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Office of Research Services (ORS)

Emergency Equipment Repair Funds – Program guidelines

Purpose

The Emergency Equipment Repair Funds (EERF) support UVic researchers whose small-to-medium-cost research equipment urgently needs repair or replacement. This funding is limited and is only available when a repair/replacement is required to maintain productivity for a significant number of UVic researchers, when alternative equipment is otherwise unavailable, and when the repair/replacement is needed on a time frame more urgent than can be achieved by applying for new funding for the purchase of new equipment. Replacements will normally only be considered for minor equipment that is not reparable and that can’t be funded through new grant applications.

Principles

  • Co-funding from units, centres, and/or faculties will be required to demonstrate impact beyond the PI’s own research team. OVPRI will fund ≤50% of the total repair cost. There is no maximum request, but applications will be evaluated in the context of a program with an estimated annual capacity for <$100K worth of OVPRI contributions. Some of the funds available through OVPRI are earmarked for only certain categories of equipment due to funders’ rules.
  • Equipment that has been inoperable for ≥8 months does not meet the urgency requirement and should instead be repaired/replaced via new grant applications.
  • The PI must establish a plan for future financial sustainability for the equipment. The operation, maintenance, and future repair costs should be estimated, and plans for financial sustainability should be proposed that are based on the collection of user fees arising from their own research activities and from other users where appropriate.

Operational rules

  • Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
  • Applications must be accompanied by a formal quote for repair. The quote must be recent (≤2 months) and list all costs, including shipping, technician travel, diagnosis, parts, repair/replacement, testing, taxes, etc.
  • Cost overruns are the whole responsibility of the PI/researcher.
  • The PI is responsible for managing the repair process and payments, and coordinating with Institutional Programs in the case of CFI-funded equipment.
  • Faculty and OVPRI funds that are unspent 6 months after the award must be returned. EERF funds that are made redundant by a successful grant application must be returned.
  • The PI must complete a simple, online final report at the end of the fiscal year.
  • A PI is eligible for 1 award every ≥3 years, and never again for repair of the same equipment (see above point about ensuring future financial sustainability) 

Process

So that all layers of administration understand the scope of the request, the applicant must obtain internal UVic support “in order” from other PIs, their Unit, Centre/Cluster (if applicable), Faculty, and OVPRI.
  1. The principal applicant will complete the request form and submit it to their Associate Dean Research with confirmation of funding from PIs/Units/Centres/Clusters (as relevant).
  2. The applicant’s Associate Dean Research will sign, indicating that they have assurance of funding offers from PIs, Units, Centres, and/or Faculties, and forward to Associate Vice-President Research-2.
  3. The review committee (AVPR2 and Manager of Institutional Programs, plus optionally 1 invited disciplinary expert) will make a decision within 4 weeks of submission. 

Criteria

Urgency

  • Is similar equipment available elsewhere at UVic?
  • Are other repair/replacement funds available (PI’s own resources, CFI, NSERC-RTI)?

Impact

  • Does the potential impact (# researchers, # of PIs) justify the size of the expenditure?
  • Is repair of the equipment critical for one or more Early Career Researchers?

  • Will the financial sustainability for this equipment be secured by the proposed plans for new sustainability-promoting mechanisms?

Practical

  • Is EERF cash available from a source appropriate to the research discipline? (EERF is funded internally from multiple discipline-specific residual accounts.)

Apply now

The application form is a Microsoft form and requires a UVic NetLink ID.

Need help?

 If you have any questions, please contact us.