For new researchers

This guide was designed to help new members of the Brock University community integrate and thrive as scholars and researchers. It provides an overview of the research structure, supports, and commonly used abbreviations and acronyms at Brock.

The guide was created as part of a dedicated focus and effort to promote Black Flourishing and specifically to enhance onboarding supports.

A pdf version of this guide is also available for download.

Guide to navigating research at Brock University

Version 1, August 2024

Welcome to Brock University! We are thrilled to have you as a colleague and researcher at Brock.

Brock research has a heart for community and a head for innovation. Our passion drives us to discover, disseminate, and apply new knowledge. Improving quality of life through leading-edge research and scholarship is what we’re all about. We are heavily invested in the economic, social, and cultural health of our community and beyond. Scores of partnerships between the community and the various academic units across the University make research a two-way process: we learn from one another as we discover and innovate together.

We are very proud of the research generated at Brock and the contributions that our researchers make to society. As a new member of the Brock University community, we look forward to supporting and celebrating your Research as well!

It is our hope that this guide gets you started with ease on your Research journey at Brock. We are available to answer your questions and provide support – please connect with us at the contacts provided within. You’ll also hear from us via regular research-focused communications and through the Brock News.

Until then all the best,
Your Research Enterprise Colleagues 

Research Enterprise organizational structure

The Research Enterprise refers to the collective infrastructure that supports researchers at Brock University. The Enterprise recognizes the full research lifecycle, including planning, grants, awards, facilities and infrastructure, regulatory requirements, research security, knowledge transfer, and commercialization.

  • Office of the Vice-President Research (OVPR)
    • Office of Research Services (ORS)
      • Research Funding Support
      • Research Accounting
      • Research Impact
      • Legal Counsel
    • Office of Research Ethics (ORE)
    • Animal Research
      • Animal Care Committee
      • Animal Care Services
    • Brock LINC (Research Commercialization, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship)

Overview of the Research Enterprise

The Office of the Vice-President, Research, oversees and facilitates research operations, facilitation, governance, and strategic planning for Brock University. The Research Enterprise facilitates a wide range of research, scholarship, and creative activities, each requiring its own forms of support, and each with connections to teaching and learning, to research impact, and to engagement with non-academic partners. The University overall as a research institution and specific types of research activity are subject to various compliance requirements set by external agencies, legal frameworks, and professional bodies. The administrative units reporting into the Office of the Vice-President, Research, collectively support this wide range of scholarly activities and partnerships, assisting researchers in finding resources and in conducting inquiry with due care and attention to relevant requirements and guidelines.

Office of the Vice-President, Research (OVPR)

The OVPR currently comprises the Vice-President, Research and the Associate Vice-President, Research, as well as key staff support in financial management; strategic initiatives; equity, diversity, and inclusion; honours, prizes, awards, and distinctions; and office management. Reporting into the Office are four main research facilitation units:

  • Office of Research Services, responsible for grant facilitation, research grant accounting, research impact, and research legal counsel;
  • Office of Research Ethics, facilitating the work of Brock University’s Research Ethics Boards under the auspices of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2);
  • Animal Research, supporting the ethical and scientifically sound care and use of animals in research at Brock University, and liaising with the Animal Care Committee; and
  • Brock LINC, leading and coordinating Brock University’s innovation, commercialization, industrial research partnerships, entrepreneurship, and applied research ecosystems.

Complementing these units and functions are the research administrators and service providers housed within Faculties, Centres, Institutes, and other units such as the Library, Facilities Management, Health Safety and Wellness, Human Rights and Equity, Development and Donor Relations, and Government Relations. Collectively these colleagues and groups facilitate research, scholarship, and creative activity across the University; support the infrastructure for this work; provide training and policy guidance for researchers; and help broker and sustain community, government, and industry relations that enable Brock research to have the greatest impact and significance.

OVPR areas of support

  • Implement Brock University’s strategic research agenda and key research-related action plans, guidelines, policies, and reports.
  • Ensure the responsible conduct of research and respond to misconduct, where applicable.
  • Facilitate compliance with biosafety (Containment Levels CL1, CL2, CL3), chemical safety, and radiation safety regulations and procedures; training; and risk assessments.
  • Assist researchers in finding and using resources for Advanced Research Computing (ARC) particularly as they relate to the facilities offered by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
  • Increase awareness of systemic barriers in research and advocate for greater equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the direction and benefit of research, through technical reviews and workshops for faculty, staff, and students.
  • Showcase research excellence at Brock University by driving the growth of successful faculty honours, prizes, awards, and distinctions (HPAD) nominations, through a lens of EDI.

