GRANTS

Characteristics of a Grant:

  • No direct or indirect remuneration to the principal investigator or co-investigators
  • Research objectives are defined by the principal investigator
  • Intellectual property ownership remains solely with Memorial and its researchers
  • No limitations on publication of Memorial’s intellectual property
  • No specific transfer of results, or any right to use unpublished research results provided to the sponsor

Applying for Research Grants

Research Initiatives & Services (RIS) provides support to researchers applying to numerous funding programs and multiple agencies and organizations.

The following is a list of services offered in support of research grants through RIS:

  • Liaison with Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) and other research funding organizations; related accountability and regulatory requirements.
  • Grant applications and agreements: institutional compliance review to ensure adherence to both university and agency policies.
  • Institutional signature for applications, and grant-related agreements, for both applicants and co-applicants on externally led applications.
  • Authorization of the establishment of research accounts and associated grant-related matters through Financial and Administrative Services.
  • Institutional application development and submission to Tri-Agency in support of internally adjudicated grant funding programs.
  • Administering internal grant competitions.
  • Workshops and faculty/staff orientations.
  • Information services, e.g. Research Funding Opportunities Database.
  • Developing new research initiatives in consultation with the Office of the Vice-President (Research).

Funding Transfer Agreements

Internal Grants

Memorial offers a number of internal grants to researchers.

SSHRC Travel Grants Competitions:

  • Paper Presentation at Scholarly Conferences
    The fund provides assistance for eligible persons (see competition guidelines for details), in disciplines supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), who are presenting the results of their research at scholarly conferences in Canada or elsewhere.
  • Travel Grants for International Representation
    The fund provides assistance for eligible persons (see competition guidelines for details), in disciplines supported by SSHRC, to attend business meetings of international scholarly organizations in which they hold office.

SSHRC/Vice-President’s Research Grants Competition:

The fund provides assistance to a maximum of $7,000.00 towards short-term (normally 12-18 months) research projects undertaken by faculty members in disciplines supported by SSHRC.

The committee welcomes applications for partial support of projects for which a more comprehensive application is simultaneously made to SSHRC or some other external agency.

Requests from new faculty are encouraged, although requests from established faculty researchers for funding to initiate new avenues of research will be considered.

Artistic/Creative Research Grants Program:

Although open to all members of faculty, this program will be of interest primarily to applicants from such areas as the School of Fine Arts, the School of Music, and from the Theatre/Drama Specialization of the Department of English, and would cover projects that would not qualify for funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It is intended that in so far as is possible, these grants will be used to initiate projects which will be ongoing beyond the period of the initial grant through funding gained from extramural agencies.

Publications Subvention Program:

This program provides financial assistance to scholarly publishing from within the university community. While all forms of scholarly publication are eligible for support, priority will be given to original book-length manuscripts of merit. Book chapters and journal articles will be considered where funds permit.

Polar Knowledge Canada’s Northern Scientific Training Program:

This program provides supplementary funding to help graduate students or senior undergraduate students obtain practical fieldwork experience in the North. Projects in human, health, physical and life sciences to be carried out in northern Canada or the Arctic countries are eligible. This program is sponsored by the Polar Knowledge Canada.

Seed, Bridge and Multidisciplinary Fund:

The funds used for this competition draw from the larger Seed, Bridge, Multidisciplinary Fund. This is a suite of awards premised on funding research that is otherwise difficult to acquire funding for under traditional funding bodies and Tri-Agency funding programs. Each of these awards: 1. Seed, 2. Bridge, and 3. Multidisciplinary draw from the larger fund, but are distinct, separately adjudicated categories with different goals and terms of reference.

Seed is composed of three categories of eligibility: Type 1) which is for unfunded applicants, Type 2) which is intended for topics that are new, innovative, or emerging in research, and Types 3) which is intended for relationship building for community-based research.

Bridge is intended to assist researchers who have encountered an unexpected funding gap that require funds to retain key personnel.

Multidisciplinary is an award for those undertaking multidisciplinary research and growing multidisciplinary partnerships that’s unique nature makes funding difficult to acquire.

