Internal Deadlines and Administrative Roles for Research Grant Submissions

Introduction

First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) is experiencing significant growth in externally funded research activity, particularly through Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) and other federal and external funding programs. This expansion demonstrates FNUniv’s leadership in Indigenous-led research, but has also highlighted administrative gaps that create risks for funding success and institutional credibility.

This policy formalizes internal deadlines and clarifies administrative submission authority roles, aligning FNUniv with the standards and practices of other Canadian research-focused post-secondary institutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to:

1. Establish internal deadlines for research grant submissions requiring institutional approval.
2. Define and designate submission authority roles to ensure clarity and accountability.
3. Mitigate the risk of missed funding opportunities and reputational harm.
4. Provide faculty and staff with transparent and reliable administrative processes to support research success.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• All FNUniv-affiliated individuals and teams submitting research grant applications that require institutional approval.
• All applications to external research funders, including Tri-Council agencies, federal and provincial funders, and partner organizations.
• All designated administrators responsible for submission and institutional approval of applications.

Policy Statements

The policy states the following:

1. Internal Deadlines
   a. All research grant applications requiring institutional approval must be submitted to the Research Office by an internal deadline of 15 business days prior to the agency deadline.
   b. Applications not received by the internal deadline may not be guaranteed institutional approval or submission to the funder.
2. Administrative Roles and Submission Authority
   a. To ensure clarity and continuity, FNUniv defines the following institutional roles:
   • i. Principal Research Administrator (PRA): Primary institutional authority responsible for submitting applications and reports on behalf of FNUniv, maintaining institutional registrations with external funders, ensuring continuity of submission authority.
   • ii. Alternate Research Administrator (ARA): Designated backup authority who can submit on behalf of FNUniv when the PRA is unavailable; must maintain equivalent system access.
   • iii. Research Administrator Assistant (RAA): Support role responsible for administrative preparation, technical submission readiness, and coordination of deadlines. To be filled by the Research Office’s Research Facilitator and Funding Officer.

3. External Role Mapping
   These FNUniv roles correspond to the submission authorities required by external funding agencies. For example:
   a. SSHRC: Master Research Administrator (MRA)
   b. NSERC: Research Administrator
   c. CIHR: Access Administrator (AA), Principle User (PU), or Authorized Official

FNUniv’s designated administrators will hold the appropriate equivalent role in each system as required.

4. Review and Approval
   a. The Research Office will review all applications received by the internal deadline for:
   • i. Eligibility of applicants and partners.
   • ii. Completeness of required documents and approvals.
   • iii. Budget compliance with funder guidelines.
   • iv. Required institutional and partner signatures.
5. Communication
   a. The Research Office will maintain and publish an internal calendar of major funding deadlines.
   b. Faculty and staff will be notified of internal deadlines at the time of competition release.

Consequences for Noncompliance

All employees must comply with this policy. Exceptions may only be granted in extraordinary circumstances with approval from the Associate Vice President Academic, or delegate.

Review

The policy will be reviewed annually by the Research Office and updates reported to the Board of Governors.