Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish rules, regulations and procedures surrounding research start-up funding provided to faculty members by St. Francis Xavier University. Research start-up funding is generally made available to all new tenure-track faculty members to help them establish their research program at St. Francis Xavier University. Research start-up funding may also be made available to faculty members appointed with tenure(e.g. who have joined StFX from another university).
The purpose of research start-up funding is to help with the recruitment of faculty members. The recruitment of faculty members with strong research potential, as well as the potential to contribute to scholarly/creative activities is highly competitive. Research start-up funding is determined through hiring negotiations involving the appropriate Dean, the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies (AVPRGS), and the Academic Vice President and Provost (AVP). The amount of research start-up funding for a faculty member is determined on a case-by-case basis by a combination of factors, including the overall budgetary circumstances of the university, historical funding levels, and relative cost of research along disciplinary lines. The ultimate decision on the amount of research start-up funding is determined by the AVP.
Scope
University-wide.
Definitions
| Start-up Account | A financial account set up by the Office of Research Services, to transfer negotiated start-up funds to applicable faculty members. The account is created as a research account in the financial system. |
| Granting Agency | Any public or not-for-profit funding source which provides funding for a Research Project. |
| External Sponsor | Any external partner(s), other than a Granting Agency, which provides funding for a Research Project. |
| Faculty Member | St. Francis Xavier University faculty as defined by the Collective Agreement between the StFX AUT and StFX University. |
Policy
- Research start-up funding amounts are stated in official employment offer letters signed by a Dean and approved by the AVP.
- The payment of research start-up funds will not normally be made, nor can costs be incurred against these funds, prior to the official start date of a faculty member. The original amount awarded is not subject to future adjustment.
- The payment of start-up funding is triggered by an initial meeting between a new faculty member and the Associate Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies (AVPRGS) in order to review internal research policies and requirements.
- Once established, the StFX Research Services Group administers and oversees all start-up research fund accounts on behalf of the AVP.
- Use of funds must adhere to all applicable St. Francis Xavier University policies and procedures including (but not limited to) research, financial services, procurement, information technology, ethical compliance, animal care and biosafety, and research integrity policies.
- Eligible expenses for research start-up accounts include, but are not limited to, laboratory supplies and consumables, salaries of staff and students, research equipment, research-related travel, publication costs etc. and are subject to approval by the AVPRGS and/or AVP. Faculty members are not permitted to reimburse themselves for research work undertaken with university start-up funds.
- Equipment or materials purchased with Research Start-Up funds are owned by the university and may only be transferred to another university through a transfer of ownership agreement. No materials or equipment purchased with Research Start-Up funds may be retained by an individual for personal benefit.
- Beginning July 1, 2022, research start-up funds will only generally be available for use within a five-year period from the start date of the appointment and are non-renewable. Exceptions will normally be made only for approved research interruptions or leave periods within the initial 5-year period, in such case, an approved additional period may be added to the start-up research grant period.
- Use of the research start-up funds for an additional year beyond the five-year term is subject to a formal request, justification (including budget/spending plan) and approval by the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies and/or Academic Vice President and Provost.
- Research start-up accounts opened by Financial Services shall only contain the funds provided by the University for research start-up purposes. Faculty members shall not be permitted to transfer research funds from personal or other grant sources to a Research Start-up Account. General Research Accounts can be established for these purposes and are administered under a separate policy.
- Unused research start-up funds remaining after an initial 5 years grant period are returned to the academic budget for reallocation to other research purposes.
- The responsibility for monitoring start-up research account expenditures and ensuring that their research start-up funding accounts do not go into deficit by over expenditure rests with individual faculty members and will be monitored by Financial Services and the ResearchServices Office.
- Over-expenditures are not permitted within research start-up accounts. If such over-expenditures occur, the University will charge over-expenditures against other eligible research funds of the Faculty member.
Procedures
- Start-up funding will be negotiated between the Faculty member, Faculty Dean and the Academic Vice President and Provost, with input of the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies during the hiring process.
- Any research start-up funding awarded to the new Faculty member will be communicated formally in a letter of offer of employment, which must be accepted and signed by the faculty member.
- Once the Faculty member has formally accepted the employment position and commenced their position, a meeting will be set up with the Faculty member and the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies to discuss their expectations and research plan, as well as discuss University research policies and procedures.
- Following a successful meeting with the Faculty member, the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies, will release the start-up funding via memo to the Manager, Research Financial Operations who will set up a start-up account for the new Faculty member.
- The Manager, Research Financial Operations will send communications to Financial Services and the faculty member, requesting a new start-up account be created and the funds transferred for their use.
- The Manager, Research Financial Operations will review research start-up accounts annually together with the Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies and communicate balances that should be spent or over-expenditures that must be addressed within the final year of start-funding accounts.
Related Policies
- StFX Policy on External Research Funding Applications and Agreements
- StFX Research Integrity Policy
- StFX Travel Policy
- StFX Student International Travel Policy
- StFX Procurement Policy
Related Materials
Other University policies consulted in the preparation of this policy:
Simon Fraser University:
https://www.sfu.ca/research/researcher-resources/awards-prizes-and-funding/startup-funding
University of Alberta:
https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/research/resources/faculty/faculty-start-up-funding.html
Concordia University:
https://www.concordia.ca/ginacody/about/funding-resources.html
University of Saskatchewan:
http://policies.usask.ca/policies/research-and-scholarly-activities/research-administration.php
