The following business units provide support during the developmental stage of the proposal.

Faculty research office
Faculty research office staff such as research advisors are the primary resource for a researcher. They provide information and advice regarding internally managed and external funding programs and expert assistance in the preparation of applications for all types of grants and awards. For more information, visit your faculty research office webpage or find your faculty research advisors. For detailed guidance on proposal preparation and understanding the differences between research grants and contracts, refer to the Research Contracts and Agreements.

Office of the Vice-President of Research and Innovation (OVPRI): Sets the strategic direction and oversees the administration of the University of Ottawa’s research enterprise, including funding, equipment and facilities, international collaborations, partnerships, and business development. The following departments are all part of the OVPRI central administration. For a detailed overview of OVPRI offices and their roles in research agreements and administration, consult the Research Contracts and Agreements.

• Research Management Services (RMS)
  RMS provides pre-award, submission and post-award assistance for grants, awards and agreements linked to the Tri-Agencies, the federal government, provincial and municipal governments, and Canadian academic institutions, foundations and associations. RMS also provides support for prestigious external agency chair and fellowship programs.
  • RMS grant support:
    RMS communicates external peer-reviewedfunding opportunitiesthrough the research funding opportunity database and the RMS newsletter(email RMS to subscribe to the newsletter). We also manageinternal funding competitionssuch asthe Research Development Program SEED and Bridge funding program.
    
    Additionally, RMS provides pre-award development advice for grant applications in key areas including the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles, and in knowledge mobilization (KMb). Additional support may be provided for large-scale grant applications that span multiple faculties.
    
    Note: RMS has adesignated grant officer for each faculty. To find out who your grants officer is, please email RMS or your faculty research advisor.
  • RMS research contract support:
    RMS provides advice and contract negotiation support for research contracts and agreements that relate to the Canadian federal, provincial, and municipal governments, Canadian universities, and Canadian associations and foundations. For contract support or more information, please consult the contracts management process and submit all documentation (including the RE form) to RMS contracts inbox.
  • RMS chair and fellowship support:
    RMS is responsible for managing the uOttawa portfolio of Canada Research Chairs, Canada Excellence Research Chairs, and the University Research Chairs program, as well as other prestigious fellowships and scholarship such as the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Vanier Canada Graduate scholarships and the CIHR Doctoral Award program.
• Strategic Development Initiatives (SDI)
  SDI’s key role is to coordinate and administer major research infrastructure projects funded by government programs such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF).
• Innovation Support Services (ISS)
  ISS provides assistance for grants and research agreements/contracts linked to private sector innovation. ISS also handles all material transfer agreements (MTA), data sharing agreements (DSA) and non-disclosure agreements (NDA).
• Office of International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX)
  IREX offers assistance with international grants, collaborations and research agreements/ contracts. IREX handles international government agreements, and dealings with international foundations and associations, universities, and foundations and associations.
• OVPRI Awards and Recognition
  The awards and recognition office of the OVPRI is responsible for the uOttawa nomination process for prestigious provincial, national and international awards. This office, together with faculty research offices, provides assistance with prizes and awards.

Most agencies require that an applicant be a Canadian resident or a permanent resident of Canada. The applicant must have a full-time or part-time academic or research appointment at a Canadian university or affiliated institution, which can include a tenured, tenure-track or life-time professor emeritus position. If the applicant has a part-time academic appointment, or has an adjunct status, the eligibility to apply for funding may be based on the funding opportunity’s specific eligibility clauses as they relate to the contract with the university or affiliated institute.

As an independent figure leading a grant application, the researcher must not be engaged in research under the direction of another individual (i.e., must be autonomous regarding their research activities) and must be authorized to supervise or co-supervise trainees. 

These are only general eligibility criteria. For details on eligibility to hold research funds at the University of Ottawa, refer to the Research Contracts and Agreements, and consult the selected agency guidelines for exact requirements.

Every application is different, every funder has different requirements and every type of funding (grant, contract, prize nomination, etc.) has a specific audience. Writing successful proposals for such a variety of programs is a challenging art.

Prior to developing a research proposal for external funding, Principal Investigators (PIs) need to understand whether they are preparing an application for a grant or a contract.

Developing a research project with a solid scholarly foundation is crucial, but the presentation of your proposal is also critically important. Here are some tips to guide you in the preparation of a successful proposal. 

1. Start early! Do not underestimate the time and effort required to draft a compelling research proposal.
2. Get all the help you can!
   • Request help from your faculty research advisor. Advisors are knowledgeable about most funding programs and can help you in the presentation of your proposal.
   • Attend information sessions and roundtables put on by agencies or by the University that aim to help you understand the funding opportunity and provide tips for success. Also, check out the RMS or faculty newsletter for funding related news and other info that can help!
   • Seek out specific expertise required, such as in equity, diversity and inclusion, knowledge mobilization, data management or commercialization.
3. Get to know the application requirements and evaluation criteria          
   • Thoroughly read, understand and follow program guidelines and application instructions. Confer with your faculty research advisor when you have questions.
   • Review and understand the evaluation criteria.
   • Review prior peer review/evaluation committees for that program (if available) and, specific to Tri-Agency programs, carefully consider the committee you wish to submit to.
4. Drafting proposals
   • Share drafts of your proposal with your research advisor early.
   • Engage in internal grant review programs (if available) or submit drafts of your proposal to colleagues for scientific review and advice early.
   • Write the proposal for the audience.  Will the review committee be composed of experts in your field or is it an informed, multidisciplinary committee?
   • Get to know and work on all aspects of the application early (not just the research proposal) and, as applicable, start getting the required CVs or letters of support early.
   • Carefully assess costs of the project and prepare a realistic budget with clear justification, with appropriate indirect costs (login required), research assistant salaries (login required) and contingency plans.
   • Strictly follow the funding agency’s requirements on headings, page length, font, etc.
5. Understand the University of Ottawa procedures and requirements regarding proposal submission below under "Submit Proposal".

Once a proposal is completed and ready to be submitted, the following steps are taken: 

1. The researcher submits a copy of the full proposal and supporting documentation, including budget, to the faculty research office.
2. The researcher completes an RE form. They can do so through their individual eAwards log-in (the uOttawa Grant and Awards Research Portal). The researcher downloads and signs the RE Form signature pages (two-page summary) and sends it to their faculty research office. The latter gathers the remaining signatures and sends it to the appropriate office within OVPRI (RMS for Tri-Agency and most other grants and contracts, IREX for international grants and contracts, ISS for grants and contracts with private sector).
3. The OVPRI office (RMS, IREX or ISS) will sign the proposal’s signature page (wet-ink, electronic or e-submission) on behalf of the University for submission to the agency. With e-submission (most Tri-Agency programs), the University (through RMS) submits the completed grant through the agency portal (e.g., ResearchNet, Convergence, etc.) on behalf of the researcher. In all other cases, the OVPRI office signs the proposal and the researcher, with the support of the faculty research office, submits the proposal.  

• RMS: Grants and contracts/agreements with Canadian federal (e.g., Tri-Agency), provincial and municipal governments, Canadian academic institutions, and Canadian associations and foundations.

• ISS: Grants and contracts/agreements with industry and private sector partners, the National Research Council (NRC), national and international defence, NSERC Alliance agreements, Mitacs, and all MTAs, DSAs and NDAs.

• IREX: International government grants and contracts/agreements, international foundations and associations, and international academic institutions.
• SDI: Major research infrastructure projects funded by government programs such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF).