This message is sent by the Office of the Vice-President, Research, on behalf of Dugan O’Neil the Associate Vice-President, Research
and Alison Blair the Associate Vice-President, Finance. It has been sent to all faculty.
To: SFU faculty,
As you may already know, the Tri-Agency is implementing changes to the administration of research grant funds. The new
Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA)
comes into effect Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Researchers at SFU should see very little change on April 1. Emphasis for the researcher will be to ensure expense justification provides adequate information to reviewers to inform decision making. While other changes
in policy and practice will gradually be rolled out at SFU over the next several years with replacement of our Research Enterprise System, researchers should not see any dramatic effects on April 1, 2020.
What does the April 1, 2020 transition mean for you?
·
As of Wednesday, April 1, 2020, Simon Fraser University will now be the primary contact regarding administration and the use of grant funds. The Tri-Agency will
no longer provide prescriptive lists of eligible and non- eligible expenses, and no longer respond directly to questions regarding eligibility.
·
It will be important for researchers to provide sufficient information to enable individuals to assess the appropriate use of grant funds. Eligibility will continue
to be determined based on:
- Program and Funding Opportunity guidelines
- 4 Principles which govern the appropriate use of grant funds
- TAGFA directives
-
SFU Policies and Procedures
What are the 4 Principles?
Eligible expenses should:
- Contribute to the direct costs of the research/activities for which the funds were awarded, with benefits directly attributable to
the grant;
- Not be provided by the administering institution to their research personnel;
- Be effective and economical; and,
-
Not result in personal gain for members of the research team.
What does this mean for SFU?
This Tri-Agency transition aligns with internal changes being implemented as part of the Research Enterprise Systems (RES) program. Under
the RES program, SFU Policies and Procedures are being reviewed and updated to better align with a risk-based approach to financial administration and to address gaps identified between SFU polices and the new TAGFA.
Training sessions on the changes implemented by Tri-Agency are in the process of being scheduled for SFU administrators and faculty.
What is the timeline for the changes?
Before April 1, 2020:
·
It is business as usual; the 2017 version of the TAGFA remains in effect.
·
Please stay tuned for further communications and workshops offered throughout the transition period.
As of April 1, 2020:
·
The Tri-Agency will no longer provide answers to questions regarding eligibility. All research eligibility questions should be directed to tagfa@sfu.ca.
We are committed to providing a response within a 48 hour period (M-F). Until SFU Policies and Procedures are updated, all expenses will be assessed using current policies.
·
We will confirm the actual date of the revised SFU Policies and Procedures once we are close to the publication date.
The message has also been sent to your administrators. If you have any questions regarding the upcoming changes, please email tagfa@sfu.ca.
Sincerely,
Dugan O’Neil
Associate Vice-President, Research
Simon Fraser University
Alison Blair
Associate Vice-President, Finance
Simon Fraser University