The My Research (MR) Initiative is a collaborative undertaking between the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) and Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI). Its goal is to develop more effective and efficient research administration processes and online tools that improve risk management practices while reducing administrative burden on faculty, administrators, and staff at the University of Toronto (U of T).
As part of this initiative, VPRI is revitalizing and modernizing the My Research (MR) System, a suite of essential tools that support oversight of research activities, facilitate timely research approvals, and ensure regulatory and ethics compliance. The primary goal of this modernization is to sustain the technical health and usability of these applications, reduce information security risks, and enhance overall user satisfaction.
This work demonstrates a long-standing commitment to continuously improving research administration systems and tools at the University of Toronto. A cross-functional governance group — made up of representatives from both VPRI and EASI — plays a key role in identifying needs and setting priorities. Their approach is guided by ongoing consultation with stakeholders across the research community, ensuring that system enhancements are responsive to user needs, aligned with U of T’s broader strategic goals and feasible within available resources and budget.
Most recently the MR Initiative has already delivered key milestones, including the launch of the renewed My Research Applications & Agreements (MRA) system in 2021, Phase 1 of the My Research Funds (MRF) system in 2023, and Research Security enhancements in 2025.
Currently, the following initiatives are in progress.
- MRF Phase 2
- Environmental Health & Safety (EHS): Safety Platform for Research & Occupational Health at U of T (SPROUT)
- My Research Ethics Modules Modernization (My Research Animal Protocols (MRAP) and My Research Human Protocols (MRHP))
My Research Applications & Agreements Renewal Initiative
The My Research Applications & Agreements (MRA) renewal Initiative involved the rebuild of the legacy MRA system into a new and modern tool to better support the research and innovation community. The renewed system brought better navigation, a simplified process for submitting research funding for approval, and improved system performance. The renewed MRA system launched in August 2021.
For more information on MRA, including how to access the system and find support documentation, please visit the My Research Applications & Agreements.
MRF Initiative: Phase 1 - University of Toronto Research Account (UTRAC)
The MRF Initiative is the redevelopment of the Funded Research Digest (FReD) into the modern University of Toronto Research Account (UTRAC). The new platform allows Principal Investigators (PIs), business officers, and project managers to access key research funding information in a streamlined interface with built-in support features. Phase 1 launched in December 2023 and Phase 2, which will involve the modernization of expense reports, is currently in progress. For more details, see the ongoing initiatives section of this page.
For more information on UTRAC, including how to access the system and find support documentation, please visit My Research Funds.
Research Security Enhancements
Research security identifies potential risks to scholarly research practices through unwanted access, interference, or theft and the measures that can be taken to minimize these risks and protect research inputs, processes, and products. To support compliance with new federal, provincial, and other regulations to address research security concerns, a new section was added to both funding application and non-funded agreement modules of MRA in July 2025. The new section includes a link to the Research Security Self-Assessment Tool to help users identify if their research funding application is subject to applicable research security requirements.
MRF Initiative: Phase 2 - Rebuilding Expense Reports
As outlined in the Completed Initiatives section, Phase 1 of the MRF Initiative launched in December 2023. Phase 2 of the MRF Initiative will involve the rebuild of the financial account reporting and funding history tools currently available in My Research On Line (MROL). These tools will be integrated with UTRAC, enabling users to closely monitor their summary-level and detailed expenses alongside other crucial details of their research grants. Notable among the enhancements will be more powerful reporting and tracking capabilities, as requested by end-users.
Phase 2 of MRF is scheduled to launch in 2026.
For more information on Phase 2 of MRF, visit My Research Funds Initiative.
My Research Ethics Modules Modernization Initiative
The My Research Human Ethics Protocols (MRHP) and the My Research Animal Ethics Protocols (MRAP) systems will be streamlined and modernized to better serve the U of T research & innovation community. This initiative is currently in its early stages and additional information about the changes will be shared with the user community in the future.
EHS SPROUT Initiative
The foundational systems currently in use by EHS for monitoring equipment/assets, training, biosafety, radiation, medical clearance, and more, are undergoing modernization to enhance their functionality, improve their user experience, and maintain their regulatory compliance and information security capabilities.
SPROUT will launch in phases across 2025-2026.
- Provide leadership and project oversight
- Consult and communicate with stakeholders/research community
- Develop functional requirements
- Work with technical developers on development and testing
- Perform on-going system administration
- Provide user support and training
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