All grant applications and proposals being submitted under the auspices of Concordia University of Edmonton must be reviewed and approved by the institution. The External Grant Institutional Signature Page provides important information at the time of application submission in order to facilitate disclosure to all relevant persons and insure institutional awareness and approval of the proposed research. The Signature Page is also important to identify potential institutional processes or certifications that may be required (e.g. ethics) so that the applicant can plan accordingly. The Signature Page ensures all parties are aware of their responsibilities that any university resources affected by the project, including cash and in-kind commitments, research facilities, and workload appointments are managed effectively.
The following submissions require a Signature Page:
- Grant applications to external funding agencies
- Research Contracts and Scope of Work documents (require additional BMO-CIAR approval)
- Notice of Intent (NOI) or Letter of Intent (LOI) to external funding agencies when funding is expected during the preparatory phase of the application
An eligible CUE applicant seeking to submit an application for external research funding must comply with this requirement to obtain authorization to submit. Failure to abide by this requirement may result in an application not being submitted on time or at all, refusal to administer funds by CUE, and even disciplinary actions.
Instructions
A request to authorize a submission must include a copy of a grant application. Grant applications forwarded for institutional signature should be in submission ready form or in the final draft form. The form must be prepared and signed by the applicant and co-applicants (if any), as well as by the Department Head/Director or Faculty Dean.
When ready, both the Signature Page and the grant application must be submitted to the Office of Research Services. These documents will be used by the Office of Research Offices to procure the signatures needed that authorize the submission. For registration, all applications must be presented in original, with the accompanying signature page in original, as well. After institutional sign-off, the signature page will be returned to the applicant who will then be authorized to submit.
Internal Deadlines for the submission of External Grant Institutional Signature Page forms
External Grant Institutional Signature Page forms along with the Grant Application must be submitted to ORS at least seven working days before the deadline set by the funding agency or sponsor. This is an essential requirement for all Tri-Agency grants.
No external applications, including those to SSHRC and NSERC, will be processed, and no CUE Research Resources will be dedicated to applications that have not fulfilled with this requirement in a timely manner.
Applicant eligibility
Only continuing, full-time faculty members are eligible to submit applications for external research funding as an applicant or co-applicant. In some applications for research with industry partners, Government or other entities, an exception to this rule may be awarded by a Vice-President or CUE’s President, as per CUE policy.
The applicant is generally the Principal Investigator (PI) or a co-applicant of the project and CUE is the lead institution. If the CUE member is not the Principal Investigator or a co-applicant, and CUE is not the lead institution in the application, a Signature page may not be required. An exception to this is when the applicant will receive grant funding or if CUE is committing to provide a cash or in-kind contribution to the project, in which cases the Signature Page requirement applies.
Consequences for non-compliance with internal requirements
CUE may refuse administration of funds, disallow a faculty member from holding funds, or consider a disciplinary action, for grants obtained from external sources:
- when the applicant is ineligible to submit the application;
- that were not registered at ORS in a timely manner;
- that are inconsistent with the particular call for applications from the sponsor;
- for which a final application has not been submitted electronically as a single PDF document to ORS; or
- not previously approved by the University via a signed External Grant Signature Page;
- that include commitments from CUE that have not been approved;
- that constitute duplicate requests for funding when such requests are not expressly approved.
In these cases, the Office of Research Services will notify the applicant, as well as the Vice-President Academic & Provost.
Multiple awards and duplicate requests for funding
While CUE supports partnerships in research, it does not allow duplicate funding requests. Therefore, applications for external funding with significant conceptual and/or budgetary overlap with existing awards, internal or external, are not allowed, unless all related sponsors expressly authorize such duplicate requests.
If you have applied for, or are considering applying for additional funds, internal or external, to support the research that you are submitting for consideration for a competition, you are required to disclose it in writing to the Office of Research Services and include this information in the appropriate sections of the application forms.
