Research Support Fund

The Research Support Fund assists Canadian postsecondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with the expenses associated with managing the research funded by the three federal research granting agencies:

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR);
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC);
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Research Support Fund grants can be used to: maintain modern labs and equipment; provide access to up-to-date knowledge resources; provide research management and administrative support; meet regulatory and ethical standards; and transfer knowledge from academia to the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. For more information please visit the Research Support Fund website.


Affiliated Institutions 

In 2018, Aurora College formalized an agreement with Hotıì ts’eeda, the Strategic Patient Oriented Research Program (SPOR) Support for Patient Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit for the Northwest Territories, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and hosted by the Tłįchǫ Government to administer Research Support Funds.  To learn how Hotıì ts’eeda has allocated RSF to cover the indirect operating expenses to support research projects visit: https://nwtspor.ca/about/research-support-fund-accountability

 

 

In 2020, Aurora College formalized an agreement with the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR), an independent, non-profit organization actively engaged in research, research facilitation, training, synthesis, exchange and dissemination within the Northwest Territories. 

 

 

Research Support Fund at Aurora Research Institute

Aurora Research Institute receives funds from the Research Support Fund to cover the indirect costs of research. Indirect costs are expenses that are real, ongoing, operating expenses not directly associated with any one research project. This includes libraries, electricity, administrative expenses, facilities maintenance, and buildings.

Institutions have the flexibility to decide how to use their grant in the following categories:

Five Expenditure Categories

  1. Research facilities
  2. Research resources
  3. Management and administration of an institution’s research enterprise
  4. Regulatory requirements and accreditation
  5. Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization

Aurora College has used these funds to support research resources of the library at the Western Arctic Research Centre. 

From 2017 to 2025, the research support funds that Aurora College received were used to support research administration and research administration systems.

 

Research Support Fund Grant Amounts 2017-2025

Year
Total Amount Received
Aurora College
Hotıì ts’eeda
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research
    2024/25
$1,006,828
$305,529
$629,905
$71,393
2023/24
$962,900
$225,494
$687,309
$50,097
2022/23
$937,311
$200,079
$709,767
$27,465
2021/22
$851,150
$125,080
$718,630
$7,440
2020/21
$593,051
$76,717
$516,334
-
2019/20
$321,043
$43,109
$277,934
-
2018/19
$48,440
$48,440
-
-
2017/18
$31,466
$31,466
-
-
 

Aurora College plants to spend 60% of the funds on management and administration, 20% on research facilities, and 20% on regulatory requirements and accreditation activities in 2024-2025.

From 2017 - 2025, the research support funds that Aurora College received were used to support research administration and research administration systems.
 

2024/25 Research Support Fund Performance Objectives

Eligible Expenditure Category
Institutional Output
Institutional Performance Objective
Performance Indicator 
Target Outcome
Outcomes Reported at Year End
Management and administration of research enterprise
Investment into salary for research administration staff
Investment into research administration software
Full-time Research Administration Staff
Research Administration software
Full time research administrator on staff
Software eases burden of research administration  
Improved reporting and tracking of research programs
Office of Research Service provide high quality support for staff researchers to lesson time burden of research administration  
Expanded institutional reporting capabilities
 
Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
Knowledge Mobilization projects 
Promote research led by NWT academic and Indigenous scholars to a broader audience
Execution of KM projects that address performance objective
Increased discoverability of Northern science and Indigenous knowledge
 

 

2023/24 Research Support Fund Performance Objectives

Eligible Expenditure Category
Institutional Output
Institutional Performance Objective
Performance Indicator 
Target Outcome
Outcomes Reported at Year End
Management and administration of research enterprise
Investment into salary for research administration staff
Investment into research administration software
Full-time Research Administration Staff
Research Administration software
Full time research administrator on staff
Software eases burden of research administration  
Improved reporting and tracking of research programs
Office of Research Service provide high quality support for staff researchers to lesson time burden of research administration  
Expanded institutional reporting capabilities
Full-time research administration staff supporting researchers.
Administration Software in place
Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
Knowledge Mobilization projects 
Promote research led by NWT academic and Indigenous scholars to a broader audience
Execution of KM projects that address performance objective
Increased discoverability of Northern science and Indigenous knowledge
Increased sharing of information for northern research programs

 

2022/23 Research Support Fund Performance Objectives

Eligible Expenditure Category
Institutional Output
Institutional Performance Objective
Performance Indicator 
Target Outcome
Outcomes Reported at Year End
Management and administration of research enterprise
Investment into salary for research administration staff
Investment into research administration software
Full-time Research Administration Staff
Research Administration software
Full time research administrator on staff
Software eases burden of research administration  
Improved reporting and tracking of research programs
Office of Research Service provide high quality support for staff researchers to lesson time burden of research administration  
Expanded institutional reporting capabilities
Full-time research administration staff supporting researchers.
Administration Software in place
Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
Knowledge Mobilization projects
Promote research led by NWT academic and Indigenous scholars to a broader audience
Execution of KM projects that address performance objective
Increased discoverability of Northern science and Indigenous knowledge
Increased sharing of information for northern research programs

2021/22 Research Support Fund Performance Objectives 

Eligible Expenditure Category
Institutional Output
Institutional Performance Objective
Performance Indicator 
Target Outcome
Outcomes Reported at Year End
Management and administration of research enterprise
Investment into salary for research administration staff
Investment into research administration software
Full-time Research Administration Staff
Research Administration software
Full time research administrator on staff
Software eases burden of research administration  
Improved reporting and tracking of research programs
Office of Research Service provide high quality support for staff researchers to lesson time burden of research administration  
Expanded institutional reporting capabilities
Full-time research administration staff supporting researchers
ROMEO Process Pathways Research Administration Software in place
Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) projects  
Promote research led by NWT academic and Indigenous scholars to a broader audience
Execution of KMb projects that address performance objective
Increased discoverability of Northern science and Indigenous knowledge
Increased sharing of information for northern research programs

 

2020/21 Research Support Fund Performance Objectives 

Eligible Expenditure Category
Institutional Output
Institutional Performance Objective
Performance Indicator 
Target Outcome
Outcomes Reported at Year End
Management and administration of research enterprise
Investment into salary for research administration staff at Aurora Research Institute
Investment into research administration software at Aurora Research Institute
Full-time Research Administration Staff
Research Administration software
Full time research administrator on staff
Software eases burden of research administration  
Improved reporting and tracking of research programs
Office of Research Service provide high quality support for staff researchers to lesson time burden of research administration  
Expanded institutional reporting capabilities
FT Research Administration Staff supporting researchers
ROMEO Process Pathways Research Administration Software in place


Research Security 

Recently, Aurora College carried out an exhaustive review of its Information Systems Technology (IST) and has subsequently devised a comprehensive Technology Strategy and Roadmap. This initiative also encompasses the audit and review of institutional security measures and data management protocols.

For the fiscal year of 2023-2024, the college is set to receive a budget allocation of $1,094, specifically earmarked for bolstering its research security initiatives.
 

Research Security Performance Objectives for 2023-2024

Project Title
Output
Performance Objective
Performance Indicator
Target Outcome
Aurora College Technology Strategy and Roadmap
$1,094  received from RSF invested in the review of institutional IT structures
Improve data security at the institution.
Identify security risks and vulnerabilities
Complete institutional audit and develop a roadmap for improvements.