Award Guidelines
Version 4.3- Updated February 2025
Introduction
With a mission to power discovery together, ResearchNB funds leading edge research, promotes research excellence, and connects the dots across the agriculture, forestry, oceans, health, and energy sectors to build a well-funded and impactful research ecosystem.
ResearchNB’s grant framework is based on 4 funding pillars: Talent, Infrastructure, Ideas and Strategic Research Investments. All funding programs follow funding policies and procedures to ensure compliance with our funding principles as stated below.
Guiding Principles:
Alignment: Prioritize fundamental, applied and clinical research that aligns with the priority sectors as defined by the Province of New Brunswick by investing in talent, infrastructure, ideas, and supporting strategic research investments.
Scientific Merit: Award research projects that have been successful in a rigorous review process and that demonstrates high scientific excellence.
Evaluation and Accountability: Implement regular evaluations to revise and adjust the funding programs and allocations based on changing needs, technological advances, and lessons learned from funded projects.
Equity and Transparency: Aim for an equitable distribution of funds among sectors, and institutions through a robust, inclusive and transparent evaluation framework. Funding will support research projects and teams that are located in the province of New Brunswick and aim to directly benefit the citizens of New Brunswick to ensure alignment with local priorities and impact.
Engagement and Knowledge Sharing: Promote research capabilities within New Brunswick and mobilize research findings in priority sectors to ensure public access to knowledge and engagement with policy and decision makers.
Collaboration: Encourage projects that bring together different fields to solve complex problems through a multidisciplinary approach and facilitate collaboration across institutions on a provincial, regional and national level.
The ResearchNB Award Guidelines cover all funding programs administered by ResearchNB, outlining rules of engagement, eligibility criteria and financial administration of the awards.
Wherever possible, ResearchNB abides by the rules and regulations of the Tri-Agencies of Canada, specifically the most current version of the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide. Our provincial focus, our research mandate and the nature of our funding sources necessitates some differences from the Tri-Agencies’, as outlined in this document.
Note that the following sources take precedence over these Award Guidelines:
- The Award Administration Agreement signed between ResearchNB and your research institution
- Program and funding opportunity descriptions as published HERE;
- Any relevant separate agreements with grant recipients and/or administering institutions.
In the event of any exceptions not covered within these Guidelines, ResearchNB retains the right to make all final decisions in the administration of its research funding programs.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
ResearchNB allows applications from either a single principal investigator (PI), or from a joint team comprising the PI and one or more co-applicants. The PI will be used as the point of communication with ResearchNB regarding administration of the grant. If the PI and the co-applicant(s) are not employed by the same institution, the funding will be disbursed to the PI’s institution.
The PI must be employed at an institution listed in Appendix B in a role as described below or have signed an offer of employment for one of these positions:
- Universities: A full-time tenured or tenure-track, faculty member. Faculty on non-permanent contracts are eligible if their contract lasts at least until the project end date. Adjunct professors are permitted only if their primary place of employment is in NB, and their term as adjunct must last until at least the project end date. Adjunct professors outside of the university sector can apply for funding only for the direct support of students.
- Colleges: A full-time individual in a role whose primary purpose is conducting research is eligible. Full-time teaching staff with either a permanent position or a contract position lasting until at least the research project end date are also eligible. The position must permit the individual to engage in research activities that are not under the direction of another individual.
- Research Institutes: A full-time individual in a role whose primary purpose is conducting research. The position must be either permanent or a contract position lasting until at least the project end date.
- Health Authorities: Clinician researchers employed full-time at one of the two regional health authorities are eligible.
In all of the cases listed above, part-time employees are eligible to apply, but should demonstrate in their application that they have sufficient time and resources to carry out the proposed work either by a letter from the Dean or other administrator capable of making such decisions.
Co-applicants are understood to be participating in a grant application, making significant contributions to the intellectual direction of the research or research-related activity, playing a significant role in the conduct of the research or research-related activity, and having some responsibility for financial aspects of the research, or receiving funding directly from a ResearchNB funding program.
Where collaborators are participating in a grant application, making a significant contribution to the intellectual direction of the research or research-related activity, and playing a significant role in the conduct of the research or research-related activity, but not benefiting directly from ResearchNB funding.
Co-applicants must be employed at an institution listed in Appendix B (if they are to benefit directly from ResearchNB funding) and collaborators can be based anywhere. In addition to the employment types listed above for PIs, the co-applicant can also be:
- Universities: A postdoc or a research professional role (non-faculty). The position must be full time and expected to last at least until the project end date.
- Colleges/Research Institutes: A full-time role expected to last until at least the project end date. The primary purpose of the role does not need to be conducting research.
ResearchNB recognises that projects may involve multiple collaborators in addition to the named PI and co-applicants.
Applicants must be in good standing with ResearchNB, including having filed any outstanding status reports and having paid or returned any money owing to ResearchNB. A failure to complete mandatory status reporting on previous ResearchNB awards may result in an automatic rejection of a new funding application to ResearchNB.
All applications that involve research involving humans, research involving the use of animals, and/or research involving biohazards, must be approved by the institutional bodies designated with verifying the ethical conduct of research before funding can be disbursed.
Knowledge Users
Non-academic partners (e.g., not for profit organisations, private sector companies and patients) may be included as collaborators on research projects. There is no restriction as to the location of these partners; they may be anywhere in the world. Please see below for information related to research security. Not-for-profit organisations must be registered entities such as charities and foundations, and private sector companies must be legally incorporated entities.
Leveraging
ResearchNB is accountable to the Government of New Brunswick for ensuring that research funding invested by the province supports additional investments from other sources. As a result, many of our funding programs have a leverage requirement.
In determining whether an applicant has achieved the required leverage ratio, please use the following rules:
Allowable Leverage:
- A source of financing can be leveraged against ResearchNB funding only if it directly contributes to the work described in the funding application.
- Funding from the federal government, industry partners, non-profit partners, international agencies, or others may be included in the leverage calculations.
- In-kind contributions from any source, may be counted for up to 50% of the required leverage ratio.
Non- Allowable Leverage:
- Applicants cannot claim funding that has already been spent within the leverage ratio, or funding that has already been used as leverage in a previous successful ResearchNB funding application.
- Funding from the Government of New Brunswick cannot be included in the leverage calculations.
- Applicants cannot claim funding received from other ResearchNB (or legacy awards from NBHRF or NBIF) programs as part of the leverage ratio.
Refer to the funding program descriptions on our website for specific cases or discuss eligible leveraging with a ResearchNB Program Manager.
Provincial Funding
ResearchNB cannot leverage funding provided by GNB or agencies wholly supported by GNB. Please reach out to researchservices@researchnb.ca if you have questions about specific cases. However, ResearchNB can support projects receiving provincial funding by leveraging other eligible partners’ contributions. Also, please note that funds from a previous ResearchNB grant (or those awarded by either legacy organization, i.e. NBHRF or NBIF) cannot be used to leverage another ResearchNB grant.
Federal Funding
Federal sources of funding (e.g. Tri-Agencies, CFI, Mitacs) can be leveraged, including cash paid by a partner that already unlocked the federal funding sources, e.g. an industry partner cash contribution. Do note, ResearchNB cannot be named as the industry partner on a Mitacs grant.
Private Sector Partners
Cash and in-kind contributions from private sector partners can be leveraged. If cash is leveraged, the full amount of what is leveraged must have been paid directly to the institution to support the project described in the ResearchNB application. If the cash has not yet been transferred from industry or academic institutional partners to the institution, a letter of support from the industry partner describing their intention to do so should be included. No letter of support is needed for cash paid by the industry to 3rd parties which already unlocked other funding sources, e.g. an industry partner cash contribution to a Mitacs grant. Industry partner cash contributions leveraged in another ResearchNB grant (or legacy organization grant) cannot be leveraged again.
Other and Foreign Sources
In-kind Contributions
Cash contributions from other sources, e.g. from international grants, not-for-profit agencies, academic institutional partners, etc., can be leveraged as long as their direct applicability to the project described in the application is shown. If the cash has not yet been transferred from other sources to the institution, a letter of support from the partner describing their intention to do so should be included. The value of foreign contributions (cash and in-kind) matched by ResearchNB will be determined in Canadian dollars at the time of application for the duration of the grant and will not be adjusted by ResearchNB to reflect fluctuations in the currency exchange rate.
