What are indirect costs?
Indirect costs of research are the “hidden costs” associated with enabling research to take place at OCAD University. This includes things like: utilities, cleaning staff, running the Office of Research Services, managing the activities of the Research Ethics Board, and providing basic infrastructure support like internet connections, financial management systems, HR/payroll management for the hiring of research assistants, and so on.
Without funding for indirect costs of research, it would be impossible for a small institution like OCAD University to provide sufficient support to researchers to carry out their work.
What is the Research Support Fund?
The Research Support Fund (RSF) provides support towards the indirect costs of research. The amount of money that OCAD University receives is directly related to its share of Tri-Agency funding it receives (i.e., the amount of money from SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR).
Because the RSF is supported by Canadian taxpayers, it is important for the general public to see how these funds have been allocated at OCAD University.
In the 2016-17 fiscal year, OCAD University received $256,913 from the RSF. It was used to provide support to researchers through the following mechanisms:
- License for the ROMEO research management software (which is also used for REB protocol submissions and reviews)
- Maintenance on network infrastructure
- Salaries for research administration-related staff, including:
- Manager of Research the Ethics Board
- Research Projects Officers
- Research Accountant