The Research Support Fund (formerly the Federal Indirect Costs Program) is a Government of Canada funding program to assist Canadian post-secondary institutions in offsetting the cost of administering research awards from the three federal granting councils (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research). Brock University receives funding support for the indirect costs incurred on Tri-Council funded research through the program.

A thriving research culture must be supported by a vast infrastructure that is often taken for granted. Laboratories require light and heat to operate, equipment needs to be maintained, library collections are built and cultivated to aid faculty and students in their research. Brock’s hundreds of researchers come to the Office of Research Services for assistance in filling out their grant applications, advice on how to comply with spending and financial requirements, navigating the system of ethical review and compliance, and in some cases communicating their research activities to a wider audience.

All of these things essential to research activities – heat, light, library materials, the establishment and functioning of a system of ethical review and compliance, management and administrative services and other indirect costs – cost money, yet most research grants do not provide additional funds to help a university defray these costs. As a result, over time the research activity puts a strain on the institution’s budget.

Click here for more information about the Research Support Fund.

See Brock University’s Report on Research Fund Objectives 2021-2022.

See Brock University’s Report on Research Fund Objectives 2020-2021.

                   Brock University RSF Expenditures 2020-21

See Brock University’s Report on Research Support Fund Objectives 2019-20.

See Brock University’s Report on Research Support Fund Objectives 2018-19.

2018-19 Actual Expenditures Graph

In 2022-2023, Brock University will allocate its Research Support Fund (RSF) funding in the following five areas:

Facilities (4.8%):  The RSF will be used to upgrade laboratory and other research space to meet researchers’ urgent needs. The funds will also support equipment operations including a Makerspace facility in the Brock University library. A portion of these funds will support the ongoing maintenance of institutional websites that profile research accomplishments, build research partnerships and provide researchers with the forms, guidelines and other documents they need for their work.

Resources (4.4%): RSF funds will support the licensing of tools that accelerate the research process by integrating funding, collaborator discovery, and publishing opportunities (Pivot). These tools connect researchers to financial support by leveraging the most comprehensive global source of sponsored funding opportunities and provides scholarly profiles to match researchers with financial partners and collaborators. Additionally, licenses for a research survey instrument (Qualtrics) and MatLab will also be purchased to enable researchers across campus to collect critical data. The funds also support memberships to Innovate Niagara, New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO), the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, and the Conversation Canada.

Management and Administration (64%): RSF funds are a key component of the Office of Research Services’ budget, which provides researchers access to research officers, accounting and other professional research staff who assist them with grant writing and oversee their financial compliance and reporting. In 2022-23, funding will also be used for the next installment of costs for the continued development and implementation of an electronic research administration system.

Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation (8.8%): The RSF fund will be used to support the operation of the Research Ethics Board (REB), the Animal Care and Use Committee, Research Safety, and additional regulatory accreditations and certifications as required (e.g., Cannabis Licensing through CTLS).

Intellectual property and Commercialization (18%): RSF funds have allowed Brock University to meet rapidly expanding needs in the fields of intellectual property, patenting, technology transfer, and commercialization. Funding received in 2022-23 will support the salaries of staff in the Partnerships, Innovation and Intellectual Property Advancement team, including legal counsel who advises on IP management strategies. These staff build research partnerships between Brock researchers, industry and community groups and develop identify avenues for the advancement of new technologies.

Brock University’s affiliated organization is the Lutheran Seminary.

See: Planned Use of the Research Support Fund and Objectives 2022-2023.

Brock University is pleased to announce the launch of the Tri-Agencies’  Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) competition for 2023-2024. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Health Institutes (CIHR) offers this program. USRA’s objectives are to nurture students’ interests and to help develop their potential for a research career in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and health science. The awards provide research work experience that complements students’ undergraduate studies in an academic setting. Qualified self-identified Indigenous and Black student researchers are encouraged to apply for NSERC USRAs.

At the present time, both the SSHRC and CIHR USRAs are exclusively for self-identified Black student researchers. The numbers of SSHRC and CIHR students are determined by the federal government through its Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations.

Students interested in applying for this opportunity must fill out the USRA Application Form Part A, while their supervisors must fill out the USRA Application Form Part B. Before applying, please carefully read the Brock University Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) Guidelines 2023–2024.

