If the grant application you are submitting must obtain approvals through Memorial's ROMEO Researcher Portal (RP), please follow the below steps. A GFO can help if you hit a snafu along the way. The RP file must be submitted by HSS's internal deadline with a complete application package uploaded to it.

1. Login to your Researcher Portal account, hit "Apply New" and then choose a General Use Application.
2. In the new application/file, once you've added a working title, do the following:
   1. In the "Project Team Info" tab, click "Add New" and then "Search Profiles" to add the following people as team members by searching for their profiles (do NOT type the information in manually!):
      • RIS Workflow Coordinator
      • Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)
      • Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)
      • All Memorial co-applicants
      • and, if deemed necessary by your department, your departmental administrative staff.
   2. In the "Project Sponsor" Tab, click "Add New", and search for the Agency by name:
      • Select the appropriate agency
      • Once the screen returns to the Sponsor tab subscreen, select the appropriate program from the drop-down list
      • If the Agency and / or the Program are missing:
        1. Submit a ticket using the Sponsor/Program Request Form. 
   3. Complete all subtabs in the General Use Application Tab - only those marked with an asterisk are mandatory/
   4. Upload all documentation pertaining to the application to the "Attachments" tab, including:
      • a copy of the complete application/proposal;
      • budget and budget justification documents (if separate);
      • if applicable, all supporting documents for cash and in-kind commitments, letters of support, certifications and permits, evidence of Indigenous community engagement, etc.
      • if not available online, the funding agency’s Terms and Conditions/Guidelines.
3. When you have completed all tabs, press "Submit" by the HSS internal deadline. The file will be routed automatically to your Department Head for approval.
4. Once departmental approval has been provided, then the file is routed to the HSS Dean's Office, where the GFO assigned to your file (Heather C. O’Brien or Matthew Milner) will perform the administrative review and request Associate Dean (Research) approval. The GFO may email with revision requests.
   • The RP file will be returned to you, thus unlocking it, so you can upload the revised application. You should then resubmit the RP file.
5. Once the Dean's Office has approved, the RP file then routes to Research Initiatives & Services (RIS) and the Grants and/or Contracts Officers for HSS: Jon Price for grants, or Jon Canning or Charlene Simmonds for contracts. RIS perform the institutional review and then either provide an approval document for the applicant to submit to the agency, or RIS forwards the proposal to the agency.

Note: in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

Note: all HSS co-applicants/co-investigators listed as team members on grants led by another institution must also submit Researcher Portal files as per the above process and in time for the HSS internal deadline. If the Principal Investigator is a Memorial researcher from another faculty/school/campus, HSS GFOs must be added to the PI's RP file so HSS can perform the administrative review and provide an approvals signatory page. 

All new Researcher Portal (RP) files that you create must have a minimum of three Team Members added: Heather C. O'Brien and Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitation Officers [GFOs] for HSS), and someone called the "RIS Workflow Coordinator." These admin ensure your RP file gets routed smoothly through the internal approvals and submission processes. Here is how you add them:

1. When in editing mode in the RP file, navigate to the "Project Team Info" tab and scroll to the bottom and click “Add New.” A window called "Project Team Member Edit" will pop up with many text fields.
   • Note: do NOT type any information into these fields. You need to populate these fields by pulling the information from the Researcher Portal database. 
2. Click “Search Profiles” in the window entitled "Investigator List", type “O’Brien” in the Last Name search box, and type “Heather” in the First Name search box.
3. Click “Search.” Within the “Options” column, hit “Select” for “Heather C. O’Brien (Grants Facilitator)”.
4. You will be taken back to the window called “Project Team Member Edit.” In the drop-down menu beside "Role in Project", choose "Grant Facilitator."
5. Hit “Save” at the top or bottom of the window.
6. Press the yellow “Save” button at the top, left side of the screen.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 for "Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)". 
8. To add the "RIS Workflow Coordinator," in the "Investigator List" screen, simply search for "Workflow" in the Last Name text field. This person's Role in Project is "RIS Workflow Coordinator."
9. Save often - the RP does not save automatically. 
10. To exit, you must press the yellow “Close” button at the top, left side of the screen. Do not "X" out of your browser window to exit - this locks the file so team members cannot edit.

The GFOs and the Workflow Coordinator may add other team members to your file, depending on the type of grant or agreement and who is on your project's team. 

In addition, co-investigators/applicants from Memorial should be added as team members using the above steps. Memorial collaborators as well as project team members external to Memorial can be listed within the "Comments" text field of the "Project Team Info" tab. 

The Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) Policy "applies to all federal funding opportunities administered by Canada’s federal granting agencies that fund grants to universities and affiliated research institutions — the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada — and the Canada Foundation for Innovation."

When preparing a research grant application for a funding opportunity that is applying the STRAC Policy, two new modules will appear in the grant management systems/portals; both modules are only accessible to the primary applicant. There is a two-step process you need to follow to comply with the policy:

Module 1: Sensitive Technology Research Area module (mandatory)

• The primary applicant will be asked whether their proposed research will aim to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA). They must answer the question with a Yes / No response, on behalf of the research team. Note that research that will use, but not advance, an existing technology is not within the scope of the STRAC policy.

Module 2: Attestation Form module (mandatory if applicant responded “Yes” to the STRA module)

• Module includes a URL pointing toward the attestation form template.
• Researchers with named roles must each complete an attestation form.
• The primary applicant will collect all individual attestation forms, save them as a single PDF file, and upload it to the grant management system.

In addition, "all researchers involved in activities funded by a research grant that advance a STRA must review the list of Named Research Organizations. This list is composed of research organizations and institutions that pose the highest risk to Canada’s national security due to their direct, or indirect connections with military, national defence, and state security entities." At all times, researchers are encouraged to apply due diligence practices to mitigate risks that may be associated with any collaboration or partnership in a sensitive technology research area – even if an institution is not included in the current list.

For more information, Memorial's Office of the Vice-President (Research) has a website dedicated to the implementation of the STRAC policy at Memorial and provides further information and links.

If an external agency, organization or institution has requested that you sign an agreement or contract to either work with them, or to transfer funds to Memorial for research work, the agreement must be reviewed and signed by Research, Initiatives and Services (RIS). Faculty may not sign agreements without institutional review first. Feel free to contact an HSS GFO if you are unsure if you need institutional approval or not on a document you have received from external colleagues. 

Alternatively, you may be working with a group who would like to have an agreement signed, but who do not have a template agreement to work from. RIS can also assist in providing templates and working with you and the group to come to a consensus on the agreement language, and in facilitating signatures.

To place your request for signature on an agreement into RIS's workflow, you should: 

1. Contact the GFOs and let them know the details of the agreement so they can work with you and RIS throughout the process.
2. Login to your Researcher Portal account, click Apply New and then choose a new General Use Application.
3. In the new file, once you've added a working title, do the following:
   1. In the "Project Team Info" tab, hit "Add New" and then "Search Profiles" and add the following people as team members by searching for their profiles (do NOT type the information in manually!):
      • RIS Workflow Coordinator
      • Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)
      • Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)
      • All Memorial co-investigators or co-parties
      • and, if deemed necessary by your department, your departmental administrative staff.
   2. Complete all sub-tabs in the General Use Application Tab - only those marked with an asterisk are mandatory
      • NOTE: In the deadlines tab, note that you require the support of a Contracts Officer for an agreement.
   3. Upload all documentation pertaining to the agreement to the "Attachments" tab including:
      • a copy of the draft agreement (if you have one - it is not required!);
      • budget and budget justification documents (if separate);
      • if applicable, all supporting documents for cash and in-kind commitments, letters of support, certifications and permits, agreement in principle; etc.
4. When you have completed all tabs, DO NOT press "Submit" - instead, notify the GFO that you have uploaded the documents.
5. In coordination with the GFO, the assigned RIS Contracts Officer, Jon Canning or Charlene Simmonds, will assist you and the external party in negotiating and drafting the agreement text.
6. Once a draft is finalized, the GFO will seek informal endorsement of the text from your Head and the HSS Dean's Office prior to formal submission for approval and signature.
7. Once directed by the GFO or RIS Officer, you may submit the RP file, which will contain the final draft version of the agreement and associated documents.
8. The RP file will be routed to your Department Head for formal approval.
9. Then, the RP file will be routed to the HSS Dean's Office, where the GFO will perform a final administrative review and request Associate Dean (Research) formal approval.
10. The RP file then routes to RIS and the Contracts Officer performs the final institutional review and obtains institutional signature on your behalf, usually from the Director of RIS.

