Research Common

Those submitting or approving applications for external research grants are encouraged to read the following Red Deer Polytechnic policy: 

Update coming soon.

All applications for external research grants must undergo an administrative review by the Division of Applied Research and receive institutional approval from the applicant's direct supervisor. The requirement for review and approval also applies to external research grant applications where a researcher from Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) acts as a co-investigator, or the equivalent, in cooperation with a lead researcher at another institution.

Note: If the grant competition has a pre-application stage requiring a letter/notice of intent, with or without a letter of support, please contact the Division of Applied Research.

To allow sufficient time for administrative review and approval, the following internal deadlines must be observed:

• Division of Applied Research  review deadline = 5 business days prior to the competition deadline unless otherwise indicated;
• Division of Applied Research submission deadline = 2 business days prior to the competition deadline.

Applications must be sent via e-mail to the Division of Applied Research no later than 4:30 PM on the date of the internal deadline. Submissions to the Division of Applied Research must include:

1. a completed Intent to Apply for External Funding Form; 
2. a complete copy of the grant application;
3. Excel file or other spreadsheet showing the calculations of budget line items (a budget worksheet is available from the Division of Applied Research)

Final submission of the application to the grant competition may or may not fall to the PI depending on the conditions set by the funding sponsor. For the Tri-agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR) and other federal and provincial funding agencies, the responsibility for final submission to the sponsor lies with the Division of Applied Research .

Steps to Submitting an External Research Grant Application
 

1. Identify Funding Opportunity

Identify an opportunity for applied and partnered research. Do you have questions about what those are? Please contact the Division of Applied Research for help. See our External Funding Opportunities page for help with your funding search. Please be sure to note any relevant exceptions to the Division of Applied Research review deadline. Known exceptions will be posted on the External Funding Opportunities page.

2. Notify the Division of Applied Research of Intent to Apply

Notify the Division of Applied Research as early as possible if you intend to apply for funding. Complete the Intent to Apply for External Funding Form. This will ensure that the Division of Applied Research is able to confirm eligibility, review the terms of the grant, and offer support with the development of your application. 

Tri-agency grants may require additional information that the Division of Applied Research will provide at the time of notification of the intent to apply. At this point, the Division of Applied Research may set an earlier administrative review deadline to accommodate the application processes of certain sponsors (e.g., Tri-agencies) or competitions.
 

3. Assemble Application

Grant applications can be complex, with several components that take time and planning to assemble. The participation of one or more partner organizations can increase the amount of time and effort involved. It is vital to start as early as possible and to understand and adhere to the grant description, eligibility requirements, and application instructions (including formatting standards). Even the smallest of details could mean the difference between a favourable and unfavourable funding decision.

You are expected to discuss the project, the funding opportunity, and any necessary RDP resources (e.g., course release, office or lab space) with your direct supervisor. Their authorization is required before the Division of Applied Research will review and approve your grant application.

You will have the option to schedule a check-in meeting with the Research Grant Specialist ahead of the administrative review deadline. This is an opportunity to ask questions, review the draft proposal and budget, and identify potential issues that could result in a missed deadline. Of course, you may contact the Division of Applied Research at any time if you have questions or need help.

RDP Grant Budget Worksheet: Available by request from the Division of Applied Research. Financial Services, in collaboration with the Division of Applied Research, has developed a budget-building aid to assist PIs with grant applications. A special feature of this worksheet is the automatic calculation of salary and benefit rates based on current RDP collective agreements and terms and conditions of employment. The worksheet also provides assistance with calculating the indirect costs of research (overhead), which must be included in the budget if the grant allows. PIs are strongly encouraged to make use of this budgeting tool.

Note: This worksheet does not supersede any budget template that a sponsor may require as part of an application. Rather, the RDP worksheet can be used to construct the budget and then the appropriate amounts transferred to the sponsor template.

• RDP Grant Budget Worksheet Supplemental Instructions

  This file contains screenshots to help users make the most of our RDP Grant Budget Worksheet, which is available upon request from the Division of Applied Research.

4. Submit Application to the Division of Applied Research by the Administrative Review Deadline

E-mail the following items to the Division of Applied Research the complete application assembled as a single PDF, and an Excel file or other spreadsheet showing the calculations of your budget line items (the RDP Grant Budget Worksheet is preferred). These documents must be received by the administrative review deadline — 5 business days prior to the competition deadline unless otherwise indicated. 

The Division of Applied Research, in consultation with Financial Services and other units, will conduct an administrative review of the application to ensure compliance with the grant requirements and RDP policies and procedures. The administrative review will take place within 5 business days and functions to:

• verify that the proposal is complete and complies with the grant requirements and RDP policies and procedures;
• check the budget for eligibility of expenses as defined by RDP and the funding sponsor;
• ensure that indirect costs/overhead complies with funding sponsor and RDP rules; and
• verify that contributions from partner organizations are eligible and the letter(s) of support contain the necessary information.

Note: Division of Applied Research staff will not substantially edit or proofread your application as part of the administrative review.

Applications received after the administrative review deadline are not guaranteed a comprehensive review, except when the PI has obtained prior approval from the Division of Applied Research .

5. Finalize Application and Return to the Division of Applied Research by the Division of Applied Research Submission Deadline

Feedback from the administrative review will be provided to you within 5 business days. There may be requested changes and/or comments to address before the application can receive final approval. The Division of Applied Research will work with you as needed during this time.

Return the final application to the Division of Applied Research by the Division of Applied Research submission deadline — 2 business days prior to the competition deadline unless otherwise indicated. Applications must be received no later than 4:30 PM on the date of this internal deadline.

Failure to observe the Division of Applied Research submission deadline may prevent the application from receiving institutional approval, except when the PI has obtained prior approval from the Applied Research Office.

6. Sponsor Notification of Decision

When you receive notification of the competition outcome, please forward a copy of the Notice of Decision or Notice of Award (including any terms and conditions) to the Division of Applied Research . Please note that the PI is not authorized to sign agreements on behalf of Red Deer Polytechnic. We will also schedule time with you to outline the process of managing your grant.