Deadline: February 24, 2023, 5 pm ET. Contact: Vincent Annibale

Match of Minds Program Launch 2023 

The Match of Minds program provides research employment opportunities for students across all faculties as well as non-faculty units, which are intended to expand their potential to participate in research. The program also encourages the development of skills and abilities of students for future employment, in turn also improving the quality of Research Assistants available to faculty researchers at the graduate level.

The application process is online and includes completion of an application form that can be found on the Online Portal (login required – supervisors initiate the process). The program offers up to $5000 for student employment. Students can be employed between May 1 and April 30 each year.

The application is in two parts. When the supervisor submits their portion, the student will receive a notification to complete their portion. It is therefore recommended that the applicant and the student review the ​Match of Minds Program Syllabus 2023​​​​​​​ before beginning the application. Supervisors are advised to ensure that the student has sufficient time to prepare their portion of the application (two weeks in advance of the deadline is recommended).

The deadline for applications is March 10, 2023, by 12:00 pm/noon ET.  

For inquiries, please contact Jasmine Little, Acting Manager, Sponsored Research & Internal Programs, jlittle3@brocku.ca

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Fellowship 

These fellowships support the most promising Canadian new scholars in the social sciences and humanities, and assist them in establishing a research base at an important time in their research careers. $45k per year for up to two years. Details on more information regarding the program, eligibility, and application process.   

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship

Fellowships provide support for highly qualified applicants in all areas of health research at the post-PhD degree or post-health professional degree stages to add to their experience by engaging in health research either in Canada or abroad. $45k per year up to three years. Priority Announcements offer additional sources of funding for highly rated applications that are relevant to specific CIHR research priority areas or mandates. Details on more information regarding how to apply, eligibility, and evaluation.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Fellowship

The Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) program provides support to a core of the most promising researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. The fellowships are also intended to secure a supply of highly qualified Canadians with leading-edge scientific and research skills for Canadian industry, government and academic institutions. $45k per year for two years. Details on more information regarding the program, eligibility, and application process. 

Stay tuned for specifics on next year’s competitions. For more information or questions regarding these opportunities at Brock, please contact: Laura Smithson, lsmithson@brocku.ca

Please note: Guidelines and application forms can be found on our internal website (login required).

The newly-created Award for Early Career Research and Creative Activity is open to Early Career Researchers (ECRs), defined as those who have held a full-time academic appointment for five years or less as of May 1, 2021. Recipients must be Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) members and be employed at Brock while holding the award.

The Award recognizes ERCs for research excellence, including: notable contributions to creative activity or research as documented by committees, organizations, or associations; emerging record of refereed and/or significant publications OR creative works or performances appropriate for the nominee’s career stage; evidence of commitment to training and mentoring of highly qualified personnel, where applicable (e.g., undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers); strong performance, appropriate for the nominee’s career stage, in attracting funding from external sources such as granting agencies, foundations or contracts.

The one-year research grant, valued at $5,000, is not attached to any specific research or creative activity so that the recipient has autonomy over the use of the award money, subject to University policies.

The 2022 recipient of this award is Associate Professor of Health Sciences Karen Patte. She is awarded the grant for her research on how childhood and adolescence can shape health and success into adulthood.. See story in The Brock News.

Previous award winners:

* 2021 – Rebecca MacPherson, Health Sciences

Please note: Guidelines and application forms can be found on our internal website (login required).

This $10,000 award recognizes faculty whose distinguished research or creative activity (appropriate to the nominee’s discipline and faculty) demonstrates outstanding research achievements, contributions to the training of future researchers, and strong performance in scholarly or creative performance. Recipients will be formally recognized by the presentation of a diploma and cash award at a Brock University function.

The 2022 recipient of the award is Andrea Doucet, Professor of Sociology/ Women’s & Gender Studies and Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work and Care. See story in The Brock News.