Note: in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

Note: some grants may require an agreement post-award. In this case, the agreement is  typcially managed using an RIS Agreement Event, not a separate General Use Application file. Contact a GFO if you are unclear which scenario applies to you.

Contributions (often referred to as commitments) towards research grant applications or agreements require clear documentation from a person with signing authority over those contributions and which describe in detail the contribution. This typically is required in cases where a research team member does not control or have the authority over that resource, or would otherwise have to pay for it. For more detailed information on how to obtain and secure contributions and the documentation required for each type, see HSS's Cash & In-Kind Commitments guide.

As a researcher you do not normally need to document your own time, resources, or space that you have been allocated to do your job; there are exceptions to this, of course, depending on the sponsor. Some sponsors may require it, if, for example, they wish to know the value or percentage of your research time being used for the project.

Your Own Resources

If you wish to list your own resources as a confirmed contribution in your grant or agreement, and the funder allows you to list and valuate them, you need to secure documentation (usually in the form of emails from you, your departmental admin, and/or your department head) that:

1. indicates that the resource (cash, time, space, student) exists;
2. indicates the timeframe in which the resource will be available for the project;
3. breaks down the valuation;
4. states the total value. 

Someone Else's Resources

If you wish to list someone else's resources (either within Memorial or external to it) as a confirmed contribution in your grant or agreement, you need to secure documentation from the person with signing authority over the contribution, that:

1. indicates the resources (cash, time, space, staffing, equipment, etc.) exist and can be used for the research in the allotted time frame (state the time frame);
2. permission from the person in authority (i.e. head, director, administrator) over those resources, or who can allocate the associated funding;
3. outlines any restrictions or specific criteria for use of the contribution;
4. States the total value of the contribution (usually in Canadian dollars).

 

All questions pertaining to research with human participants should be directed here.

All questions pertaining to research involving animals should be directed here.  

HSS Research Support Services is not involved in the submission, review, or approval of ethics, clearances, or permits. Contact the relevant Research Ethics Board.

Once you have secured funding through a grant competition, agreement, or award, you must submit the official award or agreement documents through Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP) by launching an "Event" against the original RP file. If there is no RP file associated with your award, please contact a GFO who can assist; an RP file must be submitted in order for a research account to be opened.

All research funding ends up in a dedicated research account, sometimes called a 'fund' or a FOAPAL. Setting it up typically involves:

1. Contact a GFO who will request that your RP file's status be updated to indicate it has been awarded.
2. The Principle Applicant for Memorial will then be able to submit an "Agreement Event" in the RP, attaching the Notice of Award or agreement. The Event should be launched against the original RP file used for the grant submission.
3. RIS reviews and notes any ethics or clearances. RIS may email you with questions.
   • If ethics is attached to your grant/agreement, you may submit a partial budget which specifies which funds are not tied to ethics. RIS can then request a partial release of funds until full ethics has been obtained.
4. RIS then prepares an Account Opening Memo and emails it to Financial and Administrative Services (FAS), Research Accounting; RIS will copy the administering department or faculty, the Principal Investigator, and the GFOs.
5. FAS Research Accounting review the funded research proposal, including budget and other materials, note any financial reporting requirements and obligations, disbursement schedules, and any restrictions. They then send the information to another unit within FAS for account opening and keying into Banner Finance.
6. FAS contact the administering department or faculty to finalize signatures (who can access the funds) and will send the FOAPAL (the actual account number) when the account is established. FAS also contact RIS so the RP file can be updated with the new FOAPAL.