Each of these awards is capped at $10,000 with a maximum term of two years, with no extensions permitted. These awards are geared towards providing internal stimulation for excellent research that is difficult to fund so that leverage may be acquired to secure additional funding and advance both innovative research projects and researcher portfolios.

STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS:

University Summer Student Internship Program (USSIP)

Each year, through the University Summer Student Internship Program (USSIP), 10 summer internships will be awarded through a competitive application process with the expectation that the funds will be used to stimulate research intensity through student engagement. Competitive awards will be based on: Academic excellence of student applicant; quality of proposed summer research project; and quality of the supervisor’s recommendation.

https://research-tools.mun.ca/funding/opportunities/university-student-summer-internship-program-ussip-2/

Memorial University NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA):

NSERC USRA are meant to nurture students’ interest and fully develop their potential for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage students to undertake graduate studies in these fields. If students would like to gain research work experience that complements their studies in an academic setting, these awards can provide financial support through the host university.

https://research-tools.mun.ca/funding/opportunities/memorial-university-nserc-undergraduate-student-research-award-usra-program-2/

Science Undergraduate Research Award (SURA):

Science students at Memorial University unsuccessful in their application for NSERC USRA funding to do research within the Faculty of Science are candidates for the Science Undergraduate Research Award (SURA) funding. The selected SURA students receive approximately $6,650. The duration of the SURA work period is 16 weeks and must take place in the spring/summer semester. Students receiving USRA funding, including those who are wait-listed for USRA and ultimately are chosen for USRA funding, are not eligible for SURA funding.

https://www.mun.ca/science/students/sura.php

Other Internal Opportunities

There are multiple, additional internal opportunities administered by the Coordinator of Institutional Awards and Honours.  Details on these opportunities can be found at:  https://www.mun.ca/research/awards/.

To view all available funding opportunities, please visit the following link: (http://www.mun.ca/research/funding/opportunities/).

External Grants

Research at Memorial University is often funded by external sources, including federal funding agencies, provincial and federal government, business and non-profit organizations. Specific funding opportunities can be found at the following link https://research-tools.mun.ca/funding/opportunities/.

Principal sources of grant funding include:

  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
    NSERC is a federal research funding agency that aims to make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency supports university students in their advanced studies, promotes and supports discovery research and fosters innovation by encouraging Canadian companies to participate and invest in post-secondary research projects. NSERC researchers are on the vanguard of science, building on Canada’s long tradition of scientific excellence. Learn more about NSERC.
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
    SSHRC is a federal research funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences.SSHRC-supported research enhances our understanding of modern social, cultural, technological, environmental, economic and wellness issues. It raises profound questions about who we are as human beings, what we need in order to thrive in complex and challenging times, and where we are headed in the new millennium. By focusing on developing talent, generating insights and forging connections across campuses and communities, SSHRC strategically supports world-leading initiatives that reflect a commitment to ensuring a better future for Canada and the world. Learn more about SSHRC.
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
    CIHR is the federal government’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada. CIHR was created to transform health research in Canada by  funding more research on targeted priority areas;  building research capacity in under-developed areas such as population health and health services research;  training the next generation of health researchers; and  focusing on knowledge translation, so that the results of research are transformed into policies, practices, procedures, products and services. Learn more about CIHR.
  • *Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
    The CFI funds leading-edge research projects that build the nation’s capacity to innovate, compete and prosper in a knowledge-based global economy. CFI is a federal agency that focuses on state-of-the-art infrastructure, including equipment, laboratories, databases, specimens, scientific collections, computer hardware and software, communications linkages and buildings necessary to conduct leading-edge research. Learn more about CFI.
  • Canada Research Chairs (CRC)
    The Canada Research Chairs program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. It is a Government of Canada program to establish 2,000 research professorships—Canada Research Chairs—in eligible degree-granting institutions across the country. The Canada Research Chairs program invests $300 million per year to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada’s international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers’ work. Learn more about the CRC program.