The Research Support Fund (RSF) assists Canadian postsecondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with expenses associated with managing research funded by the three federal granting agencies (Tri-Agencies):
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
RSF grants may be used to:
- Maintain modern laboratories and equipment
- Provide access to up-to-date knowledge resources
- Support research management and administration
- Ensure compliance with regulatory and ethical standards
- Facilitate knowledge transfer from academia to the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors
For more information, please visit the Research Support Fund website.
Research Support Funds at Aurora College
Aurora College uses Research Support Fund (RSF) resources to offset the indirect costs of supporting its research enterprise. These funds are administered through the Aurora Research Institute (ARI), the College’s research division. Indirect costs represent essential operational expenses that are not directly attributable to individual research projects but are necessary to sustain a functional and effective research environment.
Eligible expenditures fall within five categories:
- Research facilities
- Research resources
- Management and administration of the institution’s research enterprise
- Regulatory requirements and accreditation
- Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization
In practice, Aurora College primarily directs its RSF funding toward the management and administration of research, including strengthening the capacity of the Research Services Office through dedicated staff and research administration systems. Additional investments support research resources, particularly library services at the Western Arctic Research Centre. Since 2017, Aurora College and its affiliates have received $6,686,239 in RSF funding, which has also supported activities related to research data management and research ethics, including expenses required to ensure responsible conduct of research.
Research Support Funds at Affiliated Institutions
In 2018, Aurora College formalized an agreement with Hotıì ts’eeda (HT), 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 distributes Research Support Fund (RSF) resources to support the indirect operating costs of 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 engaged in research, research facilitation, training, knowledge synthesis, exchange, and dissemination in the Northwest Territories.
To learn more about how ICHR utilizes Research Support Fund (RSF) resources, visit: https://www.ichr.ca/research/research-support-fund/
Public Accountability of Research Support Funds to Aurora College and Its Affiliate Organizations
The following documents provide information on Research Support Fund (RSF) allocations to Aurora College and its affiliate organizations:
- Total RSF funding allocated to Aurora College and its affiliate organizations from 2017 to 2027: Link [FG1]
- Allocation of RSF funding to each of the five eligible expenditure categories for Aurora College and its affiliate organizations from 2018 to 2027: Link [FG2]
[FG1] Total RSF Funding to Aurora College and Affiliate Organizations (PDF)
[FG2] Distribution of RSF Funding to Aurora College and Affiliate Organizations (PDF)
Aurora College RSF Funding
Research Support Fund Allocations and Performance Objectives:
- RSF 2026 – 2027 (Projected Allocations and Performance Objectives)
- RSF 2025 – 2026 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
- RSF 2024 – 2025 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
- RSF 2023 – 2024 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
- RSF 2022 – 2023 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
- RSF 2021 – 2022 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
- RSF 2020 – 2021 (Finalized Allocations and Updated Objectives)
Research Security at Aurora College
Aurora College is committed to protecting the integrity, security, and responsible conduct of research while maintaining an open and collaborative research environment. Research Security grant funding supports the development and implementation of policies, procedures, training, and risk assessment processes that help identify and mitigate potential risks associated with research partnerships, sensitive technologies, data management, and international collaborations. These activities strengthen the institution’s ability to protect research data, intellectual property, Indigenous Knowledge, and research infrastructure while ensuring compliance with federal research security requirements.
Since the introduction of the federal Research Security funding program in 2022, Aurora College has used this support to strengthen its capacity to identify, assess, and mitigate research security risks and to support the implementation of national research security guidelines. Through these efforts, Aurora College promotes secure research partnerships, safeguards valuable research assets, and supports a resilient and trusted research environment.
Research Security Funding