The Research Support Fund assists Canadian postsecondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with the expenses associated with managing the research funded by Tri-Council agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC).
The annual grant helps institutions manage the financial demands of the indirect costs of research. By easing the institutional financial burden, the Research Support Fund helps the College create an environment where researchers can focus on their research, collaborate with colleagues, and translate their applied research for the betterment of the agricultural industry and society as a whole.
In order for research projects to step off the pages of the funding application and come alive in an active, collaborative environment, there is a host of everyday, practical requirements that must be addressed and in place. These requirements, that may not be directly obvious, have associated costs; these are the indirect costs of research.
Some of the specific costs include those behind-the-scenes expenses incurred by the College supporting the day-to-day research enterprise. Without heat, electricity, computer and network maintenance or administrative staff, research projects would be near impossible to complete. Costs incurred to keep the lights on, maintain database servers, or the wear-and-tear maintenance for experimental space and equipment all contribute to the indirect cost of research.
The Olds College Research Support Fund allocation is calculated based on Tri-Council (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC) funding awarded through partnership/alliance grants with Canadian universities in the three most recent years for which data are available.
In 2026-27, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology received a grant of $93,096 dedicated to five expenditure categories:
| Funding Target | Amount | Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Research facilities | $25,000 | 27% |
| Research resources | $8,000 | 9% |
| Management and administration of the institution's research enterprise | $55,096 | 59% |
| Regulatory requirements and accreditation | $0 | 0% |
| Intellectual property and knowledge mobilization | $5,000 | 5% |
| Total | $93,096.00 | 100% |
| Eligible Expenditure Category | Institutional Performance Objective | Indicator | Output |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Facilities | Olds College research facilities will continue to provide access to research equipment, specialized instrumentation, and support researchers and HQP. | List of facilities; number of users and types of users of research facilities. | RSF will fund a portion of costs to maintain facilities and instrumentation. | List of facilities supported and number of users of research facilities. |
| Research Resources | Olds College will support increased needs for digital resources, high-performance computing, and research data storage and retrieval systems. | List of resources provided; description of improved efficiency for researchers; description of improvements in services provided. | RSF will fund a portion of the development and maintenance of digital storage, retrieval, and analysis systems. | Description of improvements in services provided. |
| Management & Administration of Institutions and Research Enterprise | Olds College will continue to develop research support mechanisms that create efficiencies, enabling the Office of Research Services to add higher-level value in research funding growth, management, transparency, efficiency, and compliance. | Update status and investments (including personnel resources). | RSF will fund a portion of salaries for staff in the Office of Research Services who directly support researchers. | Description of support systems in place that created efficiencies enabling research. |
| Regulatory Requirements & Accreditation | None | None | None | None |
| Intellectual Property and Knowledge Mobilization | Olds College will continue to promote its applied research activities and value to the agriculture industry through attendance at events to present its work. | List of events and their type/purpose; number of research teams attending. | RSF will fund a portion of travel costs for research teams to attend events. | Number of events attended, types of events, and number of researchers attending. |
There has been no past funding from the Research Support Funding program to Olds College.
Office of Research Services
ors@oldscollege.ca
