In May 2020, the federal government announced the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF). The temporary program was established to help sustain the research enterprise at Canadian universities that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The four-stage program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of the Tri-Agency. Demonstration of need will be required for all stages; research that has been impacted and/or delayed entirely or partly is eligible. The program will be delivered in four funding stages:

STAGES 1 and 2 (closed):  Wage support for eligible research personnel whose salaries were adversely affected by COVID-19 and who are paid in part or in whole by non-governmental sources, and who are not claiming other wage support (e.g., Canada Emergency Response Benefit).

• Up to 75% of the portion of research personnel’s salaries/wages normally supported by non-governmental sources, to a maximum of $847 per week for up to 12 weeks of salary support (consecutive or broken up over the eligibility period) per individual, incurred within the eligibility period of March 15, 2020, to August 29, 2020.
• Personnel who have been laid off or furloughed as a result of COVID-19 within the eligibility period can become eligible retroactively, as long as they are rehired and their retroactive pay and status meet the eligibility criteria for the claim period.

STAGE 3 (closed): Incurred costs associated with maintenance and ramp-up of research activities. Stage 3 is to support direct costs of research that have been incurred to: maintain essential research-related commitments during the COVID-19 pandemic; and support ramping-up to full research activities as physical distancing measures are eased and research activities can resume.

• Only direct costs of research that are extraordinary and incremental to those already covered by existing sources of funds and have been incurred between March 15 and November 15, 2020 will be reimbursed, at up to 75%.  Extraordinary incremental costs incurred for research projects funded by either governmental or non-governmental sources are eligible for Stage 3 support. Extraordinary incremental costs are defined as unanticipated additional costs that would not normally have been incurred in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot be funded by existing sources of funds.
• Stage 3 funding will be awarded to support direct costs associated with maintenance and ramp-up of research activities. Applicants must justify the need for the funds based on actual costs incurred between March 15 and November 15, 2020. Eligible expenses include costs associated with the following categories:
  • Maintenance Costs:  Costs incurred within the eligible period and associated with maintaining essential research-related activities during the pandemic that are exceptional and incremental to those already covered by existing sources of funds, funded at up to 75%. This includes:
    • animal and specimen care through the crisis period;
    • maintenance of equipment, software, cohorts, datasets, including warranties, licenses and service contracts;
    • technological equipment for remote access to maintain assets; and
    • safety equipment for personnel dedicated to maintenance.
  • Ramp-Up Costs:  Costs incurred within the eligible period and associated with full ramp-up of research activities, as physical distancing measures are eased and research activities can resume. Only costs that are exceptional and incremental to those already covered by existing sources of funds will be supported, at up to 75%. Eligible expenses include those incurred at the project level and associated with:
    • re-organizing the research environment and activities;
    • additional costs to bring the research back to its pre-pandemic level, including experiments or related to the restart of collections and datasets (e.g., population-based, environmental);
    • user fees charged by shared platforms to researchers to restart research activities (e.g., animal- care facilities, digital labs);
    • re-scheduling and restarting human and clinical trials;
    • exceptional costs to access special facilities, shared platforms and resources, knowledge transfer meetings and workshops;
    • restarting, reassembling and safety checks of equipment and facilities;
    • reacquiring lost and donated laboratory and field supplies and equipment, reagents, perishable materials, laboratory animal and other living specimens; and
    • personal protective equipment and related items for research personnel.

Frequently Asked Questions for CRCEF Stage 3.

STAGE 4 (closed):  Wage support for eligible research personnel whose salaries were adversely affected by COVID-19 and who are paid in part or in whole by non-governmental sources, and who are not claiming other wage support (e.g., Canada Emergency Response Benefit).

• Up to 75% of the portion of research personnel’s salaries/wages normally supported by non-governmental sources, to a maximum of $847 per week for up to 24 weeks of salary support (consecutive or broken up over the eligibility period) per individual, incurred within the eligibility period of March 15, 2020, to August 29, 2020.
• Personnel who have been laid off or furloughed as a result of COVID-19 within the eligibility period can become eligible retroactively, as long as they are rehired and their retroactive pay and status meet the eligibility criteria for the claim period.
• Eligibility for the funding will be determined based on the extent to which research activities linked to non-governmental funding have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.  Any reduced productivity or interruptions to employment (complete or partial) are considered negative impacts, including restriction of campus work spaces, suspension of funding, absences to care for family members, lack of access to research participants, and increased risk related to COVID-19.
• NOTE:  Funding received in Stage 1 cannot be claimed again in Stage 4.  Stage 4 provides funding for up to 24 weeks of wage support to eligible research-related personnel, as opposed to the initial maximum of 12 weeks. However, Stage 4 funds do not cover an additional 24 weeks: the portions of salaries (i.e., number of weeks) that were reimbursed within the scope of Stages 1 cannot be claimed again in Stage 4.

