Capacity Building Grant (CBG)

The purpose of the VIU/Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Capacity Building Grant (CBG) is to provide support for members of the VIU research community in the social sciences and humanities disciplines. Capacity Building funds may be used as seed funding to support faculty in developing research grants, developing or strengthening their research programs, or in the dissemination of research results. The CBG is administered by the VIU Research Awards Committee (VIURAC).

Next Application Deadline: Monday, March 5, 2012, 4:00 p.m.

Funding Sources and Amounts Activities Eligible for Funding Eligibility and Conditions Application Contents Submission of Application & Deadline Final Report Example Reports of Successful Proposals Questions or Concerns

Funding Sources and Amounts

Individual grants of up to $1,000, with the possibility of larger grants depending on project and availability of funding.

Funding for the CBG is made possible through an annual SSHRC allocation to the University (Small Institutional Grant - SIG). The amount of this grant is based on the University's latest performance in SSHRC’s research grants programs, as well as the number of University faculty eligible for SSHRC funding

The Research and Scholarly Activity Office administers the Capacity Building Grant. Applications for support are subject to competitive adjudication by members of the VIU Research Awards Committee.

For a listing of all recent awards, see the Internal Grants & Leaves Awarded web page.

Activities Eligible for Funding

SSHRC stipulates that the funding be used towards:

• supporting the advancement of knowledge through funding of small-scale research projects;
• helping the development of scholars embarking upon their research careers through seed money for pilot projects, preliminary research, and small-scale research projects;
• supporting preliminary research-related activities to assist scholars seeking external research funds;
• providing developmental support for new and innovative research related initiatives.

Within these general guidelines, our Capacity Building Grant is intended to support:

• Seed funding for establishment of research teams and creation of research networks or partnerships involving participants from two or more departments or institutions;
• Projects (including pilot studies) that will lead directly to an application to an external funding agency;
• Initiatives that lead to the creation of research agendas;
• Projects that build on existing research here at VIU or bridge prior externally funded work to new work for which new external funding is being sought;
• Creation of necessary small infrastructure for research;
• Encouragement for interdisciplinary research.

Examples of acceptable expenses could include:

• Hiring a student to do a literature review to identify research gaps;
• Costs involved in attending or hosting meetings that identify research needs or address potential issues, gaps, problems, or ideas;
• Taking existing research done at VIU and extending, expanding or building on the initial research. This could be achieved by involving more faculty and therefore multiple perspectives, or by looking at further questions raised, or by going into the research in more depth than the initial project did;
• Costs associated with initiating or exploring collaboration. For example, teleconferencing costs, couriers, sharing of materials, or bringing potential research partners together;
• Costs associated with obtaining research tools, which may include: software (citation, bibliographic software), materials, library materials, bibliographies, etc. as long as the tools present an essential component of a research program. Preference would be given to tools that can be accessible to many faculty;
• Dissemination costs associated with funded research, including preparation costs, such as
  translation, preparation of manuscripts, bibliographies, tables, or illustrations.

Note: Requests for financial incentive or appreciation payments to research participants may be considered on the condition of REB (Research Ethics Board) approval of the research proposal and upon satisfactory explanation of the reason for financial incentive and the method of payment.

Expenses incurred prior to receiving final approval from the Committee are not eligible.

The Capacity Building Grant Program accepts applications for less than $1,000. Two or three researchers may apply in a single application for a maximum of $2,000. The contribution of each investigator must be clearly explained in the application. Projects are typically funded for a one-year period.

Eligibility & Conditions

Priority will be given to first time applicants.

Social sciences and humanities faculty at VIU who hold regular appointments, whether full-time or part-time, are eligible to apply for a Capacity Building Grant. This grant is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant and as such is restricted to faculty in those disciplines. If you are unsure that your discipline falls within the SSHRC mandate, please check the SSHRC web site http://www.sshrc.ca/site/apply-demande/background-renseignements/selecting_agency-choisir_organisme_subventionnaire-eng.aspx, and if still unsure, check with the Research and Scholarly Activity Office.

Application Contents

Applications should be a maximum of three pages, including the cover page, and indicate primary and co-applicants names and Department or Faculty. Applications should include the following:

1. Cover page
   • Date of call (month and year)
   • Name of principal researcher and faculty/department
   • Employment status with Vancouver Island University, e.g., regular full-time (yes or no)
   • Co-applicants, if any
   • Disciplines involved
   • Project title
   • Amount being requested from VIU Capacity Building Grant
   • Contributions of this work to your academic development and future research goals
2. Project overview
   • Description of the project
   • Fit with SSHRC criteria
   • Objectives if applicable
   • Project plan
   • Timeline, if applicable
   • Project Budget
   • Detailed budget breakdown and rationale (expenses, supplies,travel, etc) See acceptable expenses above.
   • Institutional Signature Sheet

   Note: Ethics approval, if required, needs to be completed prior to the commencement of the project. Funds for projects requiring ethics review will not be released until approval is in place.

Submission of Application & Deadline

*Effective 2010/2011, there will be one call only for Capacity Building Grant submissions, normally in the Fall, unless there are funds leftover.

Please note that all applications for the Capacity Building Grant must be accompanied by your department and Dean's authorization using a VIU Research Funding Application Institutional Signature Sheet. Applicants are strongly advised to allow sufficient lead-time for the proper consideration at each level.

Applications should be submitted in duplicate: one hardcopy to the Research Awards Committee, c/o Lyn Johnson, Secretary, Research & Scholarly Activity Office, Building 305, Room 446, and an electronic copy, submitted as an e-mail attachment, to Lyn Johnson.

Proponents will normally be notified of the Committee’s decision within 30 days of the Call deadline.

Final Report

By the end of the project, each researcher will be required to complete a brief 1-3 page report. Please use the Final Report Template available on the Research website.

The final report is to be submitted, as an electronic copy, to the Chair of the VIU Research Awards Committee c/o Lyn Johnson.

The final report should include:

• Date of Final Report
• Name of Project Leader and any co-researchers
• Title of Research Project
• Original Call Date Submitted (e.g. November 15, 2010)
• Report to include:
  • Abstract/Executive Summary (including highlights/major findings). Please write in language accessible to the larger Vancouver Island University community and suitable for publication to the general community. (Maximum of 200 words.)
  • Original objective for the grant
  • What did you achieve?
  • An accounting of how the grant money was spent.
    Purchase orders, original receipts, travel advances, and expense claims must be signed by the appropriate Dean or Vice-President. Funds are to be used for the sole purpose of the project for which funding was granted. Remaining funds are returned to VIURAC for re-allocation during the next competition.

It is expected that successful applicants, upon invitation, will make a public presentation at the annual Celebration of Research or other appropriate VIU event.

Final Reports for Successful Proposals

Past research reports for the Capacity Building Grant and Research Fund are available for viewing by VIU employees on VIU's Archiving System. Following is the direct link to the reports available. https://isweb.viu.ca/comm_viewer/main.asp?comm_filter=A_61

Questions or Concerns

Please contact Lyn Johnson or any VIURAC Member.