Internal Research Grant Fund
The Internal Research Grant Fund (IRGF) is the main source of internal research funds available to eligible faculty at Mount Royal University. This program is designed to support faculty in developing their research programs through the funding of:
- Pilot projects
- Projects designed to lead to larger-scale external funding applications
- Projects that are not well-suited to external funding opportunities
Opportunity Deadlines
Fall Application Deadline: noon Monday, October 2nd, 2023
Winter Application Deadline: noon Friday, January 19, 2024
The maximum period for a project is 1 year.
Applications awarded in the Fall IRGF opportunity must be completed by December 31, 2024. Applications awarded in the Winter IRGF opportunity must be completed by March 31, 2025.
Applicants are encouraged to apply to the opportunity that best suits their proposed project timeline.
Applications will be accepted until noon on the submission deadline. Results will be announced 6-8 weeks from the submission deadline.
Program guidelines subject to change between opportunities. Please review for updates prior to application submission.
SSHRC Explore Grants
MRU receives a SSHRC Institutional Grant block grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) that funds SSHRC Explore grants.
The application process for the SSHRC Explore Grants is integrated with the Internal Research Grant Fund (IRGF) application process.
Applications for these awards will be conducted through ROMEO. Applicants with SSHRC eligible activities will automatically be considered for the SSHRC Grants by the Scholarship Review Committee. The top ranked SSHRC eligible IRGF will be awarded SSHRC Explore grants. SSHRC Explore awards are administered identically to existing internal awards, but they are 'branded' as SSHRC awards and will have specific acknowledgement and reporting requirements.
The maximum value of an IRGF Grant or a SSHRC Explore Grant is $7,000 over one year.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants may hold one IRGF (or SSHRC Explore) at a time. Lead applicants can only submit one application per opportunity. Previous IRGF grants must be completed before applicants are eligible to apply again. A grant is completed when all expenses have been incurred and the final research report has been submitted. This applies to the Principal Investigator only. NOTE: grant extensions will impact your eligibility period.
Ineligible applications will be returned without adjudication.
Adjudication Process and Evaluation Criteria
Each application will be assigned three members of the Scholarship Review Committee as Primary reviewers. All proposals will then be discussed by the full committee for final allocation decisions.
The ORSCE will notify applicants of the results of their applications and will provide committee comments to applicants who were not selected for funding.
* If you are concerned about a potential Conflict of Interest with your proposal and a particular committee member, please be sure to explain this in the Conflict of Interest section of your application. The ORSCE will work with your Faculty Dean to explore and mitigate potential conflicts that have been identified to us.*
The SRC Criteria for Internal Research Grant Review
Scoring:
1 - Unsatisfactory
2 - Lacking, requires additional information or clarity
3 - Satisfactory to good: adequate, moderately addressed, some uncertainties of lack of clarity remain
4 - Good to very good: meets expectations
5 - Very good to excellent: very clear, exceeds expectations
Applications must receive a score of 3.0 or higher for each criterion to be recommended for funding
| Criterion Score 1/2/3/4/5 Comments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Literature Review | ||
| Literature review is clear and situates the proposed research. Selected references are current and there is evidence of information/knowledge synthesis. (What do we know and need to know about the proposed area of research, scholarship or community engagement?) | ||
| Problem/Research Question | ||
| Problem and/or research question is clearly articulated. (To what question/problem is this project the answer?) | ||
| Research Program | ||
| Project is situated (placed in the context of) previous and/or future research program of the applicant. (How does this project fit into the scholarship activities of the applicant?) | ||
| Research Contribution | ||
| The applicant describes how the work will contribute to the proposed field of study. (What is the potential significance and originality of the project outcomes?) | ||
| Proposal Understandability | ||
| The proposal is written in a manner that makes the topic understandable to an educated, but non-specialist, audience. (Does the applicant use 'plain language' and avoid the undefined use of jargon and technical terms?) | ||
| Methodology | ||
| The methods to conduct the work are described in enough detail to understand all phases of the project from data collection to analysis. (Is it clear what the applicant intends to do and how it will be done?) | ||
| Research Outcomes Plan | ||
| A plan for communicating research outcomes is clearly presented. (How will the results of the research be shared with the appropriate communities of interest - including knowledge mobilization if appropriate?) | ||
| Student Engagement | ||
| The role/benefit and training of undergraduate researchers is included in the project or an explanation is provided as to why this is not needed or appropriate to conduct the work. (What are the benefits to undergrad students in the project? What is the potential role of undergraduates in the project? If undergraduate students are not included, is the rationale understandable?) | ||
| Budget Justification | ||
| The proposed budget is reasonable. (Are the proposed expenditures appropriate for the activities being conducted?) | ||
Budget FAQ
Examples of typical IRGF expenses are:
- Personnel/student Research Assistant (RA) costs
- Data collection costs (including related travel)
- Conference/dissemination travel (see the note below)
- Small equipment purchases (excluding computers)
- Specialist services not available at Mount Royal University (e.g. translation)
Equipment: Include a reasonable estimate of what the required equipment will cost. Estimates can be determined by contacting suppliers or consulting appropriate websites. Don't forget costs for taxes, shipping, exchange and duty. All equipment purchased through an IRGF award are the property of MRU.
For example: Domestic conference presentation: $1250.
Note:
- Dissemination-based travel can comprise up to 35% of the total budget.
- Software costs where MRU has institutional licenses (SPSS, NVivo, Qualtrics)
- COVID Quarantine related expenses
- Personnel Costs for principal applicant, co-applicants and collaborators
- Teaching Release
- Office Supplies: General office supplies and photocopying are not eligible expenses. Printing that is specifically related to the project (e.g. printing of paper surveys to be used in data collection) is an allowable expense. Contact Print Services for current rates. Be sure to provide appropriate justification for these costs in your application.
It is common and acceptable practice to submit the same proposal to multiple funding opportunities. However, you must indicate in your application if this proposal has been submitted to another internal or external opportunity. If both opportunities are awarded, you may be asked to forfeit your IRGF award if you do not adequately indicate how you will effectively utilize both opportunities.
Additionally, if your project budget exceeds the maximum award amount, you must clearly indicate in the application how you will obtain the additional funds.
ORSCE follows MRU and Tri-Agency policies and procedures must be observed when spending an IRGF award. You may find the relevant MRU policies and procedures on the ORSCE and Financial Services websites. Visit the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration for more information on the relevant polices.
Once funding has been secured, our Research Finance Analyst will be happy to sit down with you and explain key finance procedures associated with your project, however, by accepting funds from the Internal Research Grants Fund, you are agreeing to use those funds in accordance with all policies and procedures governing research at Mount Royal University.