Frequently Asked Questions for CRCEF Stage 4.

Brandon University Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy

Brandon University is committed to upholding equity, diversity, and inclusion principles and practices and is dedicated to preventing systematic barriers for individuals from equity seeking groups. In the Employment Equity Act, the Four Designated Groups are defined as, but not limited to: Women; Indigenous Peoples; Persons with Disabilities; and Racialized Minorities. Brandon University is an ally of the LGBTQ2S+ community and seeks inclusivity and equality for all.  In accordance with the mandate from the Tri-Agency and the CRCEF Program and as signatory of the Dimension’s Charter, Brandon University is committed to EDI principles in all research matters.

The Brandon University EDI Strategy is based on the following key components:

• Funding priority will be given to equity-seeking and underrepresented groups who have self-identified on application form.
• Funding priority will be given to applicants who have been personally impacted by the pandemic.
• Funding priority will be given to applicants who undertake non-traditional or unconventional research based in Indigenous ways of knowing, or focused on issues of gender, race, or minority status.
• Applicants from equity-seeking or underrepresented groups, applicants who have been personally impacted by the pandemic, and applicants who undertake non-traditional Indigenous research will have the opportunity to self-identify in the application form. These applicants will receive priority for funding to help ensure they do not suffer from further inequities regarding their research activities.
• Brandon University’s adjudication will be based on the CRCEF eligibility requirements for each Stage and the identified funding priorities.
• Brandon University will not create barriers to access for individuals from equity seeking or underrepresented groups (Racialized Minorities, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, Women, and LGBTQ2S+ People).
• Brandon University will carefully consider support for individuals who have been personally impacted by the pandemic.  For example, an applicant’s own or their immediate family’s health has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, family obligations for dependent care, or limited access to medical care for persons with disabilities.  Evidence shows that the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on equity-seeking groups, resulting in further inequities for these individuals regarding their research activities in the long term, and further exacerbating existing inequities and underrepresentation in the research ecosystem more broadly.
• The Brandon University CRCEF Committee is diverse and includes members from the Equity Seeking Groups including women and an Indigenous Person. All members possess unconscious bias training.
• Prior to the review of applications, the Diversity and Human Rights Advisor will provide the Committee with an overview of Brandon University’s commitments, dedications, and policies in relation to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion practices, as well as terms of reference on how to follow the guidelines. This includes  discussion on systematic barriers that individuals from equity seeking groups face and the measures to prevent these barriers, and how unconscious bias could be prevalent due to the quick nature of decision making as well as external factors that are uncontrollable during a pandemic. The decision making process will be implemented with EDI requirements at the forefront and Brandon University’s commitment to inclusive and equitable decisions. The Brandon University CRCEF EDI Strategy will be reviewed to ensure the members fully understand the strategy and to ensure it is in the forefront of people’s minds when adjudicating.  Broad discussion will be encouraged, and safeguards put in place by the Committee to ensure equitable choices are made and to eliminate bias in non-traditional or unconventional research.  The Committee aims to limit the negative impact of unconscious bias by discussing openly the applicants and where/if they fall within the federally protected groups.

Brandon University CRCEF Committee

A CRCEF Committee of four was created to review requests for and disbursement of CRCEF support.  The Committee includes the:

• Associate Vice-President (Research);
• Diversity and Human Rights Advisor;
• Accountant; and
• Manager of Research Services.

Decision-Making Process

For Stage 1 and 4, the University research Accountant will use internal financial data to identify Principal Investigators with accounts from non-governmental funding sources and research personnel costs incurred between March 15, 2020 and August 29, 2020. Principal Investigators will be contacted directly via email and in an effort to ensure no eligible researcher is omitted, information will also sent campus-wide for all Stages (1,3,4). Principal Investigators requesting CRCEF support will be asked to fill out and submit a one-page form that confirms eligibility criteria and captures reporting requirements. The Brandon University CRCEF Committee decided that all Principal Investigators who submit an application form and meet the CRCEF eligibility criteria will receive support and if need exceeds available funds, the funds will be pro-rated accordingly. Submissions will be reviewed by the Committee to ensure that all CRCEF eligibility criteria are met and Committee consensus will be sought for each application reviewed.

CRCEF Institutional Delegate                                                                     

Kerry Murkin, Manager of Research Services