The Government of Canada’s Research Support Fund (RSF) plays an important role in supporting a wide range of research activities at UWinnipeg.
The RSF helps Canadian post-secondary institutions with the costs associated with managing all research activity funded by the country’s three federal research granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC).
While an individual researcher may receive grant funding that goes directly toward the project, the research can’t happen without the necessary support infrastructure in place to assist with the indirect or operational costs of research.
These supports may not always be visible, but they are essential to making research happen across the University.
Kyle Macdonald
These background costs, which underpin all of UWinnipeg’s research activities, include heating, lighting, ethics reviews, environmental assessment, safety compliance, and management of everything from facilities to intellectual property.
Each year, eligible institutions like UWinnipeg receive an annual grant allocation through the RSF to help pay for a portion of these costs. Across Canada, over $450 million is invested each year.
UWinnipeg’s 2025-26 RSF allocation was just under $2 million. The largest share of that, 42 per cent, was devoted to managing and administering the institution’s research enterprise. Research resources and research facilities were responsible for the next largest portions, at 29 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively. The remaining seven per cent helped with regulatory requirements and accreditation, and with intellectual property, knowledge translation, and research security.
Recent examples of RSF funding in action at UWinnipeg include upgrades to research management software; library training modules for researchers interested in Open Access practices and software; investments in improved security for research data storage; and the addition of more research support staff as the University’s research funding in the past decade has tripled.
Supporting fair agreements and contracts
As federal, provincial, and industry research funding has grown, so has the volume and complexity of the legal agreements that make this research possible. The RSF helps UWinnipeg manage this growing legal and administrative work by supporting the Office of the General Counsel and the Research Office in the review, negotiation, and management of research contracts and collaboration agreements.
Together, these offices review contract terms, protect intellectual property, data, and confidentiality, engage independent contractors when needed, and negotiate fair terms so researchers can move forward with confidence.
In the past year, the team supported a wide range of agreements relating to material transfers, data-sharing, research collaboration, non-disclosure, inter-university research, and patents.
“The RSF helps us protect UWinnipeg researchers’ intellectual property and negotiate agreements that support the university’s interests and values,” said Pranav Mishra, the Research Office’s Program Officer for Health Sciences, Contracts and Research Partnerships. “Research contracts and agreements are often complex and require careful legal and administrative review. RSF support ensures that we can negotiate clear, fair, and effective agreements that enable research collaborations while safeguarding the university’s interests.”
Without this support, the University would be at greater risk of losing control of intellectual property, accepting unfavourable terms, and being less competitive in partnerships with industry, other universities, and government. These legal and administrative functions are essential to the responsible conduct of research at UWinnipeg.
Supporting vibrant facilities
RSF support also helps UWinnipeg maintain essential infrastructure, from building systems and back-end infrastructure to specialized laboratory ventilation and air-handling equipment. It also helps cover utilities, maintenance, and other day-to-day operating costs that keep research spaces functioning.
“When researchers are carrying out their work, the facilities and systems behind them need to be safe, reliable, and ready to support it,” said Kyle Macdonald, Executive Director of Facilities. “These supports may not always be visible, but they are essential to making research happen across the University.”
Supporting good planning
RSF support also helps UWinnipeg’s Planning Office support researchers before and after they apply for research grants. During the application process, the Planning Office assists researchers by providing space layout drawings and infrastructure planning and capital investment budgeting to support their application.
If the grant application is successful, the Planning Office then administers any construction or infrastructure work on behalf of the researcher, ensuring the work meets their needs and the University’s standards for function and quality.
