On this page: Definition of Indirect Costs | Description of the RSF | Overview of the RSF at Redeemer | Institutional Investment Stories | Award History

The Research Support Fund (RSF) assists Canadian post-secondary institutions with the indirect costs of conducting research. This program helps enable researchers at Redeemer and across Canada to make cutting-edge discoveries and to achieve scholarly excellence.

Definition of Indirect Costs

The indirect costs (i.e. overhead) of research are the hidden costs of conducting scholarly research, such as property maintenance, the provision and maintenance of space and equipment, insurance, utilities, library services, financial services, administrative support and staff services not charged directly to a funded project.

Description of the RSF

The RSF, formerly the Indirect Costs Program (ICP), is a government program that grants a sum of money to an institution based on a percentage of all Tri-Council (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR) research grants awarded to that institution. There are five categories for which institutions are allowed to use the funds concerning the indirect costs of research:

• Research facilities: includes costs associated with the maintenance and/or renovation, upgrades and maintenance, and operation of laboratories, libraries, and research offices
• Research resources: includes costs associated with the acquisition of library materials, databases, software, and research security tools
• Management and administrations of an institution’s research enterprise: costs associated with the institutional support of research and administration of research funds in addition to training of faculty and research personnel
• Regulatory requirements and accreditation: covers costs associated with the research ethics board, health and safety training, and any upgrades to, or maintenance of, research facilities to meet regulatory requirements
• Intellectual property: includes costs associated with the administration of patent applications for inventions and support for technology licensing

Within these categories are specific eligible and ineligible expenditures so that institutions have a clear idea of how to spend the funds the most efficiently. Learn more.

Overview of the RSF at Redeemer

General Impacts: The RSF has a substantial economic impact at Redeemer University and the surrounding community. It supports local employment and the purchase of goods and services. The RSF helps Redeemer to provide faculty with the support infrastructure they need in order to efficiently produce successful research.

Specific Impacts: The RSF continues to open opportunities for Redeemer to expand the resources and services that researchers need for success. One of the largest benefits that Redeemer experiences as a result of RSF funding is an aid in the maintenance of its Research Office. The Research Office oversees the many administrative tasks that accompany applying for grants and conducting research. It also follows a mandate to provide workshops and resources that encourage faculty members in their research goals.

During the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Redeemer University was awarded $43,684.00 under the RSF. Redeemer proposes to direct our allocation towards administrative salaries, research resources and research facilities.

Institutional Investment Stories

2025-2026 Story: Supporting new external funding applications

Date Published: June 12, 2026

The Research Office at Redeemer University plays a critical role in managing external research grant applications. External grant applications follow a lifecycle that begins with correspondence with external grant funders, coordination of faculty grant reviews and submission, management of financial accounting and reporting, and communication and promotion of faculty research. These grant applications require a lot of work and it is vital that faculty have the necessary resources and support made available through the Research Office. 

In the past year, we had an increased number of faculty apply for external research funding.  Several of these faculty members were applying to new external grants, which required the Research Officer to learn new guidelines, navigate new grant portals, and develop new relationships with external grant funders. 

As part of communication and promotion of faculty research, the Research Office has recently developed a well-received research publications database, with 500+ publications from Redeemer faculty. The database has an easy-to-navigate interface that allows for filtered searches. Many of the publications listed in the database are outputs from successful grants.  

Faculty depend on research funding to support their research endeavors. The investment of the Research Support Fund (RSF) into the management and administration of Redeemer University’s Research Office ensures faculty receive the support they need in submitting and managing external grant applications.  

2024-2025 Story: Becoming CIHR eligible

Award History