In-kind contributions can be counted as a source of leverage and may count for up to 50% of the total leveraged funding unless otherwise specified in the program description. All valuations of in-kind contribution must be based on fair value, and justification of the amounts claimed must be available if requested.
A non-exhaustive list of valid in-kind contributions includes:
- Material donated by an industrial partner
- Analysis services provided by an external academic collaborator
- Time spent on the project by collaborators in the public or private sector
- Course release provided by the institution
- Vendor discounts (e.g., on equipment, on bulk purchases, etc.)
The following may not be claimed as an in-kind contribution:
- Salary of the principal investigator or co-applicant
- Costs for use of the applicant’s normal lab space/facilities at the institution (e.g. rent, provision of utilities like heat and water)
- Equipment (unless on loan from or donated by a partner)
- Contributions from the institution that are administrative in nature and occur over the normal progression and development of a research program
The value of a course release should be calculated based on actual cost to the institution. The nature of all in-kind sources must be described in the application and acceptance of the contribution as a valid source of leverage rests at the discretion of ResearchNB. In-kind contributions from industry partners should be described in detail in the ResearchNB application and letter of support from the partner, showing how the value of the contribution was determined and how it contributes directly to the project described in the application.
Expenses
Employment and Compensation Rules
The Tri-Agencies’ directives on reimbursement of employment and compensation expenses apply to ResearchNB grants. In general, ResearchNB funding cannot be used to pay compensation to grant recipients or individuals who conduct research independently (excluding those recipients of the Clinical Fellowship) as part of the terms and conditions of their employment, including but not limited to researchers in academia, colleges, and research institutes.
Moreover, ResearchNB funding cannot be used to cover costs associated with the termination of grant-paid employees.
Overhead & Indirect Expenses
Funding from ResearchNB cannot be used to pay for overhead or indirect expenses at the research institution.
Retroactive Expenses
ResearchNB will not disburse funding for project costs already incurred prior to the date of application. The date of the application is taken as the date at which the electronic application is submitted to ResearchNB or, failing this, the date at which ResearchNB confirms receipt of the application. ResearchNB will not assume any responsibility for costs incurred for a research proposal that is not ultimately approved for funding. Other sources of funding claimed as leverage cannot have been already spent at the time of application.
Exceptionally, for applications using CFI funding as leveraging, expenses can be backdated to the date established by CFI as the start date for expense eligibility. This date should be communicated to ResearchNB for clarity.
Extensions
All ResearchNB awards are intended to be used within a specified timeframe, as stated in the notice of decision (NOD), otherwise approval by a ResearchNB program manager is required. Extensions will be considered on request, generally a six-month extension is possible. A written request must be submitted to ResearchNB via the ResearchNB application portal’s “Extension Request” form at least 30 days before the stated end date. The “Extension Request” form is automatically available when a new status report is triggered. This trigger occurs 8 weeks before the report is due.
An extension request can be submitted outside of the status reporting cycle by request to the ResearchNB Program Manager listed on the funding opportunity, or to researchservices@researchnb.ca. As indicated in the “Extension Request” form, all requests must explain the rationale for the extension and provide a date by which the research activities will be completed. If no extension request form is available in the portal, please reach out to ResearchNB at researchservices@researchnb.ca.
An exception is made to the maximum extension in the case of a grantee who takes an extended leave of absence (e.g., for maternity, parental, medical, personal, or family leave) during the award period. In this circumstance, an extension of any award for up to two years may be requested. Alternatively, grantees may choose for their projects to continue uninterrupted while they are on leave by appointing a delegate for communication purposes while they are away, if desired (in this circumstance, please contact researchservices@researchnb.ca). These funds cannot be transferred or used for another purpose without the prior written approval of ResearchNB.
Funding Transfers
The PI and their institution may request to transfer a portion of their award to a collaborator inside or outside New Brunswick to carry out part of the work described in the application. These requests must be submitted to ResearchNB within 30 days of the host institution receiving notice from the PI of the transfer.
