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Research Partner Network

The Research Partner Network (RPNet) is part of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) portfolio and is composed of a diverse team of skilled professionals working collaboratively as part of an institution-wide network to provide essential hands-on support designed to enhance the research application and grant management success. We are the primary point of contact for researchers for both pre- and post-award activities. The ultimate goal of the RPNet is to enable application success and reduce administrative load for our researchers.

By offering hands-on research development and administrative support that is institution-wide, researcher-focused and competition-specific, we strive to provide all of our researchers with assistance for proposal crafting and application development, navigating requirements related to external funding sponsors, and streamlining the research development and administration continuum.

Our Team

The Research Partner Network supports activities across all Colleges/Faculties and works in a coordinated way to deliver services. For convenience, the following individuals can act as your first point of contact and may include other members of the broader partner network depending on your specific research needs.

DIRECTOR

Lead the Research Partner Network and hold the network accountable for providing effective tactical and strategic research development and administrative support to researchers across the University.
Work collaboratively with other partner networks, senior administrators both within and external to the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) portfolio, and others at the University, contributing to the development of a coordinated, responsive, and supportive environment that helps researchers do their best work.

SENIOR RESEARCH PARTNERS

First point of contact for College/Stand Alone Faculty Associate Deans (Research)

Organize and provide pre-award grant development support for cross-college and interdisciplinary funding opportunities (e.g. NFRF) and coordinating partner involvement in special and/or large-scale funding opportunities and/or proposals.
Support with strategic cross-college/faculty and interdisciplinary initiatives and coordinating with College/Faculty Offices of Research on College/Faculty-specific research opportunities.
Responsible for the overall development and coordination of the institution-wide research development support provided by the Research Partners. Includes coordinating work with the VPRI Centers of Expertise (COE) - Innovation, Knowledge Mobilization & Partnerships; Researcher Development & Services; Strategic Research Initiatives & Performance; and Research Integrity Support - and other areas.

Research Partners

First point of contact for researchers for research/grant development support

Assist researchers with research grant development.
Each partner is specialized in an area of grant development based on a defined portfolio of research sponsors and/or programs.
Grant development support will be available to any researcher across the institution who is engaged in research relating to a research partner’s portfolio of research sponsors and programs.

Primary point of contact for Faculty Associate/Vice Deans (Research)

Offer faculty-specific support (e.g., advocacy, issue resolution) to an assigned portfolio of faculties.
Directly connect VPRI to Colleges and Faculties, and vice versa.
Serve as a go-to resource for researchers, senior academic leaders, and administrative professionals within assigned College/Faculty.
Physically located in the faculties and readily accessible to researchers.

Research Partners’ areas of support include:

Assist Faculty Associate/Vice Deans (Research) and their Faculty research teams to meet institutional strategic research goals.
Provide personalized grant development support to researchers for grants related to the research partner’s area of specialization (e.g. identifying potential funding opportunities, supporting requests for data for grant applications, helping write institutional sections of applications, drafting support letters).
Additional support includes:
- Curating a successful grants library and funding opportunities database
- Creating sponsor-specific proposal tipsheets
- Developing and circulating competition-specific communications
- Developing and delivering bootcamps/grant-crafting and writing retreats
- Generating competition reports
- Organizing and facilitating roundtable discussions, concept challenges, competition-specific peer review processes and more
- Organizing sponsor-delivered sessions, budget-development supports
- Strategizing and identifying potential funding opportunities
- Providing forensic reviews for unsuccessful proposals

Researchers seeking grant development support should contact the Research Partner responsible for the sponsor and/or program of interest to them. For general research support, contact the Partner assigned to your Faculty (see below).

MANAGER, RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT SERVICES

Responsible for the overall development and coordination of the institution-wide research development support provided by the Research Administration Specialists.
Works with College/Faculty General Managers to coordinate work with the administrative positions in the Colleges/Faculties and other partner networks.
Actively engaged in research administrative process and procedure improvement and subsequent implementation across the institution.
Works with Faculty Research teams to align support and strategies.

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION SPECIALISTS

First point of contact for researchers and College/Faculty administrators, including Associate Deans (Research) and Faculty/Department General Managers for research administration-related inquiries and support

The Specialists work collaboratively with faculty-based administrators, including generalists, to provide research administrative support to researchers.
Provide expertise on research policies and procedures (internal and external).
Physically located within the college, and there to support researchers within faculties.

Research Administration Specialists areas of support include:

Provide hands-on help to researchers with policy and procedure-related aspects of grant application and fund management.
Provide tactical research administration navigational support, for example:
- using online systems (PeopleSoft (Researcher Home Page), eTRAC, sponsor online systems)
- help with setting up project accounts, initiating sub-grants, and amendments
- help with budget development
- project end-date support
- liaising with sponsors re: guidelines and file-specific issues on researchers’ behalf
- troubleshooting and resolving project/system related issues on behalf of researchers
- file follow up and monitoring of pending approvals; helping researchers meet outstanding requirements (e.g. gathering missing documentation)
- developing and delivering research administration-related training
- working in support of Faculty Research teams
Serving as the go-to person when researchers don’t know where to go

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Determining what kind of support you need is the first step in solving your query and connecting you to the right person:

For help with finding funding and/or working on a grant application, reach out to a Research Partner
For help with administrative aspects of applying for and managing your research funds, reach out to a Research Administration Specialist