Research Contracts, Grants and Fund Administration Policy

The policy applies to all research contracts and grants that propose the use of any of Humber’s services or resources (including human, physical, and financial).

Definitions:

Ministry: To denote the provincial Ministry(ies) responsible for Colleges and Universities. At the time of writing, this is the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Research: Any internally or externally funded initiative which the College and the academic community in general, consider to be research including:

• Finding solutions to practical problems through the application of knowledge;
• Experimental discovery;
• Activities leading to the publication of books, monographs, and contributions to edited books;
• Unpublished research, including work in progress;
• Consulting and contract work under the auspices of the College, and other professional activities involving research.

Research Contract: An agreement to perform research or research-related activities for a sponsor (see below) under specified conditions in exchange for payment of direct and indirect costs. Normally the sponsor generates the idea for the project and they require that certain guidelines be followed about the direction of the research and/or to the use or publication of research results. In addition, sponsors usually want to retain control of some or all of the Intellectual Property generated from a project. Sponsors of research may include private companies, federal government departments (e.g., Human Resources Development Canada) or federal funding agencies (e.g., Canada Foundation for Innovation), and provincial government ministries (e.g., Ministry of Colleges and Universities), provincial funding agencies (e.g. Regional Innovation Centers such as MaRS) or industry partners, be they for profit or not-for profit.

Research Grant: A fund provided in aid of the independent research activities of a staff member. Grant recipients are expected to use the funds as outlined in the grant proposal and to contribute the results from the research to the public domain without undue delay. The Principal Applicant and co-applicants, not under the direction or in collaboration with the granting agency, usually develop the research methodology. Grant agencies will not typically make any claim to Intellectual Property generated from projects they fund. Grant programs may be offered by federal or provincial agencies (e.g., Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board), non-profit organizations, or foundations (e.g., Ford Foundation, Fulbright Foundation).

Scholarly Activities: Any internally or externally funded initiatives which the College and the academic community in general, consider to be scholarly activities including, but not limited to:

• Preparation of papers for submission to be refereed and non-refereed journals, and those delivered at professional meetings;
• Participation in panels;
• Editorial and referring duties;
• Dissemination of course writing and course design including creation of technological materials; and
• Consulting and contract work under the auspices of the College, and other professional activities involving scholarly activities.

Sponsor: The partner in the project and can be an individual, a for-profit company, a government agency, an academic institution, a private organization or a not-for profit organization. The sponsor takes responsibility for the initiation, management, and/or financing the research project. The sponsor may participate in the conduct of the research. Usually, the sponsor has defined the research project and requires some Humber resources (staff expertise, students, space and/or equipment) in order to complete the project. The sponsor usually remains in control of the final results and any Intellectual Property arising from the project, in compliance with the Humber Intellectual Property policy and/or the research contract.