The Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) supports research and innovation partnerships between U of T and external organizations from diverse sectors.
Depending on the nature of the partnership and the anticipated outcome(s), VPRI staff can assist you with the following.
- Finding potential sponsors and programs to help support the research activities.
- Advice on applicable University policies.
- Understanding sponsor program requirements.
- Assisting with institutional endorsement and signature on applications and funding agreements.
- Suggesting other resources that may be available.
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Principal Investigators (PI) must submit research funding applications to the VPRI offices for review and endorsement. Faculty members who are planning to apply for funding are encouraged to login to the My Research Application (MRA) on-line system well in advance of the submission deadline to ensure that there are no problems with their login credentials. The information in the on-line form will be automatically routed to the appropriate internal approvers for review and endorsement.
When PIs at U of T submit applications for research funding to a sponsor, they do so through the university. Sponsors will award funding on behalf of the PI to the university and expect U of T to make the funds available in adherence to the university’s and the sponsor’s policies and guidelines. Sponsors require that U of T endorse the application and attest that the applicant is eligible to conduct the proposed research activities and appropriately manage the research funds.
Only the President and his/her designate, the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives, have the authority to provide institutional endorsement of research applications. Endorsement means that the University will provide financial oversight of the funding, including financial reporting, and that it has policies and procedures in place for the ethical conduct of research, and other assurances sponsors may request to which the University is agreeable.
Applications brought forward for institutional approval must first be reviewed and approved within the appropriate academic unit/division.
When should I contact VPRI about a potential research application?
If you have prepared a draft proposal or application submission, you should submit the request as early as possible in the MRA portal. Many sponsors have inflexible deadlines for the receipt of applications, so be aware of all deadlines and ensure the VPRI office has sufficient time to review, comment and address any concerns with respect to your application.
Do indirect costs need to be applied to all funding applications?
Eligibility of indirect costs varies from sponsor to sponsor. The sponsor guidelines will identify the maximum amount eligible to be applied to indirect costs if any. The University is committed to full cost recovery in research. Therefore, research projects should recover the maximum amount of their direct and indirect costs.
Who can sign my funding application?
Only designated authorized signatories of the University can sign on behalf of the University. In the case of a funding application the authorized designate is the VP-Research, and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives or their delegate.
- Participate in the review of the application and provides feedback with respect to the budget, indirect costs and eligibility requirements of the sponsor
- Act as a resource for information related to the sponsor program
- Ensure applications are consistent with University policies and guidelines
Staff
General Inquiries: Innovations & Partnerships Office
