Inter-Agency Collaboration

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) recognize the value of working together to increase their effectiveness and to reduce community duplication of effort. Collaboration between the agencies also enables the support of cross-cutting, multidisciplinary research initiatives designed to address important scientific opportunities and problems that matter to Canadians.

The agencies have a number of long-standing interactions, and some more recent ones, that involve two or all three agencies. These include joint oversight mechanisms, policies, and funding programs. These are reviewed and evaluated on an ongoing basis with the goal of maximizing the benefit to the research community and ultimately to Canadians.

This document highlights these interactions.

Formal and Informal Interactions among Presidents and Senior Executives

Meetings of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents

The Presidents of NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR have created a forum for ongoing dialogue and decision-making. Dubbed TC³, (for Tri-Council Coordinating Committee), the three Presidents meet every two weeks to discuss issues of common concern, advance common program and collaborative initiatives, and explore opportunities for better service to the research community. The President of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is included, as appropriate.

Meetings among the Vice-Presidents of the three agencies occur on a regular basis to follow-up on issues raised by the Presidents, to initiate and contribute to collaborative activities, and to explore strategic issues. Similarly, Vice-Presidents from CFI are also included, as appropriate. The “round table” reports on issues at these meetings have been very useful for information exchange.

With shared responsibility for the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), Canada Research Chairs (CRC), and the Indirect Costs Program, formal structures exist among Presidents and agency Vice-Presidents that provide a periodic and effective forum for discussion on common program issues.

The Presidents have observer status on the board of their sister agencies. In addition, there is a position on the board of the CFI that is filled by the President of one of the agencies, on a rotating basis.

Cooperative Programs

Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE): CIHR, NSERC (Chair), SSHRC, and Industry Canada constitute the NCE Steering Committee. NSERC is responsible for overall program administration.

Canada Research Chairs (CRC): CFI, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC (Chair) and Industry Canada constitute the CRC Steering Committee. SSHRC is responsible for overall program administration. A Management Committee comprising of Vice-Presidents or Directors of the same partner organizations provide strategic and tactical support to the Steering Committee and the program management team.

Indirect Costs of Research: Has the same Steering Committee as the CRC. SSHRC Chairs the Steering Committee and is responsible for overall program administration. The same Management Committee as the CRC’s is also in place for this program.

Intellectual Property Mobilization (IPM): NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC contribute funding to this program to encourage and strengthen technology transfer expertise within universities; NSERC provides the administration.

Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI): CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC work together in collaboration with the CFI to provide new or established “star” researchers with a consistent package of research funding and infrastructure. The funding agencies and the CFI have jointly launched two Calls for Proposals for major initiatives – the National Platform Fund and the International Joint Venture Project. Also, CIHR and CFI have jointly launched the Clinical Research Initiative.

Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP): This is a joint program of CIHR and NSERC at the interface between modern biology and the physical and applied sciences. The CHRP program supports focused collaborative research that, if successful, will lead to enormous benefits in medicine, industry, agriculture, forestry, the environment and natural resources.

Forest Research Partnerships Program: The broad goal of this program is to promote the sustainable development of forests, the forest industry, and the communities that depend on forests. The CFS (Canadian Forest Service), NSERC, and SSHRC together provide funding for university-based research that involves collaboration with Canadian-based businesses, the forest industry, provincial and territorial agencies, private sector forest agencies and organizations, Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and environmental groups.

Canadian Light Source (CLS): CIHR, NSERC and the National Research Council Canada (NRC) collaborate through an agreement for the provision of operations funding to the Canadian Light Source. In the interests of efficiency and effectiveness, NSERC and NRC funds are pooled and administered through NSERC in the form of a Major Resources Support grant.

International Polar Year (IPY): The three agencies have collaborated on the development of mechanisms and models for the Canadian contribution to the IPY, with NSERC in the lead and also in supporting the national coordinating centre at the University of Alberta.

Research Data Centres: SSHRC and CIHR collaborate on the funding and oversight of the national network of Research Data Centres that provide access to Statistics Canada databases for research purposes.