OVPR considerations for new researchers

To read more about governance frameworks guiding research at Brock, including action plans, guidelines, policies, and reports, please visit the following links:

OVPR contact information

Researchers seeking support can contact the following resources:

To keep up with research-related opportunities and news, sign up to receive Brock Research Enterprise Alerts (BREA), our bi-weekly e-bulletin. To sign up, please e-mail [email protected]

Office of Research Services (ORS)

ORS has been established to assist faculty and staff researchers in enhancing their research, scholarship, and creative activities. Main responsibilities involve advising researchers and developing relationships with and consulting a wide range of funders. Team members in ORS include specialists in contract management and other legal matters, research funding opportunities, knowledge mobilization, and financial accountability, together offering their expertise to faculty and staff and always striving to provide exceptional service. There are three sub-units within ORS: Research Funding Support, Research Accounting, and Research Impact. See below for further information about each of these sub-units.

Research funding support

Research Funding Support is comprised of Research Officers (ROs) who help researchers secure funding to carry out their research and creative activity.

Areas of support
  • Advise researchers on appropriate funding opportunities for their proposed research.
  • Liaise with granting agencies and interpret policies for Brock partners, representing the University to funding agencies, community, industry, and other research organizations.
  • Steward funding applications through the University and funding agency submission and approvals processes, ensuring compliance with all relevant policies, guidelines, eligibility, and budget requirements.
  • Conduct technical reviews (upon researcher request, when related ORS deadlines are met) as well as mandatory compliance/administrative reviews of applications prior to submission to funding agencies.
  • Draft, review, and advise on the development of research contracts.
  • Provide workshops for faculty, staff, and students as well as program guides, webinar slides, and other resources for relevant funding opportunities/agencies (as available).
Considerations for new researchers
  • Brock researchers looking for research funding, requiring assistance with research funding application forms, or with any research funding questions may log into the internal Research Enterprise SharePoint site.
  • Brock offers a variety of internal awards. Information on internal grants administered by ORS may be found at the Internal Funding webpage
  • Questions about research support provided at the Faculty level are best directed to Faculty Deans and Associate Deans, Research (ADRs).
Contact information
  • Researchers looking to reach the Research Funding Support team can email [email protected]
  • To keep up with upcoming funding opportunities and news from ORS and its sub-units, sign up to receive Brock Research Enterprise Alerts (BREA), our bi-weekly e-bulletin. To sign up, please send an e-mail to [email protected]
  • The Research Funding Support team holds open monthly drop-in hours. Email [email protected] to find out when the next drop-in session is scheduled.

Research accounting

Research Accounting is responsible for the financial administration of all awarded research funding, including externally sponsored funds and internal university research grants.

Areas of support
  • Ensure that all research funding is spent in compliance with applicable international, federal, provincial, and institutional regulations.
  • Evaluate research spending against the compliance and eligibility criteria of the relevant funding agency and Brock University’s spending and purchasing policies, as well as ensuring that there are sufficient funds available.
  • Provide general financial administration of research funding (e.g., setting up accounts, transferring funds, completing financial reports for funding agencies, etc.).
Considerations for new researchers

To read more about key policies and procedures, please visit the following links:

Contact information
  • Researchers with questions related to administration of awarded research funds can email the Research Accounting team at [email protected]
  • The Research Accounting team holds open monthly drop-in hours. Email [email protected] to find out when the next drop-in session is scheduled.

Research impact

Research Impact provides expertise to help researchers realize the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of their scholarly work. The unit offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to the diverse needs of researchers, supporting them in mobilizing knowledge into action.

Areas of support
  • Provide training and capacity building regarding knowledge mobilization (KMb) and research impact (e.g., KMb workshop, Research Impact Learning Network, Building Better Research series).
  • Provide resources and guidance regarding integration of KMb and research impact into funding applications, research projects, and research programs.
  • Support large-scale research and KMb events (e.g., Research Enterprise Community Speaker Series, Celebration of Research Excellence).
  • Oversee the Research Impact Hub, ORS’s dynamic space (located in Rankin Family Pavilion room 216) designed to cultivate collaboration, fuel discussions, and showcase impactful research.
Considerations for new researchers

Brock researchers looking for expertise or guidance regarding research impact, KMb, integrating impact plans into funding applications, and showcasing the outputs of research can learn more about Research Impact by emailing [email protected] or visiting the Brock Research Impact & Knowledge Mobilization webpage.

Contact information
  • Research impact or KMb related questions can be directed to the Research Impact team at [email protected]
  • The Research Impact team holds open weekly drop-in hours. Email [email protected] to find out when the next drop-in session is scheduled.

Office of Research Ethics (ORE)

Brock University is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of research. The fundamental imperative of research involving human participants is encapsulated in three core principles: respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice. To this end, Brock University endorses and adheres to the principles set out in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2, 2022).

