Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my data? Do I need to indicate this on my ethics documentation & if so, what wording should I use?

• Appropriate sharing of data is encouraged when possible and should be considered during the planning stages of research. Further information about data management services and resources available at the U of A, including the organization, access, sharing and archiving of data is available on the University of Alberta Libraries Data Management website.

• When data is going to be shared in some capacity, this information should be included in ethics documentation and should include information such as anonymization of the data, level of aggregation of the data, and where the shared data will be available as appropriate. The U of A Research Office includes information about the use of health information on their website including data management and data encryption. For further information please see the Research Ethics Office website 

• Public access will be permitted to the anonymous, quantitative data on a database, such as Dataverse, for the purposes of publishing. Dataverse is a public repository and the University of Alberta provides the infrastructure support for sharing datasets. (See(http://dataverse.org/)

• Once data collection is completed, anonymous, quantitative data will be made available online to the public and for the purposes of publishing. For example, Dataverse (http://dataverse.org/) is a public data repository, and the University of Alberta provides infrastructure support for sharing datasets.

• Two years after data collection is completed, only anonymized, coded data will be housed in HRDR. Once data collection is completed, anonymous, quantitative data will be made available on a public repository, such as Dataverse, where it will be stored indefinitely.

• We hope to share the anonymous information you provide with the health care community. This might include conferences, written papers and in classrooms. Your anonymous data will be available online to the public for the purposes of publishing papers. We may also use this data for future studies, but this will have to be approved by a Research Ethics Board.

Do I need to get approval from the Faculty of Nursing and/or the Research Services Office before submitting the Letter of Intent (LOI)?

• Most often the approval from the FON or RSO is not required at the LOI stage, however, it does depend on the funding agency guidelines. Always refer to the agency guidelines to determine what approvals are required.

What are the timelines for submission of grants to the Nursing Research Office?

• The applications should be submitted to the Nursing Research Office seven business days before the funding agency deadline, in order for it to reach the RSO five business days before the sponsor deadline, in accordance with U of A policy. Exceptions: A number of programs, for example, the Canada Research Chairs and Canada Foundation for Innovation, may have RSO deadlines that are greater than five business days before the sponsor deadline. These exceptions will be communicated to researchers via the RSO website, Research Facilitation Offices, and/or the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty. In addition to these exceptions, some units set their own internal review deadlines in advance of the five-business days required by RSO.

Do the internal grant applications (at faculty and university levels) require RSO signatures?

• At the faculty level, most often the internal grant applications do not require RSO signatures

• At the university level, some grants (for example-TLEF) require RSO signatures. Always refer to the grant guidelines for signature requirements.

Does the co-applicants affiliated with Faculty of Nursing also have to go through RSO, if the principal investigator is from another institution?

Yes, the process is the same. Please refer to the flow diagram for the process.

Does the HRDR cost money?

• Yes, there are costs associated with all HRDR projects but they are typically waived for nursing student projects.

1. $250 Setup fee
2. Tier 0 - Tier 3 costs vary from $500.00 - $2000 per year
3. Non-FoN team members $150 per year
4. Large longitudinal projects may be charged to help maintain FoN IT infrastructure

What is the process for submitting grant applications?

• The process for Faculty of Nursing staff and students submitting grants is outlined in the guidelines and flowchart, or contact the Research and Funding Support Coordinator at nursing.research@ualberta.ca. Additional information can be found on the University of Alberta Research Services website.

Can I get an internal review of my grant?

• Yes. Please specify your interest in having an internal review of your grant when you send the Notification of Intent to Apply to nursing.research@ualberta.ca. This will give sufficient time for the Research and Funding Support Coordinator to speak with the potential reviewers. The deadline for application submission will vary in this case with a minimum requirement of submission fifteen business days before the date signatures are needed. Please submit this as soon as possible. You will receive feedback within one week, which will allow you a few days to make any necessary revisions before submitting your final application to the Research and Funding Support Coordinator for approval.

What internal funding is available?

Please refer to the Faculty of Nursing Research Services website to know more about the internal funding opportunities that are available.