Cooperative Policies and Administrative Processes

Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards (MOU)

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, in consultation with institutions that administer funds from the federal granting agencies, have put in place a Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards (MOU). This MOU represents an important and tangible element in the shared accountability of the agencies and institutions in support of research, and their joint responsibility for the more than $1.5 billion in research investments made by the federal government annually. The MOU describes the basic requirements for obtaining and maintaining institutional eligibility to administer agency funds.

Framework for the Tri-Council Review of Institutional Policies Dealing with Integrity in Research

The three agencies cooperate through a framework for the tri-agency review of institutional policies dealing with integrity in research and ongoing evolution and support of a world-recognized policy statement on ethical conduct for research involving humans (see PRE/SRE/TCPS below).

The Panel and Secretariat on Research Ethics

The Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) is a body of external experts established in November 2001 by CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC. The mandate of the Panel is to provide advice to an Interagency Steering Committee, comprised of the Presidents of the three agencies, on the development and evolution of their joint research ethics policy the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS). The Steering Committee is Chaired by CIHR.

PRE is supported by an Interagency Secretariat on Research Ethics (SRE) that is funded and staffed by CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC. The Secretariat supports the PRE on policy matters, and reports to an Interagency Management Committee (IMC), primarily on interagency administrative and operational matters. The IMC is Chaired by CIHR. CIHR also provides administrative oversight and facilitates the interagency operations of the Secretariat. The IMC reports to the Interagency Steering Committee on issues and decisions, as appropriate and required.

Common Administrative Services Directorate (CASD)

NSERC and SSHRC, over 10 years ago, consolidated their essential administrative services for the purpose of more effective and efficient delivery of services to the two agencies. Today, Finance and Awards Administration, General Administration, Human Resources and Information Systems are run jointly by the Common Administrative Services Directorate (CASD). The Vice-President, CASD, sits on the Management Committees of both agencies.

Financial Review Visits

Officers of the NSERC/SSHRC Finance and Awards Administration Division’s Financial Monitoring Team (FMT) and CIHR conduct periodic visits to Canadian universities and/or research centres, institutes, colleges and hospitals to ensure that appropriate and sound financial practices are in place at these institutions and that the agencies’ guidelines are followed. Research Chairs are also subject to review visits as are the grantees of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE).

Financial Data Submission and Reconciliation Tri-Council Initiative (FDSR)

The Financial Data Submission and Reconciliation (FDSR) initiative developed an electronic post-award tool for financial data submission and reconciliation to Canadian academic institutions. The service has been fully operational since February 2004 and is currently hosted by NSERC. The FDSR service allows each academic institution to transfer financial award data in a single file to the agencies, after all Web-based statement of expenditures forms are validated by individual grantees.

Canadian Common CV

CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and Quebec's three research funding agencies have signed an agreement to extend the reach of the Canadian Common CV for researchers across the spectrum of research including the natural, social and health sciences, engineering and the humanities.

The Common CV is designed to lighten the load on the research community when applying for funding through the collection of a common, standardized data-set needed from the funding agencies. This collaborative initiative will have long range benefits for the entire research community by providing the foundation for other services and applications derived from curriculum vitae (CV) information. The Common CV Network has subscriber organizations from across the country including federal and provincial research agencies, health charities, and other organizations with research interests.

NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR Scholarships and Fellowships Regional Meetings: The three agencies hold annual regional meetings with Scholarships Liaison Officers and other university administrators involved in the delivery of scholarships and fellowships programs.

Harmonization of Rules on the Use of Grant Funds: For the last several years, as part of their review of program-related information, the agencies worked together to harmonize (as much as possible) their rules on grantees’ use of the funds they receive.

Inter-agency Funding Mechanism: The three agencies are committed to providing as seamless a research funding environment as possible with the objective of improving the support currently available to researchers, as well as the collaborative peer review mechanisms. Given that the long-standing inter-agency mechanism was not proving effective, the agencies are currently reviewing that mechanism with the aim of providing updated guidelines in the near future.