researchprojects@humber.ca
humber.ca/research
Getting to know Research & Innovation
Humber Polytechnic Research & Innovation celebrates and supports the research and innovation efforts of our community by providing opportunities that allow our members to collaborate, explore, and build on their curious nature. We aim to foster a culture of continuous growth, creative problemsolving and inclusivity by providing different pathways for our researchers to build unique projects alongside their colleagues, students, and industry and community partners.
Research Journey and Applied Research
The growth and success of the research community at Humber is the result of a collaborative approach that allows individuals to connect with others not only inside the college but also with valuable members of public and private organizations that have partnered with us to solve real-life problems. This joint effort has allowed various research teams to shape solutions that reflect how deeply our community cares about contributing towards a positive impact in Ontario, Canada and the world.
To keep the momentum of this growth and to continue developing partnerships with key stakeholders, we have created a new pathway that will be the next step on our research journey: the Greenfield Research & Innovation Fund. We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through the NSERC Mobilize Grant.
The Researcher’s Journey
About the Greenfield Research and Innovation Fund
This handbook provides information on the Greenfield Research and Innovation Fund (GRIF). The objective of the Greenfield R&I Fund is to (1) strengthen regional partnerships and applied research at Humber Polytechnic in the areas of Digital Transformation and Social Innovation and ;(2) to build new capacity in the areas of the Healthy Built Environment and the New World of Work, to help regional partners respond to the health, economic and environmental crises brought about by the COVID_19 pandemic and climate change. Please note: While the suggested themes are preferred, projects in other areas are also welcome!
This funding is open to all sectors. College researchers will lead these multi-partnered initiatives in collaboration with the private sector, public sector, or not-for-profit organizations based in Canada while encouraging partnerships with universities and other colleges.
In association with Canadian partners, the Greenfield Research and Innovation (R&I) Fund will also develop impactful programs that engage underrepresented communities in research and provide enhanced training to students and emerging researchers.
Greenfield R&I Fund continued on following pages…
Equity, Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) in Research and Innovation
In alignment with Humber’s Strategic Priorities and our funders, NSERC, achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to create the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding and to respond to local, and national and global challenges. Researchers are encouraged to embed EDI considerations at each stage of the research process and to increase the inclusion and advancement of underrepresented groups as one way to enhance excellence in research and training. EDI considerations must be integrated into the rationale of the composition of research teams and into the training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for students and trainees, with the aim of removing barriers to the recruitment and full participation of individuals from underrepresented groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of LGBTQ2+ communities [NSERC, 2022]
General overview
A strong relationship with diverse partners is the key to developing opportunities that serve as a bridge between our Humber community and the needs of industry and community partners. Our mission is to strengthen this bond by allowing all our members to explore endeavours in which they can work alongside external stakeholders to bring ideas to life.
Beginning January 2023, our newest opportunity, the Greenfield Research & Innovation Fund, will allow both seasoned and emerging researchers to access funding that can be used to execute short-term research and development projects aimed to address a partner-specific challenge.
Its applied nature will allow the discovery of Seeds that have been Cultivated (https://issuu.com/humber_research/docs/sotl-handbook) to expand and grow in the massive research Greenfield that can now be explored.
Program general information
Item Details Calls Ongoing
Research Topic Open to all sectors and research areas
Objective Collaborative research and development
Pre-requisite Partner secured
Funding amount Up to $30,000 per project
Funding period 6 to 12 months
Extension Subject to approval
Investigator eligibility
Full-Time, Part-Time and Partial-Load Faculty and Staff that completed a Seed, Cultivate or other internal or externally funded research.
Project eligibility Please refer to the “Project Criteria” checklist
Partner Matching Requirements
1:1 cash and in-kind matching required. First[1]time partners: minimum 10% cash contributions plus 90% in-kind contributions; Repeat partners: 25% cash contributions plus 75% in-kind contributions.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses for the Greenfield Research & Innovation Fund follow the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA). Below are common research expenses.
y Salaries to Research Assistants, with preference to Humber students
y Part-time/Partial-load faculty remuneration
y Full-time faculty course release
y Professional and technical services
y Software license and transcription services
y Participant incentives (e.g., gift cards)
y Training, workshops, conferences, seminars, and related expenses
y Operating fees: No higher than 20% of the total budget
Research tools and instruments
Stationary
Materials
Equipment
Consulting fees
y Non-Canadian expenses are not eligible for consideration. Non-Ontario expenses are subject to review and approval on a case-by-case basis.
Partner Eligibility
1. The project must include at least one partner organization that is recognized for cash contributions. Collectively, the partner(s) must:
i. Collaborate actively in all stages of the research project (rather than contract for services rendered); First-time partners provide 10% cash contributions plus inkind contributions; Repeat partners provide 25% cash contributions plus in-kind contributions
ii. Have a credible plan to use the research results to provide economic, social, health or environmental benefits for Canadians
iii. Have the capability, maturity and resources to implement the plan
2. In order to be recognized for cost sharing, partners must also meet the guidelines for NSERC’s College and Community Innovation (CCI) program (partnership guidelines — https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/policies-politiques/cci_partners-icc_ partenaires_eng.asp).
Selection Criteria Checklist
Projects that focus on the following may be considered for funding:
Does your Associate Dean approve of your participation on this project?
Is the project plan in alignment with the mobilize grant themes? Please note: The following themes are preferred; however, projects in other areas are also welcome!
Digital Transformation
Social Innovation
New World of Work
Healthy Built Environment
Is there a clear definition of an unresolved research problem and action plan?
Is the project scalable?
Is the team’s expertise in alignment with the project plan and goals?
Does the project provide real-world training opportunities for students?
Are the project outcomes clear, and will they bring value to the partner(s)?
Projects that focus on the following are ineligible:
U Secret or contract research
U Applying existing technology or tools to the industry partner’s operations in a routine way
U Analyzing or using equipment at the college (except as part of a more innovative project)
U Collecting data without interpreting underlying mechanisms
U Certifying, endorsing, validating or performance-testing an existing product, process or material (unless accompanied by significant efforts to investigate the underlying scientific or engineering question or to improve or better understand the product, process or material)
U Literature review and/or patent searches (except as a small part of a research project)
U Setting up and managing an institute or a formal or informal group of researchers
U Developing an industry standard (unless the partner is an industry association)
U Providing professional practice or consulting services
U Acquiring or maintaining scientific equipment
Process Roadmap
1. Connect with a potential partner who is looking to solve a challenge.
2. Request approval from your AD to participate in this research.
3. Complete your Notice of Intent (NOI) (bit.ly/3Iu510A) with your partner and send a copy signed by your AD to Shyama.Patel@humber.ca
4. NOI evaluated by the Advisory Committee (AC)
5. If approved, our team will provide you and your partner with the full application package to be completed.
6. Complete your package and refine it based on Research & Innovation and AC feedback within 30 days of NOI approval
7. Final proposal & Associate Dean approval will be evaluated for final decision. The final refined project proposal must be signed by the AD and will be evaluated for final decision.
8. If approved, you and your partner will sign a partnership agreement
9. Kick-start: Once approved, our team will help you set up the project and will guide you on how to start.
10. Completion: Once finalized, report on the results of the project with our team. If required, an extension request can be submitted.
11. Knowledge dissemination: Connect with our team to share the findings of your project with the community.
12. Next steps: Reach out to our team if you are interested in starting another project.
Complete steps on next page…
What’s Next?
Have you completed your Greenfield Research & Innovation project and are willing to continue further or have a new idea in mind? We got you! We invite you to reach out to us if you want to continue your research journey. We have various applied research funding opportunities that will help you grow your project even more, don’t hesitate and let’s build it together!
y NSERC Applied Research and Development grants (https://www.nserccrsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RPP-PP/ARD-RDA/Index_eng.asp)
y NSERC College and Community Social Innovation Fund (https://www. nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RPP-PP/CCSIF-ICC/index_eng.asp)
Policies and Procedures
Research Policies and Procedures
y Data Governance Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/general-administration/datagovernance-policy.html
y Acceptable Use Policy for Digital Services
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/general-administration/ acceptable-use-policy-for-digital-services.html
y Access and Privacy Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/general-administration/accessand-privacy-policy.html
y IT Security Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/general-administration/itsecurity-policy.html
y Ethical Conduct for Research & Teaching Involving Animals Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/ethical-conduct-forresearch-and-teaching-involving-animals-policy.html
y Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/ethical-conduct-forresearch-involving-humans-policy.html
y Integrity in Research & Scholarship Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/integrity-inresearch-and-scholarship-policy.html
y Intellectual Property Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/intellectualproperty-policy.html
y Research and Teaching Involving Biohazardous and Radioactive Materials Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/research-andteaching-involving-biohazardous-and-radioactive-materials-policy.html
y Research Contracts, Grants and Funds Administration Policy https:// humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/integrity-in-research-andscholarship-policy.html
y Commercialization Policy
https://humber.ca/legal-and-risk-management/policies/academic/commercializationpolicy.html
Budgeting: Hiring Process
PRE-HIRING: Project agreement fully executed. The number of research assistants, hours and weeks must be identified in the budget. Please note Humber’s HR team can take up to three weeks to process any contract.
1. Principal Investigators identify research assistants/faculty that will be hired for their research project and will send the following information to the Project Coordinator:
y Full name of student to be hired
y E-mail address
y Contract start and end date
y Hours per week
y Total contract hours
y Humber status: Current student (and expected graduation date i.e., June 2022)/ graduate/partial-load faculty/part-time faculty
y Whether the student currently has another contract with another department (and which one), or if they are planning to get another contract
2. If the Principal Investigators have not defined the research assistant to be hired, the investigator might request support to post the opportunity to all Humber programs or receive candidates from the Research Analyst Program.
3. Contract offer is reviewed and approved by Research & Innovation’s Resource Manager. Offer is extended to candidate via e-mail to start the onboarding process.
4. Candidate’s HRMS profile converts to active employee and they can now enter and submit timesheets. Mandatory new hire training requirements to be sent to candidate to complete BEFORE the new hire begins official project work.
5. Bi-weekly reminders to enter timesheets will be sent to all project staff. Timesheets must be entered by specified due date in order to avoid delays in payment. A screen shot of submitted timesheets must be sent to the Principal Investigators with a copy to research@humber.ca.
6. These guidelines must be followed or the expenses will be sent to the Principal Investigator’s Faculty or Department.
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Hiring Process continued…
Contract Work Hours Guidelines
Research Assistant I (Active Student)
Semester Status
of 24 hours per week
of 24 hours per week
Part-Time, up to 24 hours per week
Full-time, 24-37.5 hours per week (must be returning to studies in the Fall)
Research Assistant II (Non-Student)
Semester Status
Notes:
These hires may require that a new job description be developed, which may take up to 3-4 months to process. These hires must be identified to REB & Resource Manager in advance, in order to coordinate HR approval process.
1. Students may require more than one contract if the duration of their work extends over various semesters.
2. Contracts may take up to 3 weeks to process depending on response times and volume of Humber’s HR team.
3. Contract extensions require a new contract to be drafted and approved, therefore please request extensions 4 weeks in advance.
4. Students are not allowed to start working prior to having their contract signed.
5. Please contact your Project Coordinator to report any questions or inconveniences with the contract or hours submission.
6. Any expenses that may emerge as a result of not following the guidelines above will need to be covered by the Principal Investigator’s Faculty or Department.
Purchasing Procedures
The information below is a quick reference of Humber’s Purchasing and Reimbursement procedures, for more in-depth information, please refer to the Expense Reimbursement Policy and Procedure (https://humber.ca/legal-and-riskmanagement/policies/general-administration/expense-reimbursement-policy.html)
Once a project has been awarded and the Partnership Agreement has been completed and signed, the purchasing of desired research-related items can begin with the support of your designated Project Coordinator.
y Please send the link of the product or service you require to your Project Coordinator and Research & Innovation shall purchase the item via a corporate credit card. Please note this must align with your approved budget. Any new items that were not included in the original budget will require approval from Research & Innovation.
y If the item is over $5,000, please send a copy of a quote or invoice to your Project Coordinator and Research & Innovation will handle the payment via a Purchase Order.
y If vendor is not on Humber Polytechnic’s vendor system, Research & Innovation will let you know and have you complete and submit a ‘New Vendor Request Form’.
y The following items must be purchased by Humber’s Information Technology Services team:
Mobile devices
Laptops
Tablets
Phones
y Expense Report: Can be completed and submitted for reimbursement on Chrome River. This includes travel, meals and low dollar value items of a maximum of $200.Before purchasing any item or service, please reach out to your Project Coordinator for approval. In order to be granted access to Chrome River, please have your N # sent to your Project Coordinator once an ‘Expense Report’ is submitted through Chrome River, a copy of that report must also be sent to your Project Coordinator.
y Travel: Humber Polytechnic will reimburse employees $.58/km for project related travel in a personal car. Other ways to get reimbursed for travel is to submit original receipts for taxi services or public transportation.
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Purchasing Procedures: Seed and Cultivate Projects continued…
y Meals: Kindly submit original ‘itemized’ receipt for any project related meals. Keep in mind, any alcoholic beverage will not be reimbursed. The per diem rates can be found below:
Breakfast: $10
Lunch: $20
Dinner $30
Daily total maximum: $60
y Low Dollar Value Items: Smaller items can be purchased and claimed through a reimbursement claim. For example, for small purchases made in Walmart, Home Depot etc., please obtain original receipts and have them uploaded to Chrome River and submit with an ‘Expense report’.
y Tipping: keep in mind that one is allowed to tip for meals and transportation services up to a maximum of 15%
y Whenever possible, accumulate expenses for $50 CAD before submitting a claim or before the end of the fiscal year.
y NOTE: If for some reason, original receipts were not obtained or were lost, kindly complete and submit a ‘Lost Receipt Affidavit Form’ to your Project Coordinator.
Reimbursement will not be processed for items that were not approved by your Project Coordinator.
Gift Cards and Incentives SOP
1. Please notify your Project Coordinator that you require gift cards for your Project. Humber’s Finance Team takes 2-3 weeks to process gift card requests.
2. Gift cards must be purchased in bulk through our approved vendor: BlackHawk.
3. $250 is the maximum amount per month for gift card purchasing via a corporate credit card.
4. The maximum amount per gift card is $20 and can only be used at the bookstore or for food-related services.
5. Appropriate token gifts of appreciation including gift cards or certificates, valued up to $30, may be offered in exchange for gifts of service or expertise to people who are not engaged in work for the College. Gifts valued over $30 must have prior approval from the Research & Innovation team.
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6. Principal Investigators are responsible to track the distribution of gift cards. The Project Coordinator will provide you with our standard template for tracking. Principal Investigators are responsible for maintaining comprehensive records of who received the gift cards for auditing purposes. Tracking sheets must be returned to your Project Coordinator within 5 business days of gift card distribution.
7. The supporting documents for incentives include:
The researcher’s application to the REB, detailing the incentive plan
Amount of incentive
Number of participants
Method of distribution
The REB’s letter approving the ethical acceptability of the research
Receipts for purchase of non-monetary incentives
The records submitted in the tracking template including all the information or coded information of each recipient.
8. As per the TCPS2 Interpretations on the Privacy and Confidentiality, researchers have an ethical duty of confidentiality to participants which includes safeguarding their information. Participants must be notified of who has access to their identifying information and must consent to having their information shared upon request
9. Researchers must submit a coded list of the participants who received incentives. The code (e.g., a sealed envelope containing participant initials or signatures, and dates and amounts of incentive distribution) will be made available upon request.
10. No gift cards or gift certificates shall be issued to Humber Employees.
11. Gift cards are a taxable expense for the recipient.
12. These guidelines must be followed or the expenses will be sent to the Principal Investigator’s Faculty or Department.
Library Resources
Discover Search
Humber Libraries > Discover search bar > enter search terms (https://library.humber.ca)
Research Help
Humber Libraries > Research Help (https://library.humber.ca/research-help)
Library Contact
https://library.humber.ca/contact
Databases
Databases can be searched alphabetically at Humber Libraries > Content Type > Database Links (https://library.humber.ca/atoz_landing)
Copyright
For copyright questions, contact copyright@humber.ca
Research Data Management (RDM)
The Humber Polytechnic Research Data Management Institutional Strategy follows the directives from the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Research Data Management Policy (2021).
Research Data Management Strategy (https://libguides.humber.ca/research/rdmstrategy)
Sample Research Guides*
Applied Research Guide (https://libguides.humber.ca/c.php?g=715456&p=5101237)
Faculty Library Guide (https://libguides.humber.ca/newfaculty)
Indigenous Research Guide (https://libguides.humber.ca/Indigenous-Research-Guide)
Statistics and Data (https://libguides.humber.ca/statistics)
Sustainability Education Research Guide (https://libguides.humber.ca/sustainabilityed)
2SLGBTQ+ Education Guide (https://libguides.humber.ca/2SLGBTQ)
*See all Research Guides at Humber Libraries > (https://library.humber.ca)
Templates and Resources
Below are links to our downloadable templates and resources.
y Notice of Intent bit.ly/3Iu510A
y Eligible and Ineligible Expenses (Expanded) https://humber.ca/research/tagfa
y Research and Ethics Board https://humber.ca/ppdr/humber-research-ethics-board
y Journal of Innovation in Polytechnic Education (JIPE) Submission Handbook https://issuu.com/humber_research/docs/jipe_handbook
Contact Us
For workshop information Researchworkshops@humber.ca
For project information Researchprojects@humber.ca
For hours submission Research@humber.ca
For ethics information REB@humber.ca
For international opportunities COIL@humber.ca
For next steps and further inquiries Shyama Patel, Project Coordinator Shyama.Patel@humber.ca
Tania Massa, PhD. Associate Dean, Applied Research and Innovation Tania.Massa@humber.ca
We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).