The Research Support Fund assists Canadian postsecondary institutions with the indirect costs of managing their research enterprise. Indirect costs of research include research administration and the costs of meeting regulatory requirements, training, and the provision and maintenance of research facilities, among other things.
Institutions have the flexibility to decide how to use their Research Support Fund allocations, provided they are used for the payment of current expenditures of indirect costs attributed to federally sponsored research that falls in the following five categories:
- Research facilities
- Research resources
- Management and administration of the institution’s research enterprise
- Regulatory requirements and accreditation
- Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
In 2023-24, Yukon University’s only affiliated institution associated with Tri-Agency funding was the Yukon Status of Women Council.
YukonU is using the Research Support Fund (RSF) to invest in the university’s research enterprise in the following ways:
Research facilities. The RSF is used to maintain shared research equipment at YukonU, and to manage and maintain shared research spaces to ensure equipment is dependable and space allows for productive research at the university.
Research resources. The RSF is used to acquire library holdings in support of research and to support the university’s membership in the Canadian Research Knowledge Network.
Management and administration of the institution’s research enterprise. The RSF is used to provide faculty, staff and students with access to research administration services, including pre- and post-award administration and financial support. It also supports implementing institutional Equity, Diversity and Inclusion objectives, and research-related training and professional development.
Regulatory requirements and accreditation. The RSF provides resources to the university’s Research Ethics Board and Animal Care Committee to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization. No RSF investments are made in this expenditure category at this time.
YukonU’s Research Support Fund allocation for 2024-25 is $639,931. For the first time, the value of this allocation requires the university to develop performance objectives to measure the impact of RSF investments. YukonU will being reporting preliminary outcomes against these measures in 2025-26.
| Eligible program expenditure category | Output (investment or expense of RSF grant) | Performance objective | Performance indicator | Target outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research facilities | $100,627 or 16% | Maintain safe, well-equipped research facilities and functional research equipment | Amount of shared research facility space # shared space users | Dependable equipment is available for research, and space is shared effectively to ensure productive research |
| Research resources | $89,500 or 14% | Maintain access to research knowledge networks | # research knowledge networks maintained | Digital content network and associated resources are maintained |
| Maintain quality and access to research resources | # subscriptions supporting research | Quantity and quality of research resources are maintained | ||
| Management and administration of the institution's research enterprise | $433,804 or 68% | Maintain quality and access to research resources | # faculty and students supported in pre- and post-award management $ annual grant funding | Research administration support is effective and year-over-year research revenue is growing |
| Support faculty and students in professional development workshops | # of research development workshops # of participants in research development workshops | Faculty and students have increased confidence in research and grant management skills | ||
| Regulatory requirements and accreditation | $15,000 or 2% | Maintain compliance with regulatory requirements | # of active Animal Use and Human Ethics protocols | Compliance with Canadian Council for Animal Care and the Tri-Council Policy Statement is maintained |