ISER Research Grants (up to $8,000 each) are available to students, faculty members, and staff affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities and Social sciences (HSS) at Memorial University to help defray the costs of research projects. Membership in HSS is defined as follows:

ISER defines a Memorial HSS applicant as "Full-time and retired tenured and tenure-stream faculty members from Memorial’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS); postdoctoral fellows who hold an appointment with an HSS unit; instructors who currently hold a contractual or a per course appointment with HSS; students currently enrolled in HSS programs seeking funding for projects to be completed for these programs; staff working within HSS units; and faculty who are adjuncts or are cross- or joint-appointed to HSS units."

Applications are evaluated by a multi-disciplinary Awards Panel according to their relevance to the ISER mandate and the merits of the proposals and the applicants. The Awards Panel recommends which applicants to fund and in what amounts. The recommendations are made to the Executive Committee which makes the final decisions. Once awarded, research grants are normally tenable for one year.

Note: Priority will be given to new applicants or former applicants with new projects. Those applying to extend a previously funded project should provide an update on progress since the last application and clarify what new work is proposed under the current application. The same applicant will not normally be funded more than two times over a three-year period. Travel to conferences and related expenses by an applicant or members of a research team are not eligible. 

Information for Applicants

Submission Processes

For the Research Grant, all applicants must submit their applications through the Memorial Researcher Portal by the HSS internal deadline, in advance of the Institute's deadline. The Dean's Office will provide the Institute with access to these applications following departmental and faculty review and approval. Applicants should confirm the internal deadline for the Dean's Office in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

To apply for a research grant:

• Complete an ISER Research Grant Application in accordance with the set of instructions that matches your role. Links to new application instructions can be found here:  
  • ISER Research Grant Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellow and Staff Applicant Instruction
  • ISER Research Grant Instructions - Graduate Student

• Fill in the Applicant section on the ISER Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form and then email it to the referee. Completed letters are sent directly by referees to iser@mun.ca. Note: letters of appraisal are not required for tenure-stream and tenured faculty. The link to the ISER Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form can be found here: ISER Research Grant Letter of Appraisal

2. University/Institute Policies and Procedures

Applicants must follow all relevant university rates, policies and procedures associated with their applications including those pertaining to ethics, other required clearances and licenses, and Memorial’s policy on Research Impacting Indigenous Groups (RIIG).

a. Graduate Student Researchers

If you are a graduate student research grant recipient, Smallwood/ISER will release the research grant funds to your supervisor as the account holder. This is in keeping with the practice of other research units at Memorial. You will be listed as the awardee and are responsible for putting the application into the researcher portal.

b. Allowable Expenses

Only eligible/allowable expenses can be considered. Please carefully review the application instructions that apply to your role in terms of which budgetary categories apply. If you are uncertain about whether an expense is allowable for your application, please consult the Administrative Assistant (iser@mun.ca). Ineligible expenses that are included in a budget will be subtracted from the approved funding allotted to a grantee.

c. Travel Expenses:

Expenses are reimbursed according to the Memorial University Travel Policy: https://www.mun.ca/finance/sections/Travel.php, at the rates outlined in the university’s Schedule of Reimbursable Expenses: https://www.mun.ca/policy/browse/policies/view.php?policy=317.

d. Research Assistants:

Research Assistants are paid at Memorial’s rates. A time sheet recording the specific hours worked needs to be submitted for each research assistant.

As noted in the application instructions, only HSS faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff may include research assistantships in the budgets of grant applications. Therefore, if such funding is necessary for a graduate student thesis project, the application must be submitted by the student's faculty supervisor rather than by the student.

Note: The Smallwood Foundation and ISER normally limits expenditures on research assistants or technical services to support graduate students' thesis projects to those providing essential fieldwork assistance or highly specialized skills.

Reimbursement of Expenses:

Expenses can only be reimbursed for the period of the grant. Invoices or receipts must be dated between the initiation of the grant and its end date.

Deviations:

Grantees are expected to conform to their approved budget. In cases where a grantee’s expenses (or proposed expenses) deviate from those outlined in their initial budget, they must request a deviation in writing, providing justification for the change. It is important that any deviations follow Memorial financial administration policies and eligibility criteria for ISER research grants. Requests are sent to the Administrative Assistant and reviewed and approved by the Administrative Assistant and/or Director.

Ineligible Expenses:

- There is no remuneration for “Self Work” at any rate of pay.
- Smallwood/ISER does not fund the purchase of equipment or other capital expenses.
- Smallwood/ISER does not fund travel to conferences within research grants.

3. Extensions

All funds must normally be spent within the year of the award. An extension will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. Requests should be made to the Administrative Assistant for the Director's consideration.