Previous award winners:

• 2021 – Bareket Falk, Kinesiology
• 2020 – Angela Evans, Psychology
• 2019 – no selection
• 2018 – Liette Vasseur, Biological Sciences
• 2017 – Stephen Cheung, Kinesiology
• 2016 – Robert Dimand, Economics
• 2015 – Cathy Mondloch, Psychology
• 2014 – Tony Bogaert, Health Sciences
• 2013 – Michael Bidochka, Biological Sciences
• 2012 – Diane Dupont, Economics
• 2011 – Vincenzo De Luca, Biological Sciences
• 2010 – Dorothy Griffiths, Child and Youth Studies
• 2009 – Teena Willoughby, Psychology
• 2008 – Maurice Feldman, Child and Youth Studies
• 2007 – Stefan Brudzynski, Psychology
• 2006 – Panagiota (Nota) Klentrou, Physical Education and KinesiologyJohn Hay, Community Health Sciences
• 2005 – Tomas Hudlicky, Chemistry
• 2004 – Jack Adams-Webber, Psychology
• 2003 – Douglas Bruce, Biological Sciences
• 2002 – Mohammed Dore, Economics
• 2001 – Sandra Beckett, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Please note: Guidelines and application forms can be found on our internal website (login required).

Brock University recognizes the excellent scholarship of its faculty members. To encourage and sustain high levels of scholarly performance, Brock has established the Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence, open solely to Brock tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Chair holders will be active scholars who have demonstrated excellence and who will continue to make significant contributions to the advancement of their field. Recipients of the Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence can undertake a specific three-year program of research leading to a significant development in their scholarship (e.g., a scholarly monograph, a state-of-the-art review that might lead to a seminal series of scholarly lectures).

The research program for the Chair may be integrated within a broader research and scholarly focus. Each awardee will give at least one public lecture on their research to the Brock University community.

The 2022 competition has been relaunched. Check back later for more details.

Previous Chairholders:

• 2021 – Dawn Trussell, Sport Management
• 2020 – Angela Evans, Psychology
• 2019 – Nicole Goodman, Political Science
• 2018 – Tony Volk, Child and Youth Studies
• 2017 – Kendra Coulter, Labour Studies
• 2016 – Theocharis Stamatatos, Chemistry
• 2015 – Gordon Hodson, Psychology
• 2014 – Gregory Betts, English Language and Literature
• 2013 – Michael Pisaric, Geography
• 2012 – Bareket Falk, Kinesiology
• 2011 – Glenn J Tattersall, Biological Sciences; Sherryl Vint, English Language & Literature
• 2010 – Christine Daigle, Philosophy
• 2009 – Panagiota (Nota) Klentrou, Kinesiology
• 2008 – Uwe Brand, Earth Sciences; Ryan Plummer, Tourism & Environment; Fereidoon Razavi, Physics; Mark Spencer, History
• 2007 – Michael Ashton, Psychology; Dirk De Clercq, Organizational Behaviour, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship and Ethics; John Hay, Community Health Sciences; Hans-Georg Moeller, Philosophy
• 2006 – Diane Dupont, Economics; Teena Willoughby, Psychology
• 2005 – Maurice Feldman, Child and Youth Studies; Pierre Lizee, Political Science; Bulent Menguc, Marketing, International Business and Strategy
• 2004 – Carolyn Hafer, Psychology; Andrew McDonald, History; Kirill Samokhin, Physics
• 2003 – Tony Bogaert, Community Health Sciences; Barry Grant, Communication, Popular Culture and Film; Arthur van der Est, Chemistry
• 2002 – Ian Brindle, Chemistry; Robert Dimand, Economics; David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, History
• 2001 – Sandra Beckett, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Douglas Bruce, Biological Sciences; Maureen Reedyk, Physics; Elizabeth Sauer, English Language and Literature

The Brock University Commercialization Policy sets out Brock University’s commitment to supporting the mobilization, dissemination, and commercialization of researcher-generated intellectual property (IP), in order to maximize the impact of university research, scholarship, and creative activity, while serving societal needs and the interests of IP creators, the University, and its research partners. This policy advises University faculty, staff, and students on the services and resources available to support them with commercialization.

International activities include research in several areas.

Brock’s Visiting International Professor (VIP) program brings visiting faculty from academic institutions in other nations to visit Brock for an extended period, teaching a course (or courses) in their area of expertise and collaborating with Brock faculty, staff and students in a range of academic activities. Typically, the stipends that are paid per course will cover all travel expenses, accommodations, and living expenses, for the period of one or two academic term(s).

Brock University has formal International Partnerships with more than 150 institutions over 50 different countries.