Transfers to institutions who do not have a physical location in the Province of New Brunswick must be approved by ResearchNB in advance. No more than 49% of the award value may be transferred unless the collaborator is located at another ResearchNB-eligible institution (see Appendix B). In this case, up to 100% of the award value may be transferred. If an amount is transferred, we recommend that institutions follow the requirements on transfers laid out in the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide.
Once the end date for a grant is reached, any remaining unspent funds (greater than $100) must be returned to ResearchNB.
In the event that a grantee leaves their original institution for another place of employment that is not a ResearchNB-eligible institution, unused funding cannot be transferred to the new place of employment and must be returned to ResearchNB. Institutions can request that the funding be re-assigned to another faculty member at that same institution to conduct a different project, but this decision is at the discretion of ResearchNB. Equipment purchased using ResearchNB funding is owned by the institution that received the ResearchNB grant used to purchase it.
Travel
ResearchNB funding can be used to pay for travel expenses only where these are critical to complete the proposed project, unless otherwise indicated in the program description. The cost of travel to scientific events related to the project such as attendance at workshops, industry engagement sessions and other events with active involvement of a variety of stakeholders can be included. Travel directly related to the research is considered an eligible expense, e.g., for data collection, sampling, field work, and collaborator meetings.
Consulting Fees
Consulting fees or technical advice requiring a considerable time commitment are an eligible expense but require justification as to the nature of the service provided and how it is critical to the research project. These fees can comprise a maximum of 20% of the amount requested to ResearchNB. However, fees where the applicant or members of the research team act as consultants are not eligible expenses.
Approvals
The following outlines the internal approval authorities at ResearchNB for approving applications, as well as extensions and transfers:
- Research Program Managers can approve all project extension requests and can approve changes in use of grant funds vs. application details.
- The COO, or the CEO can approve exceptions that fall outside of the norms established in this Award Administration Policy.
For grant approvals, the COO may approve awards valued up to $79,999. Awards valued higher than $80,000 must be approved by the following bodies, in successive order:
- The CEO must approve awards valued between $80,000 and $199,999, and
- The ResearchNB Board must approve awards above $200,000
At ResearchNB’s discretion, a higher level of approval may be used in place of the minimums listed above.
Disbursement of Funding
ResearchNB disburses funding to the administering institution on behalf of the grant recipient when all conditions detailed in the NOD have been met. ResearchNB funding can only be disbursed to eligible research institutions. A list of the approved institutes is shown in Appendix B.
Intellectual Property
ResearchNB takes no position on ownership of IP and expects institutions and PIs to determine how intellectual property will be managed before commencing a project. If you require IP protection as a part of your research project, please check with ResearchNB program managers about specific fund guidelines related to these expenses.
Research Security
Given recent policies from the Tri-agencies (Tri-agency guidance on the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy) and the Tri-agency guidance on the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP), ResearchNB echoes the guidance provided by the Tri-agencies with respect to the sensitive technology research areas and concerns about work happening with Named Research Organizations.
If a project receiving funding from ResearchNB is flagged for a national security assessment by a Tri-Agency funder through the Risk Assessment Review Process or by the host institution of the awardee, ResearchNB requires notification from the PI’s research institution within 30 days. This requirement can be met by attaching the submitted Risk Assessment Form & Risk Mitigation Plan to the application (via the ResearchNB portal) or by contacting the Program Manager to discuss the situation and the risk mitigation plan.
Portal Application Management
Application Process
ResearchNB uses an online application portal to receive, review, award and conduct status and financial reporting for all applications. This tool, commonly referred to as ‘the portal’ is a SurveyMonkey Apply product found here and it is the only means to submit an application for research funding to ResearchNB.
The application process involves a number of steps, listed at a high level below:
- Applicant registers, logs in and completes their application;
- Their institutional research administration office/signatory endorses the applications;
- It is reviewed by ResearchNB pursuant to its Funding Review Policy;
- A decision to award funds or not is made and communicated via the portal and a NOD attached to an automated email is sent;
- If the applicant was successful, they sign the NOD, along with the institutional representative and upload it back into the portal;
- A ResearchNB program manager reviews the file and if all elements are in order, they request disbursement of funds to the institution and the application begins status reporting which varies in length based on the funding program.
