The Research Support Fund (RSF) assists Canadian postsecondary institutions with the hidden (indirect) costs of managing research.

Indirect costs may include salaries of staff dedicated to research administration and support, training for health and safety, maintenance of libraries, laboratories and office space (including custodial services, internet access and furnishings) as well as the development of research infrastructures, such as research policies and research ethics boards.

The annual RSF grant amount is based on the funding that the institution’s researchers receive from the three federal research granting agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. Institutions must apply annually in order to receive RSF funding.

For more information on the program please visit the Research Support Fund website.

Impact of Federal Investment in Research Support at Dawson

The support from the RSF allows Dawson College to deliver excellent research administration to our research community and provides support for facilities and resources.

RSF grant funds are used to offset the salaries of the Research Office staff who provide pre-award and post-award support for researchers. The Research Office plays a central role in identifying and advertising funding opportunities, helps researchers write strong grant applications, ensures compliant post-award administration, and provides the tools needed to manage research funds. A portion of the RSF is also used towards professional development activities in research administration.

The College has been able to make strategic decisions that support long-term improvement to the research ecosystem. This allows us to attract and retain talented faculty researchers, develop extensive partnerships and collaborations and support student involvement in research across the college.

Affiliated Organizations

CRISPESH – Centre de recherche pour l’inclusion scolaire et professionnelle des étudiants en situation de handicap is a CCTT, centre collégial de transfert de technologie. CRISPESH is affiliated with Dawson College and Cégep du Vieux Montréal and contributes to the inclusion of people with disabilities in Quebec.

Public Disclosure of Funds 2024-2025

For 2024-2025, Dawson College was awarded $36,730 by the Research Support Fund. This will be used in the Management and Administration expenditure category, towards salary offsets for the research support staff and professional development activities in research administration.

The staff play a central role in identifying and advertising funding opportunities, ensuring grant applications are complete and admissible, tracking institutional and REB approval, ensuring compliant post-award administration and internal benchmarking, policy development, and report writing.

Public disclosure of funds for previous years: