ISER Research Grants (up to $8,000 each) are available to students, faculty members, and staff affiliated with Memorial University or other institutions, and non-affiliated scholars to help defray the costs of research projects.  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. Applications for travel to conferences and its related expenses will not be accepted as this is not the mandate of ISER.

Information for Applicants

Submission Processes

For the Research Grant, all applicants who are members of Memorial University (faculty, students, staff) must submit their applications through the Memorial Researcher Portal by the internal deadline specified by their Faculty or School, in advance of the Institute's deadline. Memorial University will submit these applications on applicants’ behalf to the Institute following departmental and faculty review and approval. Memorial applicants should check with their Grant Facilitators or unit approvers about internal deadlines. For applicants from Memorial’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the internal deadline for review and Dean's Office sign-off is February 15, 2024. 

External applicants must submit completed applications to iser@mun.ca by March 1, 2024.

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 Instructions - Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows & Staff
  • ISER Research Grant Instructions - Graduate Student
  • ISER Research Grant Instructions - External Applicant

• Fill in the Applicant section on the ISER Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form and then email it to the referee so they can fill in their section. These letters are sent directly by referees to iser@mun.ca for both internal and external applicants. Note: letters of appraisal are not required for tenure-stream and tenured faculty at Memorial University. Link to the ISER Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form can be found here:Letter of Appraisal form

2. University/Institute Policies and Procedures

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

a. Memorial’s Policy on Research Impacting Indigenous Groups (RIIG)

This policy came into effect in 2020 and applies to all research grant applications. All applicants must follow this policy (if applicable to the project) to be considered for funding by the Institute for Social and Economic Research. For more information, please review the material at the Policy web page and ask for assistance from the Indigenous Research Office (indigenousresearch@mun.ca) if you require more information: https://www.mun.ca/research/Indigenous/consent.php.

Note: For internal applicants, compliance with RIIG will be checked as part of the submission to the Memorial Researcher Portal. For external applicants, please email a copy of the Agreement in Principle with your application to iser@mun.ca.

b. Ethics

Memorial University is committed to ensuring that research is conducted following the highest standards of ethical conduct and scholarly integrity. All Smallwood/ISER funded research involving human subjects must conform to Memorial University’s policy, Ethics of Research Involving Human Participants: https://www.mun.ca/policy/browse/policies/view.php?policy=214.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. 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.

f. 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 Memorial faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff may include research assistantships and contracted services 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. Requests are sent to the Administrative Assistant and decided on 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.

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.