ResearchNB reserves the right to delete or archive incomplete, unsubmitted, declined and completed (meaning those having met all status reporting requirements) applications created within the ResearchNB online portal. Applications which contain no substantive content may be deleted after results are announced for a given funding round, or, for continuously open competitions, at the end of the fiscal year (March 31). Applications which are partially complete but were never submitted will be archived. Applications that were completed, but declined by ResearchNB will be archived as well as those which have met all status reporting requirements. An applicant may request (via researchservies@researchnb.ca) to have any archived application processed within the last 5 calendar years returned to them from the archive if they wish to review or consult it.
Duplicate Profiles
ResearchNB makes an effort to amalgamate duplicate profiles in the ResearchNB online portal when there are live applications under more than one profile. ResearchNB reserves the right to remove inactive profiles without live applications after the profile has been inactive for one calendar year.
Status Reporting
A final status report and a financial report is required at the completion of a grant. Depending on duration of award, annual status reports may also be requested. The final status report must be completed within 3 months of the award end date, both dates are indicated in the ResearchNB NOD. Dates at which reports are due will be specified in the NOD, though additional reporting may be requested by ResearchNB at any time. This additional reporting will only be requested if there is pressing external demand on ResearchNB (e.g., extra information is requested by the government). If a report outside the normal requirements is requested by ResearchNB, ResearchNB will give ample time for the completion of this request.
A failure to complete mandatory status reporting on previous ResearchNB awards (also including legacy awards from both NBIF and NBHRF) may result in an automatic rejection of a new funding application to ResearchNB.
If the grantee leaves the institution during the course of an award without submitting mandatory reports for the project, the institution’s appropriate administration office assumes responsibility for filing the reports.
Public Communications
Applicants should be advised that certain elements of their successful applications will possibly be used in public facing communications to highlight the awards made by ResearchNB. The elements include: PI name, institution, project title, funding program, award value and plain language summary as inputted in the application form.
In the interests of jointly promoting research and innovation, ResearchNB is to be provided the opportunity to review any public communications prior release, by contacting either a ResearchNB program manager or emailing researchservices@researchnb.ca. There is also a page and form on the website that can be used to begin communication about promotion.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Press release
- Media appearance (Television, radio, etc.)
- Podcasts
Equipment purchased with contributions from ResearchNB should display the ResearchNB equipment logo in a prominent place on the equipment.
Grant funding recipients should include the ResearchNB logo or an acknowledgement message in any presentation, poster, publication, public statement, or media coverage about the funding and how it will be leveraged. The suggested acknowledgement message below, or similar phrasing, may be used:
- We are grateful for the support and funding we have received from ResearchNB.
- Thank you to ResearchNB for their support of our research project.
- Funding for research is vital, and we are grateful for the support we have received from ResearchNB.
ResearchNB’s logo and additional guidance about acknowledging ResearchNB may be found on our website at ResearchNB Brand Guidelines – Coming Soon!
Appendix A: Programs Administered Under These Guidelines
| Program Name | |
| 1 | Academic Start-up Fund |
| 2 | Clinical Fellowships |
| 3 | Student Support Fund |
| 4 | Summer Student Support Fund |
| 5 | Research Professional Fund |
| 6 | CFI-JELF Matching Fund |
| 7 | Equipment and Infrastructure Support Fund |
| 8 | Priority Sectors Development Fund |
| 9 | Research Program Bridge Fund |
Appendix B: Eligible Research Institutions for the Programs Administered Under These Guidelines
| Name of Institution | Type |
| Atlantic Cancer Research Institute | Research Institute |
| Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (all campuses and CCNB-INNOV network) | College |
| Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick | University |
| Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick | University |
| Huntsman Marine Science Centre | Research Institute |
| Mount Allison University | University |
| Northern Hardwoods Research Institute | Research Institute |
| New Brunswick Community College (all campuses) | College |
| St. Thomas University | University |
| Université de Moncton (all campuses) | University |
| University of New Brunswick (all campuses) | University |
| Valorès | Research Institute |
| Vitalité Health Network | Regional Health Authority |
| Horizon Health Network | Regional Health Authority |