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Research Facilitation

Grant Funding

Proposal preparation is key to a successful grant application. Research Facilitators in the Office of Research Services can provide guidance on funding programs, strategic advice, budget development support, review applications, draft letters of support, manage institutional approvals, and assist with awards and project roll out. We provide support for all research grant opportunities, and our main focus is the Tri-Agency federal research funding agencies.

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Find Funding Opportunities

As you develop a compelling research project that you and your research team are well-positioned to undertake you will be seeking the right funding opportunities to support your activities.   

  • Subscribe to the Research email list for upcoming funding opportunities 
  • See External Funding and Internal Funding
  • Consult with a Research Facilitator to discuss how your research might fit with funding opportunities
  • Many academic disciplines have other ways to stay informed about funding including professional associations, research networking platforms, monitoring government agency websites or subscribing to their mailing lists, or foundation grants

Research Facilitators: 

  • Advise on alignment with funding programs and eligibility criteria 
  • Support collaboration development 
  • Broadcast funding opportunities via the Research email list. Subscribe Now
  • Provide workshops and communication to increase awareness of opportunities and deadlines

Write Proposal

Start as early as possible to develop a competitive application.

  • Solicit advice and reviews from others (like colleagues, your Associate Dean (Research), Research Facilitator)
  • Forward drafts of any sections at early stages to a Research Facilitator
  • Write to a general reviewer, a broad, informed audience who may not be intimately aware of your specific subject area, avoiding jargon, acronyms and inaccessible language
  • Align project with the funding opportunity objectives
  • Closely follow instructions including section headings, criteria, and formatting requirements

Research Facilitators

  • Provide examples of successful applications, where available
  • Review and provide feedback on sections of draft proposals, as they are available
  • Provide tools and templates
  • Budget development, including assistance identifying project needs
  • Deliver workshops, such as the Tri-Agency Cohort Program

Submit Proposal

All grant applications require departmental, faculty, and institutional approvals. Plan to meet the internal deadlines.

Research Facilitators

  • Review all applications to ensure funder guidelines and U of R policies are met
  • Draft letters of support and obtain institutional signature
  • Manage institutional approvals

Manage Funding

Congratulations on your grant!  In addition to managing the research activities, you will need to carefully manage your funding.

  • Reviewing financial reporting (prepared by Financial Services)
  • Ensuring expenses are eligible
  • Managing project budget
  • Requesting necessary transfer of funds or project amendments

Research Facilitators

  • Notify researchers, senior leadership, and communication of results, where the sponsor hasn’t provided results directly to applicants
  • Advise researchers on funding terms and conditions
  • Ensure compliance and research security requirements are met
  • Request new fund set up (FOAPAL) and release of funds
  • Manage transfer of funds to co-applicants, such as sub-grants
  • Advise of other administrative requirements, such as working with Contracts staff to review and negotiate contracts and agreements

Close Project

When the research project is complete and your account balance is at $0 

  • Review final financial reporting (prepared by Financial Services) 
  • Submit narrative reports required by the funder 
  • Connect with Research Communications to highlight your results

Research Facilitators 

  • Request extensions or other project amendments 
  • Provide guidance on reporting 

Internal Deadlines for Grant Applications

All grant applications must receive Departmental and Faculty approval and be reviewed by a Research Facilitator for institutional approval prior to submission.  Some grant applications include a specific signature page that is submitted with the application. Others require electronic approval by a Research Facilitator.  Some do not require specific institutional approvals to be submitted. Regardless of what the funding agency requires, institutional approval is required for all applications for funding.

Applicants should obtain departmental and faculty approval by submitting a Funded Research Approval Form (Pdf) with their proposal and budget. A penultimate draft is acceptable if the proposal is being refined. Please check with your Faculty for their deadlines and turnaround times.

Contact a Research Facilitator early in the process. They can review drafts of any sections at early stages and provide feedback.  Last-minute applications may not receive the attention or quick turnaround expected, as proper review, institutional signatures and electronic submissions take time.

Funding Calendar

ORS Calendar

Calendar of Canada’s research funding agency opportunities. Includes CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, NFRF and CFI

Service Levels

Timeline – prior to funder deadline

Request for internal peer review.

Six weeks

Submit draft for internal peer review.

One month

Submit draft sections for iterative review including full content review, copy editing, and discussion of comments.

One month

Submit draft for review of full application and CCV for high-level feedback.

Two weeks

Confirm application is complete and review institutional commitments.

48 hours

NOTE:  Most major competitions have an internal deadline of two weeks (or more) in advance of the funder’s deadline.