General Research Fund (GRF) for Individual
  Researchers
• Full-time continuing academic staff, one per
  staff member
• Other academic staff authorized by Dean/Chair
  PS Projects will generally be held by Dean/Chair
• Automatically set-up when researcher receives a
  research project with indirect costs
• Can be requested if revenue received that meets
  criteria for depositing to GRF
• On-going activity, end date in financial system,
  March 31, 2022
• Must maintain a positive balance,
  over-expenditures are not allowed and result in
  inactivation of PS Project

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• Sources of Funding
• Researchers portion of indirect costs assessed
  to his research projects current policy 20
  of total indirect costs collected
• Unspent funds from his/her completed research
  projects
• No obligation to return to Sponsor
• If exceeds 20 of amount awarded or 20,000,
  researcher will need to justify the surplus,
  PI/Dean/Chair/RSO and Sponsor consultation
  required
• Certain types of billing revenue
• Researchers provide incidental tests or service
• Capital Health (CH)
• Researchers hold their accounts for clinical
  trials at CH, but due to their affiliation with
  UA, incur some expenditures in carrying out the
  work at UA
• Residual funds from Clinical Trials held at CH
  that researcher wants to transfer to UA
• Other types of unencumbered revenue

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• Depositing Responsibility/Award Allocation
• Researchers Portion of Indirect Costs
• Research Services Office
• Unspent Research Funds from Completed Projects
• Research Services Office
• Billing Revenue
• Department/Faculty processes internal and
  external billing in accordance with University
  policies and procedures
• Unencumbered Funding
• Up to and including 5,000.00 department
  responsible for depositing of cheques
• Over 5,000.00 must be authorized by RSO,
  deposited through Research Receivables

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• Certifications (human, animal, biohazards)
• Researcher responsible for ensuring that
  approvals are in place prior to using any of the
  GRF funds for research activities requiring
  certifications
• Researcher will be required to sign an annual
  declaration that appropriate certifications
  and/or approvals were in place for any research
  activities funded from the GRF

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• Indirect Costs
• 15 on all external revenue (no exceptions)
• Capital Health exempt indirect costs have
  generally been recovered in the clinical trial
  account held at CH

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• Eligible Expenditures
• Research-related expenditures at discretion of
  project holder
• Ineligible expenditures from Sponsor research
  projects may be transferred here as long as they
  meet University policies and procedures
• Expenditures incurred at UA for clinical trial
  and research agreements where main account is
  held at CH
• Indirect costs of research (e.g. administrative
  staff, space, communications, equipment
  maintenance, etc.)
• Reimbursement of expenses for meetings,
  workshops, etc.
• Reimbursement of business entertaining/hosting
  costs

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• Non- Eligible Expenditures
• All staff/internal expenses are ineligible
  expenditures from the GRF unless the GRF holder
  submits an expense claim and receives
  one-over-one approval from the Chair/Dean

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• Other Notes
• If researcher leaves UA
• GRF will be used to cover any over-expenditures
  existing in other projects held by researcher
• Funds were secured with the efforts of the
  affiliation with UA, balance of funds stay with
  Department to promote further research
• Special circumstances researcher may apply to
  the Chair to transfer a portion of the balance
  for research-related purposes, must be approved
  in writing by University
• If researcher retires and does not hold status of
  professor emeritus, the Chair will designate
  where the funds are to be allocated and the GRF
  may be closed

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• Link to General Research Project Terms of
  Reference
• http//www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/rso/general.cfm

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• Institutional

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• NSERC GRF
• Residual Funds from NSERC grants that have been
  completed and approval received from NSERC to
  retain unspent funds
• Funds lapsed to project held by the
  Vice-President (Research)
• Discretionary funds
• Funds used for broad purposes of enhancing the
  quality of research and training in the natural
  sciences and engineering fields
• i.e. start-up grants to new professors, bridge
  funding for professors between applications,
  conference travel, assisting students in
  transition between Ph.D. and Post-doctoral Fellow
  positions, top-up for existing NSERC grant, etc.
• Funds never utilized to continue research of
  original grant

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• SSHRC GRF
• Residual Funds from SSHRC grants that have been
  completed and approval received from SSHRC to
  retain unspent funds
• Funds lapsed to project held by the
  Vice-President (Research)
• Discretionary funds
• Funds used for broad purposes of enhancing the
  quality of research and training in the social
  sciences, humanities and fine arts disciplines
• i.e. start-up grants to new professors, bridge
  funding for professors between applications,
  conference travel, assisting students in
  transition between Ph.D. and Post-doctoral Fellow
  positions, top-up for existing SSHRC grant, etc.
• Funds never utilized to continue research of
  original grant

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• Applying to the Vice-President (Research) for GRF
  lapsed funds
• Researcher submits application/proposal
• Scope of work
• Budget
• Timelines
• Approval of Chair/Dean
• Certification approvals, if applicable

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• Application can be submitted electronically to
  Katharine Moore, Senior Administrative Officer,
  Vice-President (Research) katharine.moore_at_ualberta
  .ca
• Proposals are reviewed by the Vice-President
  (Research)
• Partner funds from Department/Faculty are
  expected
• Decisions are communicated via e-mail to the
  researcher, with a copy to the Chair and/or Dean

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• If successful,
• Researcher must complete a Request for New
  Research Project form http//www.rso.ualberta.ca
  //pdfs/NewProjectRequest.pdf NOTE Office of
  Vice-President (Research) completes Source of
  Funds section of form
• Once signatures obtained, form is sent to Annette
  Kujda, Administrative Officer, Vice-President
  (Research), 3-7 University Hall who will complete
  and approve form, attach proposal, budget and
  approval notification and forward to RSO for
  processing
• an externally-restricted PS Project will be
  set-up by RSO

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• Applications/proposals that do not meet the
  criteria for GRF funds may be funded from other
  sources

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