Purpose

Researchers recruited to New Brunswick institutions require financial resources to quickly scale up their research activities. 

Our program supplements institutional investments with a focus on applied research. It provides researchers with resources needed to accelerate their recruitment of graduate students, ability to leverage additional funds, and undertake applied research activities. 

It is meant to increase the amount and quality of applied research conducted in NB institutions and improve graduate student recruitment. It is also meant to increase research investment, especially with private sector involvement. 

Evaluation Criteria

  • May be awarded only once per candidate.
  • Employees may have worked for the institution prior but cannot have previously held a full-time tenure/tenure track position at an NB institution.
  • Cannot receive funding for the role they are being recruited for through the Research Professional Initiative.
  • Candidate may have already signed their employment contract with the NB institution when they submit the TRF application.
  • Application must be submitted within 6 months of researcher’s contract being signed.
  • NBIF reserves the right to make a final decision on eligibility.

 

The role must be:

  • Full-time and physically based in NB.
  • At least 3 years in duration, and with a reasonable expectation that the role will become permanent in the future.
  • A tenure-track faculty position (for universities) when the award is not a shorter term as per the above criteria.
  • A position where approximately 40% of the role is dedicated to research (teaching-only faculty are ineligible).
  • Post-doctoral fellowships are ineligible.
  • Independent (cannot be under the direction of another researcher).

Expenses must be directly linked to the candidate’s research program and should be used to accelerate research activities. Please see the detailed eligibility guide in the NBIF Award Administration Guide.

Briefly, the award may be used for:

  • Lab renovations
  • Purchase of lab equipment, software or licenses
  • Lab personnel salaries, such as students or postdocs
  • Networking events or other research collaboration activities
  • Travel directly related to the research program (e.g. to a conference in order to meet new collaborators or to meetings with industry partners)
  • Purchase of computers or office equipment for use by the candidate or their research group

Exceptions can be approved by NBIF (with a written request/rationale).

Please note the award is not intended to be used as a “rainy day fund” nor should it be reserved to be leveraged at a future date. While the candidate may use the TRF to leverage other sources of funding, the NBIF award must still be fully spent within the 2-year award period and cannot be leveraged against any other NBIF funds.

Submit applications via the NBIF Application portal. Most sections are completed by the institution (for example, by a research administrator) but some portions require applicant input. Once the application is submitted, NBIF will work to evaluate and process the application within ten business days (for applications with no prior communication) and five business days for applications we have been made aware of before the submission date.

NBIF will evaluate applications in accordance with program/internal guidelines and evaluation criteria. Notices of decision (NOD) will be sent the institution’s research administration office and the applicant following review. Annual budgeting for this program is subject to change.

The award start date will be the date that the applicant has indicated in their submission. If that date is more than six months from the submission date, expect follow-up from NBIF as our standard six month window to confirm award conditions applies in this situation. The award end date is 2 years later, at which point all remaining funding must be returned to NBIF. A maximum extension of 6 months is possible, on written request and subject to NBIF approval.

After 1 year, the recipient will be asked to report on initial progress and provide a financial report. At this point, the program manager from NBIF will reach out to the applicant to ensure ownership of the application in the portal resides with them. It is understood that in most cases the application is submitted by a research administrator or member of the recruiting faculty/department and switching ownership ensures reporting functions properly. After 2.5 years from the start date, a detailed technical report will be required along with a final financial report.

$55k to $100k.

An application for a standard award ($55k) does not need to demonstrate any matching funds. If there are other funds being offered by the institution, or through a department, faculty or endowment, the NBIF collects this information for internal purposes.

Awards greater than $55k are granted only for the creation of a significant new position that is highly influential for the institution, such as a research chair. Larger award sizes will be reserved for the most impactful research programs that can demonstrate significant potential for direct or indirect economic benefit for NB.

Applications seeking awards of more than $55k are required to demonstrate that there are other secured funds (including in-kind contributions from the institution or external partners) equivalent to a minimum of 40% of the requested award. This may be clearly indicated in the available fields in the application form.