The Vice-Principal Research Portfolio is committed to advancing research and knowledge mobilization, strengthening Queen’s impact locally, nationally, and globally. To demonstrate accountability and transparency, the VPR prepares annual reports that highlight progress, celebrate achievements, and show how resources are being used to achieve shared goals. These reports ensure the Queen’s community and partners can see how the portfolio delivers on its vision and drives continued growth in research and innovation.
Research Support Fund
The Research Support Fund (RSF) is a tri-agency initiative led by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and administered through the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat. It helps Canadian universities and their partners cover the hidden costs of research.
At Queen’s, the RSF supports indirect costs of research, the essential behind-the-scenes expenses that make research possible but cannot be tied to a single project. Indirect costs are shared expenses, while direct costs are project-specific expenses, such as research staff, equipment, and supplies.
The RSF supports expenses across five categories:
- Facilities – maintenance, utilities, and research space
- Research resources – libraries, databases, and digital tools
- Management and administration – research services staff and systems
- Regulatory requirements – ethics, safety, and compliance
- Intellectual property – contracts, patents, and commercialization support
Queen’s distributes the RSF in two main areas:
- Affiliate allocation – Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Providence Care Centre, and the Canadian Microelectronics Corporation.
- Faculty allocation – Remaining funds are distributed across faculties, based on their share of Tri-agency revenue.
Incremental Project Grants
The Incremental Project Grants (IPG) provide further support for indirect costs of research. Eligible universities are those that receive more than $7 million in direct tri-agency research funding. The IPG provides universities with additional support for projects that focus on the following priority areas: Introduced in 2018–19, IPGs provide support in the priority areas of:
- innovation and commercialization
- facilities renewal (including deferred maintenance)
- information resources (digital tools, open access, databases)
- Indigenization, equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-Racism, and accessibility (I-EDIAA), and faculty renewal to support I-EDIAA priorities
For IPG funding, Queen’s identifies projects in the priority areas and allocates funds accordingly, often supplemented with internal or partner support.
View our Incremental Project Grant reports
Research Security
Research Security funding provides further support for the indirect costs of research security. Eligible universities are those receiving more than $2M in eligible RSF direct research funding.
Introduced in 2022–23, this program supports activities related to research security and compliance with the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships.