IDC Program
What are the indirect costs of research?
The indirect costs of research are the “hidden” costs that are incurred in the support of research-related activities that cannot be easily attributed to a specific research project.
At SFU, indirect costs of research include:
- Maintaining high quality research infrastructure through the renovation and maintenance of research facilities, upgrades to equipment and other devices, and the operating costs of research space (light, heat, etc.);
- Providing in-house technical expertise for ongoing and daily support to laboratories, offices, and other research facilities;
- Acquiring research resources including library holdings, computers and datasets;
- Facilitating research through institutional support for the completion of grant applications and proposals, financial administration and financial reporting of research funds, and research planning and promotion;
- Ensuring that the requirements of regulatory bodies are met, including the Interagency Panel for Research Ethics and the Canadian Council on Animal Care;
- Managing the licensing of university technologies.
What is the Indirect Costs of Research (IDC) program?
The Government of Canada introduced the Indirect Costs of Research Program (IDC)
in 2003 to help offset the hidden costs of research funded by the Tri-Council (the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)
IDC grants are awarded annually and cover about 25% of the total grants attributed to SFU investigators. The amount of the grant is based on the funding received by researchers from the Tri-Council in the previous three years for which the data is available. This translated to about $6.7M for SFU in 2011-12.
Beginning in the 2011/12 fiscal year, SFU implemented a new model for the internal allocation of the IDC funds that it receives annually from the Canadian government. The IDC grant is now divided equally between the University and the initiating Faculty, as is the case with overheads realized from research funded through contracts. The initiating Faculties report to the Vice-President, Research each year on the use of these funds, so that the University can fulfil its reporting requirements to the IDC Secretariat.
In the 2011/12 fiscal year, SFU’s IDC grant was allocated within the five eligible expenditure categories as indicated in the pie chart at right.
IDC funds contribute to SFU's ability to provide a supportive research environment through the provision of services that free researchers to pursue their research programs and seek new funding opportunities. IDC funds also allow SFU to provide the research facilities, resources, and research facilitation activities that attract and retain high-calibre researchers and graduate students. In turn, the presence of high-profile researchers enables SFU’s participation in major, multi-institutional and international research initiatives.
In the same way that actors would not be able to put on a successful play without lights, sound, a theatre and stage, and stagehands, so too would SFU researchers not be able to optimize their time and talent without such “behind the scenes” support.
What impact has the IDC program had on SFU research?
Facilities
The IDC grant allows SFU to maintain high quality research infrastructure. This includes repurposing space for research activities; the upgrade, maintenance and operating costs of existing research facilities; and the provision of in-house technical expertise.
These investments are vital to gain the maximum benefit from external investments in university research and to support the continual growth of SFU’s research enterprise. The expenditures make it possible for individual researchers and students to engage in cutting-edge research, to participate in major research projects with other institutions, and to develop innovative new technologies and services. The provision of world-class research facilities is important for the recruitment and retention of high-calibre faculty, staff, and students. The major cost drivers in this category are the internal costs for labour (salaries and benefits), and the costs of parts and materials. Approximately 17% of the University's O&M expenditures supports CFI-funded research space.
Examples of IDC impact at SFU, Facilities
4D Labs in the Faculty of Science is an interdisciplinary institute working on applications of materials sciences for the energy, IT, and health care sectors. It contains some of the first equipment of its kind in BC, accelerating the commercialization of new technologies to solve real-world problems. These include nanofabrication and nanoimaging facilities, a laboratory for advanced spectroscopy and imaging research (LASIR), and a laboratory for visiting scientists. The $41 million facility was established in 2007 with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, BC Knowledge Development Fund and SFU. Indirect costs support has permitted renovations to research space in 4D Labs, which serves more than 20 faculty members from across the University as well as external users. This included an exhaust upgrade to safely accommodate both new and existing equipment for wet chemistries, soft materials processing, etc. This investment greatly expands the materials options available to users, by either using an alternative material or by changing the characteristics of the material of choice.
This year, a portion of IDC funds were allocated to offset the cost of renovating space for research activities in the Faculty of the Environment. This included creating a research hub in the Strand Hall Annex for the Hakai Network for Coastal People, Ecosystems, and Management. The Network was launched in September 2010 to bring together researchers from many disciplines to collaborate on projects investigating the sustainability, resilience, and wellbeing of the people and ecosystems of British Columbia’s Central Coast. The IDC investment into the Hakai Network made it possible to leverage an $8M grant from the Tula Foundation. Renovations were also completed for a space in the Department of Geography, for researchers to display their research and find points of potential synergy.
Indirect costs funds support the provision of technical staff in the Environmental Medicine and Physiology Unit (EMPU) within the Faculty of Science, a facility that specializes in researching human performance in extreme environments. The EMPU is the only civilian research hyper/hypobaric facility in Canada, capable of reproducing a range of atmospheric pressure to replicate deep sea to aerospace conditions. The facility has recently reopened for research after being extensively refurbished. The first study for UBC has been completed, and SFU faculty are currently conducting research at the facility. To support these activities, it is vital to have technical staff that are knowledgeable in the operations and maintenance of the unit. Without the support of these positions, the unit could not operate in compliance with provincial regulations and national safety standards.
A portion of SFU’s IDC grant is allocated toward Information Technology positions in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. These positions provide a wide range of computation and network services for the Faculty’s research labs. Such daily, onsite support is essential to keep research projects running smoothly and to avoid unnecessary delays.
A portion of SFU’s IDC grant is also allocated toward technical staff in the Faculty of Applied Sciences. These positions provide integral support and advice with respect to technology procurement for unsupported and specialized software and hardware. They set up, relocate, repair and update computers and servers. They also install, configure and customize devices to work in the specified research environment using both tools provided by SFU IT services as well as tools and methods developed internally for the Faculty’s specific needs.
Resources
IDC support is essential to ensure that SFU researchers are provided with key resources they need for their research programs, including library resources, research data sets, computing and network infrastructure, and software and other digital tools. Having current resources and for those which are digital, the infrastructure ubiquitously accessible online allows SFU to compete in the 24/7 international environment of other top-tier research universities.
Examples of IDC impact at SFU, Resources
One of the central goals of the SFU Library is to provide access to a rapidly expanding array of resources. Increasingly our collections and services are digitally based around online journals, e-books, and other resources. Academic libraries are also digitizing unique local collections, supporting institutional repositories, moving into the realm of research data curation, and providing research services that require specialised software for describing, discovering, accessing, analyzing and repurposing research data sets. IDC monies help to implement and operate these new collections and services that are essential for SFU’s continued performance as a leading research institution with a strong reputation both nationally and internationally.
The IDC grant also allows the Beedie School of Business to purchase datasets from the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), Bloomberg, and China Listed Firm’s Corporate Government Research. As a member of an elite class of business schools with accreditation from AACSB and EQUIS, the Beedie School aims to provide research resources that enable its faculty and students to continue to be global thought leaders in competitive fields. Without access to these key research resources, the Beedie School of Business would be seen as of lesser quality than comparable universities who provide these databases. Therefore, this investment is vital to research in the Beedie School of Business and to SFU’s overall research profile.
Management and Administration
IDC invests into research support positions that maintain the smooth operation of SFU’s research enterprise and enhance its research profile. These positions free SFU faculty members to focus their time and effort on their research programs instead of on day-to-day management and administrative tasks.
Examples of IDC impact at SFU, Management and Administration
Research Accounting is responsible for the financial administration and financial reporting of research funds. Its staff provides services to the University, to the researchers and research personnel, and to the funding sponsors. Activities include: negotiating financial terms and conditions to minimize the administrative costs and financial risks; providing budget control; ensuring compliance with internal policies and procedures; handling external audits’ providing timely submission of billings and financial reports; following up on research accounts receivables and outstanding payments; and facilitating the financial administration of research projects. Research Accounting services assists our researchers in the timely and proper use of funds. Without such services, the proper financial controls and stewardship would be absent, compromising our ability to meet the requirements of external funding agencies, and the timeliness and accuracy of billings and financial reports—potentially damaging the good working relationship that we have developed with these agencies.
The Manager of Communications and Research Awards in the Vice-President, Research Office works to bring recognition to research excellence at SFU through both written and online communications and the nomination of researchers for major external awards. She has facilitated successful nominations for the Guggenheim Fellowship, Royal Society of Canada Fellowship, NSERC Steacie Fellowship, Bank of Canada Fellowship Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Canada’s Most Powerful Women Award, YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, CUFA BC Distinguished Academics Award, BC Innovation Council Entrepreneurship Fellow award, and the Lifesciences BC Innovation and Achievement Award. She also assists the Vice-President, Research with the preparation of strategic research initiatives and reports on SFU’s overall research performance. She is the editor of Research Matters newsletter, which promotes SFU research to an internal and external audience.
Regulatory Requirements
SFU is in compliance with all applicable policies of the federal granting agencies concerning research involving human subjects and the use of hazardous materials, as well as the policies of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). IDC funds help to support the salaries of staff members who work to ensure SFU’s continued compliance with regulatory requirements. The staggering growth of SFU’s research enterprise in recent years has created a substantial increase in workload for these positions. Without IDC support, SFU would be unable to keep up with this increased demand, and SFU’s ability to meet regulatory requirements would be compromised.
Examples of IDC impact at SFU, Regulatory Requirements
The Office of Research Ethics (ORE) is responsible for research ethics education programs at SFU in conjunction with the Research Ethics Board, for assisting researchers in the preparation of applications for submission to the Research Ethics Board and for reviewing all applications submitted to the Research Ethics Board, and for approving minimal risk applications. The ORE team assists the Director in administering the research ethics approval process, and in developing educational and research monitoring programs. A portion of the IDC funds is invested in the salaries of the ORE support staff. SFU researchers benefit from the support that the ORE provides in ensuring that research on human subjects meets all appropriate requirements. The staggering growth of our research enterprise over the last few years has in turn created a substantial increase in workload for the ORE. Establishment of the Faculty of Health Sciences has also increased the workload, owing to the complexity of clinical trials research in population health. Without this level of support, SFU would be unable to keep up with the number of applications submitted for review, and research would be delayed as a result.
The Department of Radiation Safety maintains programs to address issues pertaining to radioisotope use, x-rays, lasers, and non-ionizing radiation. A portion of SFU’s IDC funds supports the salary of the Radiation Safety Officer and a portion of the salary for the Director of Radiation Safety. Without adequate funding to support these positions, we would be unable to comply with regulatory reporting requirements, provide general safety training, review regulatory proposals and requirements, manage relationships with regulatory agencies and maintain oversight of radiation safety compliance at SFU.
Intellectual Property
A portion of SFU’s IDC is dedicated to the salaries of the Director, Associate Director, and four Technology Managers in the SFU Innovation Office. The Tech Managers have years of experience in research, management, business and consulting. They are assigned to specific sectors, allowing them to develop approaches customized to that sector (Life Sciences, Media and Learning Technologies, Medical Devices and Natural Resource Technologies, and Information Technologies). Being responsible for specific sectors allows the Technology Managers to further specialize in their sector’s scientific areas and industries, to network more effectively with existing industries, and to be able to translate and transfer their knowledge to portfolios under their management.
Without the continued support of the IDC program, SFU would be unable to maintain our current level of success in knowledge mobilization and transfer.
Examples of IDC impact at SFU, Intellectual Property
2011/12 was a successful, high impact year for the Innovation Office. The IO reviewed 12 new invention disclosures and filed 22 new patent applications. 15 patents were issued during the fiscal year, and the total number of patents in good standing owned by SFU totaled 47 at year end. An additional 13 patents in good standing were transferred to third parties. Also, during this year one new spinout company was incorporated and the IO issued license options and agreements to two existing spinout companies. The impact of IO programs including the Venture Connection student accelerator, BC Technology Mentor Panel and Green Tech Exchange benefited 142 entrepreneurs and early-stage companies. SFU also led the development of VentureLabs, a multi-institutional technology business accelerator program.
In the past decade, SFU has spun-out, mentored, incubated and assisted over two hundred companies, adding more than 2,400 jobs to our economy and contributing an estimated $186 million in annual tax revenues. In SFU’s case, for each dollar invested in entrepreneurship and business incubation programs from government funding agencies, the University provides four dollars of in‐kind support.