Read Me First – Financial Administration

Annual Funding of Grants

Communication of Competition Results

The Agencies:

• will notify applicants informing them of the outcomes of the competitions;
• will provide designated research and business officials in each Institution with the results for all applications (NSERC & SSHRC) or applications to the Operating Grants Program (CIHR) submitted through the Institution (note: this information is provided in confidence; the Agencies do not publish or otherwise disclose details related to unsuccessful applications); and
• will post on their Web sites limited information about successful applications only (e.g., the Grant Holder’s name(s), Institution, grant project title and amount). For precise details on what other information about successful applications the Agencies will post on their Web sites, consult the program literature for each Agency (NSERC & SSHRC).

CIHR only

• Candidates will receive copies of all the relevant external referees' and internal reviewers' assessments of their application, as well as a summary of the committee discussion (when available), with the exception of the names of the external referees and internal reviewers and any comments made regarding other applicants and their identities. Following the competition, copies of publications submitted by the applicant as part of the application will be destroyed.
• Following approval by CIHR, successful applicants for grants are sent an official Authorization for Funding (AFF) informing them of the type and amount of their grants. A copy of the AFF is, in all cases, sent to the business officer of the university or institution concerned.

Payment of Grants

• Most grant funds are paid through a Common Grant Account and sent directly to the Institution's business officer for retention on the Grantee's behalf. The business officer maintains custody of the grant funds, disburses salaries and other expenditures authorized by the Grantee, and provides periodic reports to the Grantee and to the Federal Granting Agencies on the status of grant funds.
• The Institution may not disburse any funds on behalf of the Grantee until all specified certification requirements, such as animal care, biohazards, ethics, etc. have been met.
• No grant funds will be released by the Agencies until all payment conditions have been met (e.g., confirmation of receipt by Institution of partner's contribution, activity reports, eligibility of applicants, environmental assessment).
• Some grants are not paid through the Common Grant Account, and are made directly to recipient Institutions. In these cases, the terms and conditions of the administration of the funds are determined on an individual basis. The terms and conditions could include a memorandum of understanding, reporting requirements and method of payment.
• To ensure that Institutions have complete and accurate funding data on the grant they administer, the Agencies will make available to the research grants officers and business officers, at designated times of the year, a list that identifies all new grants and awards and continuing instalments.

NSERC and SSHRC only

• All subsequent instalments are subject to the availability of funds voted annually to the Federal Granting Agencies by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them. Also, NSERC and SSHRC reserve the right to defer or cancel subsequent instalments if the need for funds is not demonstrated.

Overexpenditures

The Agency is not responsible for funding expenditures or commitments by Grantees that exceed Agency funds applied to the Grantee's credit at the Institution for current and prior fiscal periods.

Continuing Eligibility

To comply with government policy, the Agencies must confirm the Grantee's continued eligibility before releasing future instalments to the Institution. Once a year, the Agencies will provide the Institution's Research Office and Business Office with a listing of grant instalments for the next fiscal year at which time the Institution will be required to confirm that the Grantees continue to meet the Agency’s eligibility criteria.

However, the Institution must contact the Agency's Finance Division as soon as a Grantee's eligibility changes during tenure of the grant. These changes could include a change in position at the Institution, a change from full-time to part-time status, a change to a term position during the course of the grant, or taking a position outside of Canada (academic or other).

NSERC only

If the Grantee's appointment changes from full-time to part-time status, the following must be sent to NSERC's Finance Division:

• Page 1 of Form 100, Appendices B or B1 and C of the Personal Data Form (Form 100)
• An updated budget of proposed expenditures for the remainder of the grant
• An up-to-date Statement of Account (Form 300)

If the Grantee's term position changes during the course of the grant, Appendix B of Form 100 must be submitted.

Extension Period for Use of Funds Beyond Grant Period

• For some programs, an extension period is automatically given to allow the Grantees to use funds remaining in their account beyond the funding expiry date of their grant. This period allows grantees to draw their research activities to a close. Grantees may make and pay new commitments during, but not beyond, this extension.
• Other programs allow extensions by request only (see below for a list of programs and extension periods). For these programs, a written request must be submitted to the Agency's program staff before the funding expiry date of their grant, briefly stating why the extension is required and when they plan to draw their research activities to a close.
• If the request for an extension is not approved, the Grantee has three months to pay commitments made prior to the end of the grant period.
• If funds remain in the account at the end of the Authority to Use Funds period, refer to the paragraph on "Residual Balances in Agency Accounts."