Note: To monitor your finances, you can ask your department admin to see deposits, withdrawals, and totals for your account(s). You can also ask your department to submit a request on your behalf for access to FAST so you can view financial reports for your Banner accounts on your own. In order to access FAST, you'll also need a Banner user account.

If you are a Principal Applicant (PI) on a SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, or NFRF grant and would like to amend your grant, for example: timeframe extensions; deferrals; changes to the research team; team member changes to roles or affiliations; etc., you will typically follow the below steps. If you are a Co-Applicant, you will have to request that the Principal Applicant coordinate the amendment through their institution or Memorial unit.

All Tri-Agency grant amendments must be submitted to the Agency by Memorial's Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) and require unit approvals prior to RIS forwarding the request to the Agency. Therefore, amendments are coordinated through HSS's Grants Facilitation Officers (GFO) who can coordinate things with the various units.

1. Contact a GFO outlining the amendment you wish to make. They will inform you if there is a specific process for your scenario. 
2. Complete the latest version of the Tri-Agency Grant Amendment Form. 
   • This may require completion of additional forms such as: Addition, Removal and/or Revision of Individuals on the Grant; Outstanding Commitments; Statement of Account, etc.
   • The Memorial institutional representative is the David Miller, (709) 864-2409, Director, Research Initiatives and Services, ris@mun.ca
   • Do not sign or seek signature for the forms at this point 
3. Email the drafted forms to the HSS GFO responsible for assisting you, along with any supporting documentation (excluding information regarding leaves or other HR/confidential information), such as 
   • Space commitment renewals;
   • Cash or in-kind commitments;
   • Account balances if requesting timeframe extensions due to COVID (from departmental admin)
   • CVs for new research team members (co-applicants or collaborators);
   • Any materials noted explicitly in the associated forms and required for review by the Agency.
4. The GFO will review the forms and documents you emailed and address any concerns, including missing fields, etc. as needed. When the documents are ready for RIS review, the GFO will create an Amendment Event on your existing Researcher Portal (RP) file and upload the documentation to it.
5. The GFO will then seek departmental and Dean's Office approvals via email on your behalf, make a pdf of these approvals, and upload them to the RP Event.
6. The HSS GFO will direct you to the draft Amendment Event and ask you to review all the tabs and the documents attached.
7. If you are in agreement with the contents of the Amendment Event, click 'submit'.
8. This will route the RP Event to an RIS Officer who will review and, upon approval by the RIS Director, will forward your request to the Agency on your behalf. Note that the Agency may request further documentation or have questions. 
9. When RIS receive an answer, they will communicate this to the PI and the GFO and update your RP file.

Note: in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

Note: If you'd like to formally add a Partner to your Tri-Agency grant, see those instructions here.

Use the Amend a grant (Tri-Agency) process.

Note: all SSHRC grants receive an automatic 1-year extension at the end of the normal grant period. You can only request an extension 3-6 months away from the end date of the automatic extension.

Note: If you wish to pause or defer payment of deposits during the normal grant period, use the process outlined here. To understand the difference between a deferral request and an extension, see the FAQ here.

