News from the Office of the Associate Chair Research

Reminder to Graduate Students Applying for Research Funding
When applying for research funding, please do not submit your application to the department for signature and then be unavailable (i.e. leave for the winter break). It is YOUR responsibility to submit your application to the funding agency and your application will be returned to you once signatures have been obtained. You should also be available to answer any questions/concerns that signatories may have concerning your application.

REMINDER -- Processing Research Funding Applications
Please notify Peggy in CW405 of the results of any research funding applications and provide her with a copy of the official notice from the funding agency as well as any cheques that you receive. Peggy will forward this information and the cheque (if one is sent) to our Research Services Office contact to facilitate trust account set-up. It is also important to know when an application is not funded, so please give Peggy copies of these notices as well. Please advise your graduate students who apply for research funding to follow this process also. Information about results of funding applications is necessary to maintain departmental records and to provide accurate reports of research funding to University Administration. Your assistance in keeping the department informed is greatly appreciated.

Extensions of Project Grant Account End Dates (Agencies other than CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC)
The Research Grants Office requires written approval from the granting agency in order to authorize Research and Trust Accounting to extend the end date of a researcher's project grant account. The researcher/account holder must contact the agency in advance of the project end date to request an extension to the research grant. Please bring a copy of the agency's written approval of the extension to Peggy in CW405. These extensions must be signed by department, faculty, and sent to the Research Grants Office.

Attention: Researchers in the Cooking Lake/Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area
Before starting any research activity in this area, you are asked to first contact Ed Whitelock, Resource Conservation Officer, for permission (office: (780) 922-3293, cell: 499-2110, fax: 922-5554). Ed will provide you with information on regulations and road access, etc. Please also note that the managers of the Blackfoot Recreation Area would like to receive reports of research results for any research project that occurs wholly or partly within the recreation area. If you have previously carried out research in this area and have not already done so, please submit a report to Ed Whitelock. Your cooperation in these matters will help to ensure continued access to this area in the future.  

New Science-Related Search Engine
For those of you who frequently search the internet for scientific information you may want to try the new search engine SCIRUS at http://www.scirus.com/.

Ineligible Charges on Grants
Over the last number of months, four categories have emerged which account for approximately 80% of ineligible charges to Tri-Council grants. They are:

• Hosting or entertainment, and alcoholic beverages
• Telephone (land line or cell phone - unless pre-approved by the agency due to the nature of the research being funded)
• Memberships in professional associations or scientific societies (please note a change to Tri-Council policy, effective 1 September 2004, allows for certain memberships to be charged to grants if they direct
  economic benefits to the research program/project).
• Stipend top-up to students and Post-Doctoral Fellows supported by Tri-Council funding using funds from the same Council.
• Vehicle insurance