Background and Purpose

The Regional Research Fund (RRF) is based on money provided through a regional endowment where the interest gained each year is awarded to Lakehead University academic staff. The purpose is to stimulate pilot research which has a direct application to, and a specific relevance for, Northwestern Ontario. The Senate Research Committee (SRC) is responsible for peer-reviewing applications to the RRF. 

Eligibility

As per the parameters of the endowment, the RRF is open to faculty members on both campuses in the Professional Schools of Kinesiology, Nursing, Outdoor Recreation, and Parks & Tourism, and in the Faculties of Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Natural Resources Management, and Law. Faculty members from the above academic units are eligible if they have not received support from the RRF in the last five years.  

The order of priority for the assessment of the applications is as follows:

1. New projects by tenure-track faculty members.

2. Continuing projects by tenure-track faculty members, based on a request for additional funding (one year only).

3. New projects by tenured faculty members.

4. Continuing projects by tenured faculty members, based on a request for additional funding (one year only).

5. Full-time faculty members who are not in a tenured or tenure-track position are also eligible to receive funding as long as they remain employees of the University while completing the project for which they receive funding. For any funding recipient who ceases to be a Lakehead University faculty member, unused portions of the funding must be returned to the RRF.

Application

Applications are to be submitted electronically via the Romeo Research Portal (application titled "Regional Research Fund"). To log into the Romeo Research Portal, log into Mylnfo using your Lakehead University  username and password, then select Romeo Research Portal from the web utilities menu. Applications to the Regional Research Fund can be opened under APPLY NEW (on the right) by selecting  the Regional Research Fund application menu.

The University recognizes that alternative career paths and/or interruptions (e.g.,  maternity leave, leave due to illness, etc) can impact research achievements and progress. If these alternative paths or interruptions have impacted an applicant's research activities, please outline this in the EDI section of your application. The Committee will ensure that career interruptions are taken into careful consideration in the assessment of applications.

Additional Information

●       A list of the last five (5) years of related publications

●       A list of alternative / non-traditional accomplishments (if relevant)

●       A description of the proposed research including objectives and milestones

●       A description of the research design, including data collection and analysis methodology

●       A summary of the importance of the proposed research, including anticipated benefits to the region and to your own research program at Lakehead University

Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 28 of each year. Should the deadline fall over a weekend, applications will be due the following business day.

Applications not presented in the correct format or missing required information will not be considered for funding.

Funding

Funding will be based on the merit of each application in meeting the purpose of the funds, and on the order of priority of the applications received. Applications should include a budget of up to $1,500.00. After all submissions have been assessed, the SRC will determine the specific amount to be awarded to each successful applicant.

If the proposed budget is greater than the amount available through this fund, researchers must identify other funding sources which will also be used for the project, if applicable. The SRC will consider capital equipment expenditures as part of the proposed budget. Eligible expenses can include: research personnel, materials and supplies, equipment, research travel, and other miscellaneous expenses (see application for details). Please note conference travel is not an eligible expense. 

Applicants who receive funding may be eligible for one additional year of funding in order to continue the project for a second year. This will be conditional upon the submission of the Final/Summary Report and an indication that all research objectives from the previous year's submission have been met. Applicants who wish to be considered for a one-year extension of funding must do so by submitting their request as a new project application in the subsequent year.

Duration

Following a successful application, funds will be available from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. All unused research funds, as of March 31, will be returned to the RRF, unless a request for a one-year extension is submitted before the end of the project (February 28th). If approved, the unused funds will be available to the researcher for another RRF cycle (April 1st to March 31st). 

To accommodate Financial Services, please ensure that no outstanding orders exist as of March 31. Research funds are contracted through Finance Services. 

Ethics Approval

When human or animal subjects are involved in the proposed research study, a formal letter  of research ethics approval from the Lakehead University Research Ethics Board must be included with the submission.

Note: Funds will not be made available until required ethical approval has been obtained.

Accountability:  Final/Summary Report

A Final/Summary Report is required from all funded applicants no later than February 28, annually. The report must be submitted via the Romeo Research Portal. After logging into Romeo, click on "Role: Principal Investigator'' and then on "Applications: Post Review." Find the file number associated with the RRF project, and click on "Events" to submit the Final/Summary Report.

The Final/Summary Report will include the following:

i.    Detailed description as to how the funds were expended;
ii.    A progress report indicating the stage of the research and an indication of the need for an extension of the current funding, if applicable;
iii.    Dissemination details as to how and when the research will be disseminated based on the application.

Please note:

Successful applications which have not submitted their Final/Summary Report by the due date indicated above will not be considered for an extension of the current funding or for any additional funding in the following year.

Applications and Final/Summary Reports will be stored electronically in the Romeo Research Portal. 

Applicants may request that a member of the SRC not be involved in the review of their application due to a conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest may be declared as part of the application in the Romeo Research Portal, and identified individuals will be removed from the review of the candidate's application.

Last reviewed: November 8, 2023