 

If you are Principal Applicant (PI) on a non-Tri-Agency research grant (whether internal or external to Memorial) and you would like to amend the timeframe, budget category, team members and/or their affiliation, scope of the project, etc., please first contact an HSS GFO who can confirm the process for your specific situation. Amendments usually require the involvement of Research Initiatives and Services (RIS). The GFO is the person who coordinates things between the PI and the units to submit the amendment to RIS. Typically, the process is as follows: 

1. The PI contacts the sponsor program officer, noting the request you wish to have them review and approve. They will consider and return an answer.
2. Retain the documentation from the sponsor approving the amendment or change. It must clearly outline the changes sought and what is approved by the sponsor. If this includes additional funding, the amount should be noted. Any amendments involving timeframe changes must provide a revised end date or clearly state the timeframe changed. Documentation can take the form of:
   • An email from an authorized representative;
   • A letter from the sponsor;
   • A signed form or other document from the agency;
3. Once you have the documentation, send it to the GFO assisting you with the amendment.
4. The GFO will work with RIS to determine if departmental and faculty approvals are required. If they are, the GFO will facilitate obtaining these. 
5. The GFO will draft an Amendment Event on your existing Memorial Researcher Portal (RP) file and upload the documentation on your behalf. They will also advise on whether any additional approvals or documentation will be required.
   • If unit approvals are required (departmental and Dean's Office), the GFO may facilitate these via email. Alternatively, in some cases, RIS will facilitate unit approvals via the RP.
6. The GFO will direct you to the draft Amendment Event and ask you to:
   1. Review all the tabs in the draft event;
   2. Review and confirm the documents attached are correct
7. If you are in agreement with the contents of the Amendment Event, click 'submit'.
8. RIS will review the amendment, contact the sponsor (if required) and update your RP file accordingly. They will coordinate with your department, Financial and Administrative Services (FAS), etc., as required, so the appropriate units are apprised of the update to your grant. 

Note: in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

The following scenarios are considered an Amendment to your Tri-Agency grant, and you should therefore use the Amend a grant (Tri-Agency) process:

1. Adding or removing a team member from your grant
2. Changing the role of a team member (such as changing from Collaborator to Co-Applicant)
3. If a team member changes their affiliation (i.e. moves to a different university)
4. Changing the Principal Applicant (whether from a different institution or not)

If you are unsure, contact a GFO, and they can evaluate your specific scenario and direct you.

If you are a Principal Applicant (PI) on a SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, or NFRF grant and would like to add a partner institution formally to your partnership-type grant, you will typically follow the below steps. For simplicity, the steps below use the SSHRC Partnership Grant as an example; if you are the PI on a different program, please contact an HSS GFO for specific guidance on your scenario. If you are a Co-Applicant, you will have to request that the PI coordinate the below through their institution or Memorial unit.

Adding a partner to your project necessarily involves first obtaining approvals from your department, the Dean's Office, and Memorial's Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) prior to submission of the request to SSHRC. Therefore, adding a partner is coordinated through the GFOs who can coordinate things with the various units.

1. In coordination with the partner institution, complete the latest version of the Partner Addition Form (for Partnership Grants, Partnership Development Grants and Partnership Engage Grants). Email the letter to the GFO, who will review and provide feedback, if necessary.
2. The Partner institution must write and sign a Letter of Support (LoS). The GFO can advise on eligible in-kind or cash contributions and review the Letter OF Support to ensure it meets SSHRC's Guidelines on this.
   • Do not sign or seek Memorial approvals at this time 
3. Once the final versions of the Form and LoS have been drafted, the GFO will draft an RIS Amendment Event on your existing Researcher Portal (RP) file and upload the documentation to it.
4. The GFO will then seek departmental and Dean's Office approvals via email on your behalf, make a pdf of these approvals, and upload them to the RP Event.
5. The GFO will direct you to the draft Amendment Event and ask you to review all the tabs and review and confirm the documents attached. If you are in agreement with the contents of the Amendment Event, click 'submit'.
6. This will route the RP Event to an RIS Officer who will review and, upon approval by the RIS Director, will email you a letter indicating Memorial's approval.
7. You will then email the form, Partner Letter of Support and Memorial's approval letter to SSHRC. Note that the Tri-Agency may request further documentation or have questions.
8. When you receive an answer from SSHRC, you will forward the email to RIS and the GFO. RIS will update your RP file.  

Note that in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

NOTE: If you are applying to Mitacs Accelerate through the Mitacs-SSHRC Joint Initiative, the Partner institution who will host the Mitacs intern MUST first be added as a formal partner to your SSHRC partnership grant before Mitacs can process your Accelerate application.