Research Ethics Board (REB) clearance

  • Brock University has two research ethics boards (REBs):
    • The Health Science Research Ethics Board (HREB) reviews all applications from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences 
    • The Social Science Research Ethics Board (SREB) reviews applications from all other academic units.  
  • A sub-committee specific to Indigenous research advises both boards on matters of cultural protocols, history, and tradition.  
  • All human participant research, whether funded or non-funded, conducted under the auspices and/or jurisdiction of Brock must undergo review and receive ethics clearance from one of Brock’s REBs prior to the start of the project. This applies regardless of the Brock members’ contribution or the location of the research site and includes research conducted by faculty, staff, or students and course-based research undertaken by students for pedagogical purposes and/or course credit. 

ORE

The ORE is responsible for the ethical oversight of research involving human participants at Brock. The ORE provides centralized administrative and educational functions related to research ethics review. Contact the ORE for information on REB applications, research ethics reviews, and turn-around-times at [email protected].

ORE considerations for new researchers

ORE contact information

Ongoing research ethics tips and training opportunities are offered throughout the year and advertised in the ORE bulletin: The Research Ethics Beacon. Email [email protected] to be included on the mailing list.

Animal Research

Brock University has a moral commitment to provide appropriate care of, and respect for, animals involved in animal-based research or teaching. The Animal Care Committee (ACC) is mandated to safeguard the welfare of animals involved in research and teaching and reports to the Vice-President, Research. In conjunction with Animal Care Services (ACS), the ACC ensures that all animal research conducted at Brock University follows the mandatory guidelines set by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), a national body responsible for setting, maintaining, and overseeing animal ethics and care in science throughout Canada, as well as the regulations of the Ontario Animals for Research Act.

Animal Care and Use Program

  • Oversight of the Brock University Animal Care and Use Program is through the ACC. The ACC oversees all teaching and research activities involving animals, develops standard operating procedures and guidelines in compliance with the CCAC, and reviews all animal protocol applications, amendments and renewals following the Brock ACC Terms of Reference. The ACC reports to the Vice-President, Research, The Vice-President, Research may direct the Associate Vice-President, Research to act as official designate.
  • All research or teaching involving vertebrates and higher form invertebrates (e.g., cephalopods) by faculty, graduate or undergraduate students, instructors, research associates, or any other personnel regardless of the source of funding must be covered under an approved protocol from the ACC before research can begin.
  • Brock University requires that all researchers or instructors who are working with animals shall first receive the proper training, guidance, and resources and recognizes that any use of animals in teaching or research is a privilege, not a right. ACS works closely with the ACC to provide services in support of the Brock University Animal Care and Use program. Prior training in Animal Care and Use is a requirement for anyone intending to work with live vertebrates or higher form invertebrates for teaching or research purposes. Completion of the appropriate modules on Brock’s Animal Care Training program will meet the requirements mandated by the CCAC.

ACC/ACS considerations for new researchers

  • Turn-around time (from submission to first review) is approximately 20-25 working days. Projects are reviewed at pre-scheduled, monthly meetings.
  • New researchers to Brock can contact [email protected] for any protocol related questions or to get access to the application forms.
  • For any animal-based research involving another institution please review SOP ACC10 — Animal-Based projects involving two or more institutions, and contact [email protected] for any related questions
  • For any animal facility related questions regarding the Comparative BioScience facility or Aquaterrium please contact [email protected]
  • Key Features of the Comparative BioScience Facility
  • Key Features of the Aquaterrium
  • Once you settle into your new role at Brock, consider volunteering for the ACC. In addition to animal-based researchers, we also require at least one faculty researcher who does not engage in animal-based research.

ACC/ACS contact information

For research application or ACC questions please contact [email protected].

For facility related questions please contact [email protected].

Brock LINC (Research Commercialization, Partnerships & Entrepreneurship)

The Brock LINC provides innovation supports for the Brock and Niagara community. For Brock researchers, this includes supports for research commercialization, research–industry partnerships, and entrepreneurship.

LINC areas of support

  • Research Commercialization: Help researchers commercialize and license their work while protecting their intellectual property (IP). The team supports IP evaluation, IP protection, licensing technology, and more.
  • Research–Industry Partnerships: Match interested researchers and industry partners; identify funding opportunities to support research–industry partnerships.
  • Entrepreneurship: Grow entrepreneurship through the development of research spin-offs and student entrepreneurship. The Brock LINC houses the University’s business incubator and provides entrepreneurship programs, workshops, events, and one-on-one support.
  • Innovation Facility: Manage the spaces in the University’s innovation facility, the Rankin Family Pavilion.

LINC considerations for new researchers

LINC contact information

Researchers with questions about research commercialization, research–industry partnerships, or entrepreneurship support can email the Brock LINC team at [email protected].

To stay up to date on the latest news and opportunities from the Brock LINC, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter on the Brock LINC News webpage.

Acronym list

To learn about commonly used abbreviations and acronyms within the Research Enterprise, please visit our acronym list page.

Visit acronym list page