Research Support Fund

UPDATED June 5, 2026

The Research Support Fund (formerly known as the Indirect Costs of Research program) was introduced in 2003 as part of the federal government’s strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. The Fund helps Canadian post-secondary institutions with expenses associated with managing research funded by the three federal funding agencies: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It reinforces the federal government research investment by helping institutions ensure that their federally funded research projects are conducted in high-quality facilities with the best equipment and administrative support available. The Fund has a budget of over $360 million and serves more than 100 post-secondary institutions across the country. RSF funding is vitally important to the research ecosystems at MSVU. To explore some of the successes of RSF contributions, please see the Impacts of RSF Investments page.

Definition of Indirect Costs

There are a number of centralized institutional activities and services that support the research mandate of the University. These vary in scope and size but are critical to our success. Institutional activities and support services include the following areas:

Library: operations and information acquisitions and resources;
Research Administration: Research Office services including research ethics, animal care, grants and contracts administration and legislated requirements for reporting on grants and activities, communications, and the Industry Liaison Office (ILO);
Research Support Services: a wide range of services, including research accounting, occupational health, and lab safety.

Each of these activities are vital to the overall effectiveness of the institution.

Each year the Mount receives a grant through the Research Support Fund to help pay for a portion of the central and departmental administrative costs related to federally funded research. For 2025-2026, based on a formula calculated on the percentage of federal research funding awarded, the Mount was allocated $770,579. These funds were used as follows:

Research Facilities: $0.00 (0%)

Research Resources: $453,998 (59%)
This funding is used for library acquisitions to support our students and faculty in conducting their research.

Management and Administration: $285,681 (37%)
There are significant staffing resources that go into the management and administration of research projects. The following examples demonstrate some of the areas and offices involved:

The Research Office, led by the Associate Vice-President, Research, handles oversight and development of research initiatives including applying for grants, and communication of the MSVU-related research objectives and outcomes, as well as research ethics and compliance.
Financial Services personnel who handle equipment procurement, materials and supplies for research, grant accounting and report submission, payroll services, and payment of research expenditures.
Human Resources, which handles any search processes and hiring of employees for grant initiatives.

Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation: $15,000 (2%)
Research Support Funding is used to support a portion of the expenditures related to the process of Research Ethics (both human and animal) review, clearance, oversight and compliance, as well as the Canadian Council on Animal Care required fees.

Intellectual Property: $16,000 (2%)
The Mount shares the cost of the Industry Liaison Office with several other local universities.

For Historical RSF Reports see below:

MSVU is committed to transparency and accountability in how our RSF is allocated and administered. We recognize that support for the RSF that is received is provided through Canadian taxpayer investments. We are pleased to provide these documents publicly in order to provide information on the funds that we receive and how we utilize these funds in keeping with the RSF Eligible and ineligible expenditures guidance.

2026-2027 Proposed RSF Allocation

For 2026-2027, the Mount proposes to use its allocated funds of $749,027 as follows:

Research Facilities (0%): $0
Research Resources (58%): $432,346
Management and Administration (38%): $285,681
Regulatory Requirements and Accreditation (2%): $15,000
Intellectual Property (2%): $16,000

2026-2027 Forecasted RSF Allocation

RSF Communication Plan

The MSVU Research Office has developed a Communications Plan (updated May 2025) specifically for the RSF. Through its communications efforts, MSVU will help bring awareness to the value and impact of the RSF in the MSVU research community and the Canadian research environment, as well as ensuring accountability to stakeholders.