If you have already been awarded a grant or have received signature on an agreement and, either the granting agency or a partner institution involved in the project, would like an (additional/other) agreement signed, the below steps apply to you. If you are unsure, contact an HSS GFO before beginning this process. 

1. Login to your Researcher Portal account, search for your existing RP file using the 8-digit ROMEO ID.
2. Once found in the results, ensure that there is an 'Events' button showing next to the file.
   1. If no 'Events' button is showing, contact a GFO - you cannot proceed.
   2. If there's an 'Events' button, click it.
3. In the Events Menu for your RP file, select "RIS Agreement Event" in the list of event types.
4. Complete all tabs in the Event - only those marked with an asterisk are mandatory;
   • Note that you require the assistance of an RIS Contracts Officer; you will receive an email from RIS notifying you which Officer has been assigned to your file;
   • Note any relevant deadlines or timelines in the Event.
5. Upload all documentation pertaining to the agreement to the "Attachments" tab, including:
   • a copy of the draft agreement (if you have one; it is not required!);
   • if applicable, all supporting documents for cash and in-kind commitments, letters of support, certifications and permits, evidence of Indigenous community involvement, etc., that pertain to the agreement and are NOT already included in the original 'parent' RP file.
6. When you have completed all tabs, press "Submit."
7. Depending on the nature of the Agreement, it may be required to:
   1. Seek endorsement and even approval of the agreement from your Department Head and the HSS Dean's Office (the RIS Contracts Officer will facilitate these);
   2. Provide more documentation or work closely with the RIS Contracts Officer on drafting an agreement text.

Note: in incidence of a conflict of interest with an approver, or in the case of Acting Heads, alternative procedures apply - contact a GFO in this case.

Note: that in some cases, an RIS Contracts Officer may request a separate RP file for your Agreement. You will be notified if this is the case and the steps will follow the full Agreement process. 

An amendment request or form does not need to be submitted for Tri-Agency budget changes. 

The Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA, 2020) is rooted in principles-based accounting. This means that researchers now have considerable leeway in adjusting and amending their budgets for their funded grants. Generally, a Principal Applicant can redesign the budget as they see fit, as long as the expenses are still eligible according to the TAGFA and continue to support the intent, objectives and purpose of the project as outlined in the proposal that was awarded. In addition, of course, those expenses must also adhere to Memorial's own institutional policies.

If you have questions on whether an expense is eligible or wish to obtain clarification, you can:

1. Seek assistance through your departmental administrative staff who can connect with Financial Administrative Services (FAS)- Research Accounting
2. Consult an HSS GFO 
3. If doubts persist, you can email the appropriate agency directly.

Whether or not you can change a budget after securing funding depends entirely on the sponsor's regulations and review. Contact an HSS GFO who can assess and advise you on the appropriate next steps.

Changing a budget, according to some sponsors, is a type of Amendment, and should follow the appropriate amendment processes outlined in the "How do I...?" guide here: Amend a grant (non-Tri-Agency).

Tri-Agency

For Tri-Agency grants, it is possible to pause a grant by deferring payment of funds (sometimes called a disbursement) to Memorial for your grant for one year, but only following the initial deposit for year one. If you would like to defer a Tri-Agency deposit, contact an HSS GFO so they can assess your specific grant. For one-year programs such as Connection Grants and Partnership Engage Grants, deferrals are not permitted as there's only one deposit; for these types of grants, you can instead request an extension once you are in the automatic extension year.

Typically, Tri-Agency deferral requests follow the Amend a grant (Tri-Agency) process.

Non-Tri-Agency

For non-Tri-Agency sponsors, whether or not you can defer a payment depends on the Terms and Conditions of the grant; not all sponsors permit a pause or deferral. Again, contact the HSS GFOs who can assess your file. If deferral is allowed, typically the process will follow the Amend a grant (non-Tri-Agency) process.