FAQ

A Research Grant is financial support for an individual or group of individuals or a research centre or institute to do research in a particular subject area or field. Although the research area may be defined, there are usually no conditions about specific directions of the research. Usually, in a grant:

• There is no direct or indirect remuneration to the principle investigator(s)
• The objectives are defined generally
• There are no limitations on publication
• Results do not get transferred to the grantor (a final report may be requested)
• Payment is usually made in advance of expenditures, without "deliverables"

A Research Contract is a legal agreement between two parties to carry out a specific research project, with specific stipulations and conditions. For details, please refer Research Western website.

See the University guidelines on Eligibility to Hold a Research Grant.  Note that postdocs may not hold research grants on their own; however, they may have access to research accounts held by their supervisors or department chairs.

All research involving humans conducted by faculty, staff or students at Western or its affiliated hospitals or research institutes must be approved by a Western-sanctioned review board.

The Office of Research Ethics, on behalf of the Western's Research Ethics Boards (REB), manages the approval and monitoring process for the use of humans in research at Western and its affiliated hospitals and research institutes.

All animal use for research, teaching or testing must receive prior approval from the University. For details, see the Animal Care & Use website.

If your research involves biohazardous materials, you will require a Biohazard Certificate. See the Biosafety website for information on training, guidelines and required documentation.

The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Research Office is located at:

Clinical Skills Building, 2nd floor
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1 
t.519.661.3755
f. 519.661.3797
e. research@schulich.uwo.ca
w. www.schulich.uwo.ca/research

Applications for funding must be approved by the following: the Principal Investigator, Co-Applicants (if applicable), Department Chair, Dean, and The University of Western Ontario (contact Western Research). 

Specific requirements may vary depending on the funding agency/competition. Some applications require hardcopy signatures; others require electronic approvals.  Please read the funding agency guidelines for specific guidance.

In addition, all funding applications submitted through Western require the submission and approval of a ROLA form. 

If a Dean's hardcopy signature is required, please contact the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Research Office for assistance.

For Institution approval, contact Western Research.

For all funding applications submitted through Western, "Institution Signature" is provided by Western Research.  Neither the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry nor department chairs are authorized to sign for the institution.

If your application is being submitted through the Lawson Health Research Institute, contact Lawson for an Institutional Signature.

The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Research Office requests at least 1 business day for signatures. 

Research Western requires 3 business days for signatures. Applications including industry partners may require up to 7 working days for signatures.

If you need a signature from your Department Chair, please contact your Department Office to determine how much time you need to allow to obtain this signature.

NOTE: We cannot guarantee that applications brought for signature at the last minute will be signed by your submission deadline.  Therefore, we urge the applicants to obtain the required signatures well in advance of the deadline.

See the Office of Research Ethics website for the forms and guidelines for ethics approval.

Complete and submit a ROLA form to set up a new research account.

ROLA (Research On-Line Administration) is the University of Western Ontario's system for electronic proposal and award administration.  ROLA is also used to collect Department Chair/Dean's approval for new applications for funding.

Completion and electronic submission of a Proposal via ROLA is required to obtain Western’s Institutional approval for any application for funding.

See the ROLA website for access to the system and for additional information.

Please contact your department office, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Research Office or Western Research for details about accessing your research grant/contract funds. 

A variety of information regarding research funding is available for Schulich researchers.

• research funding information is available on the Schulich Research website
• the Schulich Research Office disseminates information on funding opportunities via email to Schulich researchers.   (Note: If you are not receiving e-mails, please contact research@schulich.uwo.ca  to request to be added to the list).
• funding information is available via the Research Western ROLA system
• Western University subscribes to the Pivot, a comprehensive database on funding opportunities

There are both internal and external funding opportunities targeted at new faculty.  Contact the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Research Office with specific questions.  Note that a good source of seed funding for new faculty is the Western Strategic Support for CIHR Success program. 

The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry supports two programs aimed at encouraging medical students to explore their interests in research.  The Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) enables first and second year medical students in Schulich Medicine & Dentistry to work under the supervision of a faculty member on a research project during the summer months, for one or two summers. The Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) is available to Schulich-Windsor medical students to provide research experience under the supervision of UWindsor faculty.

For funding information for graduate students and postdocs, see the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry website.