Step II: Proposal Development

RSO will set up RES projects on Researcher Home Page for the CFI and JEI projects and will send the Project Leader instructions on how to complete the information and submit for workflow approvals. A guide to using the Researcher Home Page can be found here.

The Project Leader will also open a new project on the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS). By the JELF submission deadline, all of the necessary information for the application will be entered on CAMS. More information on using CAMS can be found here.

RSO will also share with the project team a link to a folder on Google Drive containing the following:

• JELF proposal template
• JELF budget spreadsheet template
• JEI proposal template
• Important, proposal-related documents, including CFI and JELF guidelines, JEI guidelines, UofA Strategic Research Plan
• Folders for quotes and documents related to renovations, if applicable

Budget: JELF applicants can request up to a maximum of $800,000 from the CFI. The CFI will allow submission of proposals requesting less than or equal to $75,000 from the social sciences, humanities, and arts.

Typically, the JELF budget is finalized before significant work is done on the JELF proposal text:

• The proposal, which discusses the requested infrastructure and research project in the context of the infrastructure, flows logically from the budget.
• The RTA budget provides a good sketch of the budget, but a more comprehensive budget will be created during proposal development. More information on budget development can be found here.
• Quotes will be required for all budget items, where available. More information on obtaining CFI-appropriate quotes can be found here.

Matching funding: Since CFI and JEI funding only covers up to 80% of the total project cost, the other 20% needs to be brought to the project by the project team. Project teams are encouraged to cover as much of this 20% portion as possible with vendor in-kind. More information on in-kind can be found here. If in-kind does not cover the entire 20%, eligible matching funds must be brought to the project to cover the shortfall. More information on eligible sources matching funds can be found in the CFI Policy and program guide (Section 4.8).

Renovations: A contingency of 5% of total project cost is included in the RTA budget for potential renovation costs. UofA F&O will assess the research space in which the requested infrastructure will be housed and, if renovations are deemed necessary, will generate an estimate to be included in the budget. In some cases, the 5% contingency will not be sufficient to cover renovation costs, and the Project Leader may need to request an increase in CFI allocation or bring additional funds to the project. In these cases, the Project Leader should consult RSO for further guidance. If renovations are not required after F&O’s assessment, the 5% contingency will be removed from the budget.

Structure of the CFI JELF proposal

On CAMS, the JELF proposal is built from three modules: 1) Project module, 2) Finance module, and 3) Suggested reviewers module.

1) The Project module includes:

1. Project information: Basic information about the project, such as the title, applicant institution, keywords, and disciplines/areas of application.
2. Plain Language Summary: A short summary, in plain language, of the proposed project – what is being researched, how it is being done, and why it is important. (max. 1500 characters).
3. Researchers: Up to three candidates (applicants) may be listed on the proposal when there is a demonstrated need to share infrastructure. Researchers’ CVs will be appended to the proposal through CAMS (the CFI has its own CV format; Common CV is not needed).
4. Assessment Criteria: A PDF document uploaded to CAMS. For applications requesting over $75,000, applicants must address five criteria within a maximum of 15 pages, as required by the CFI (click the links for more information, including helpful tips):
   1. Research or Technology Development: Description of the proposed research project, including why it is innovative and feasible in an international context. How does the research align with key institutional research investments? (This is discussed in the context of the institutional Strategic Research Plan.)
   2. Researchers: Who is the project team, why are they the best researchers to carry out this project? What is their scientific track record and experience/expertise with the requested infrastructure?
   3. Infrastructure: For each item in the budget, what is it, what does it do, why is it essential for the research, and why can’t existing infrastructure be used?
   4. Institutional Commitment and Sustainability: What institutional supports will be provided for the research and housing of the infrastructure? Discussion of a management plan for the infrastructure. How does the research team plan to ensure that the infrastructure will be operable and maintained for its useful life?
   5. Benefits to Canadians: Discussion of socio-economic benefits of the research, including training of Highly Qualified Personnel. Discussion of knowledge mobilization and/or technology transfer plan.
      
      Applications requesting less than $75,000 only have to address the first three criteria within a maximum of 10 pages.
      
      
5. Financial resources for operation and maintenance: A budget for estimated overall annual costs and sources of support committed to ensuring effective operation and maintenance of the infrastructure for the first five years after it becomes operational.
6. Attraction and retention of leading researchers: Will be completed by RSO.
7. Past/current CFI investments: Will be completed by RSO.

2) The Finance module includes:

1. Cost of individual items: Lists details of each budget line – description, CFI category, and cost. This information is taken from the ‘Summary’ tab of the CFI budget spreadsheet.
2. Floor plans (if applicable): A PDF document uploaded to CAMS. For projects with renovation costs, this document contains the demolition (if any) and renovation floor plans, estimated timeline, and estimated cost, all provided by F&O.
3. Contributions from eligible partners: A list of secured and expected partner funding sources. Matching funds from JEI and other eligible sources (as needed), as well as vendor in-kind, are listed here.
4. Infrastructure utilization: How the infrastructure will be used, by percentage.

3) Suggested reviewers module:

The Project Leader will enter a minimum of six (6) reviewers who are specially qualified to review the proposal and who are not in conflict of interest. Note that the CFI does not exclusively recruit from the list of suggested reviewers provided.

RSO assistance and proposal submission requirements

RSO will assist the applicant(s) throughout proposal development. The current JELF guidelines (March 2021) can be found here. RSO has created the following documents to assist applicants with proposal development:

• RSO Tips for Successful JELF Proposal Development
• JELF application review checklist
• O&M budget reference guide
• Analysis of JELF reviewers’ comments

Alberta Jobs, Economy and Innovation (JEI) matching funds application

The application to JEI for matching funds consists of the Alberta Alignment Module and the JELF application. Even though there is one JEI submission deadline per year, RSO requests that JELF applicants develop a draft of the Alberta Alignment Module concurrently with the JELF proposal so that the material is consistent between the two documents. The Alberta Alignment Module can be updated/revised, if need be, before the JEI submission deadline.

The JEI application is submitted to the Research Capacity Program, which supports the acquisition of research infrastructure by Alberta’s post-secondary institutions. More information can be found in the Research Capacity Program Guidelines.

In the Alberta Alignment Module, the applicant must discuss:

• How the proposed infrastructure will advance
  • a) provincial outcomes and innovation targets as listed in the Alberta Research and Innovation Framework (ARIF).
  • b) institutional research priorities.
• Expected benefits for Alberta and how these will be realized.
• How the research infrastructure will contribute to the attraction and/or retention of talent, as well as overall research excellence in Alberta.
• How the infrastructure relates to existing infrastructure at the institution and other post-secondary institutions in Alberta.

As with the JELF application, RSO will assist with JEI proposal development, and the application must be reviewed and approved for submission by the Office of the VPRI. RSO will submit the application to JEI on the submission deadline.

Mandatory internal deadlines

RSO requests that the Project Leader provide the following no later than 45 days before the JELF submission deadline:

• Completed budget spreadsheet, accompanied by all vendor quotes (renovations may still be pending)
• Complete draft of Assessment Criteria
• Complete draft of Alberta Alignment Module
• Appropriate progress must also have been made on any renovation planning. Consultations with other UofA units may be necessary to discuss construction/renovation, requests for high-performance computing infrastructure, and/or digital data management planning. More information about these requirements, including contacts, can be found here.