A well-written proposal that meets all sponsor requirements is vital to the success of research funding applications. This page provides information and resources on how to develop a proposal, prepare your budget and research data management plan, develop a knowledge mobilization plan, and submit an application using the MRA system and funding agency portals.
Develop a Proposal
To be successful, a funding proposal must address an important and timely problem or fill a knowledge gap and clearly explain how it will do so.
The UTM OVPRI assists faculty in developing proposals by providing the following services upon request:
- Helping researchers identify relevant funding opportunities
- Meeting with researchers to discuss proposal plans, resubmissions, and/or reviewer comments
- Reviewing and editing all application components, including the budget, and checking for compliance with all sponsor and institutional guidelines
If your proposal involves a partnership with an organization (e.g., industry, a non-profit organization, or another institution), please consult:
- The UTM Research Partnerships page for information on research partnership agreements at U of T, to find funding opportunities to support partnered projects, and for UTM OVPRI staff support
- The Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) Partnerships page for more information on establishing partnerships with industry, community groups, and networks of partners and memberships
- Indigenous Research Network for collaboration with Indigenous Communities
- Office of Indigenous Initiatives leads efforts that are directed towards listening, coordinating, advising, and collaborating with academic and non-academic communities in addressing the TRC Calls to Action
- Discover Research to find a U of T researcher for collaboration
- Community Partnerships at UTM for collaboration with community-based organizations
- Innovations, Partnership & Entrepreneurship Office for Institutional Partnerships, Industry Research Partnerships and commercialization
- International Office for International Partnerships and Collaboration
- Black Research Network for information on Black research excellence and collaboration
Please contact the UTM OVPRI for assistance and more information.
Other resources available to researchers in developing and reviewing proposals:
- Centre for Research & Innovation Support (CRIS) Resources: CRIS provides resources such as guides and recordings of past workshops and events
Develop a Budget
Plan your budget carefully, keeping in mind the financial needs of your proposed research project, eligibility of research expenses as defined by the sponsor and U of T. Contact your departmental business officer for the university’s current pay rate for personnel. Please consult the following to understand the different associated costs and category of cost to consider an expense:
- Develop a Budget for more information on common costs including compensation for different groups such as students and postdoctoral fellows, non-student personnel, specialized expenses and budget justification
- Direct costs considerations including salaries & wages, materials & supplies, equipment, travel, services and others
- Indirect costs considerations including infrastructure, insurance environmental & safety monitoring, ongoing regulatory and certification requirements and others
- Publication discounts including discounts offered by the University of Toronto libraries for article processing charges to make your research openly available
Other resources:
- Procurement Services for procurement policies, approved suppliers, contracts, and agreements, as well as other procurement-related information
Research Data Management
There are several stages to managing your data effectively, including managing data consent forms, keeping your data secure, building a data management plan, encrypting data, handling sensitive data, publishing, and preserving data.
Individual funders have different policies on how long to keep data and how long it must be available to other researchers. Please see the UTM Library’s Research Data Management at UTM page, U of T Library’s Research Data Management website, and the CRIS Digital Research Infrastructure Portal for more information.
To arrange a consultation on research data management, contact Yayo Umetsubo, Scholarly Communications & Liaison Librarian at yayo.umetsubo@utoronto.ca.
Knowledge Mobilization
A knowledge mobilization (KMb) strategy is often required by major funders. KMb consists of all activities and outputs that make research accessible to a wider audience.
Please consult the following for more information:
- Information and Instructional Technology at UTM for website development services support
- Accessibility information for U of T for accessibility considerations in website design, including compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
- UTM Library Digital Scholarship website for support in the areas of data, digital humanities, digital collections building, digital preservation, and scholarly communications
- Faculty Liaison Librarians for specialized library research support
- Knowledge Mobilization Tools created by Dr. Melanie Barwick at The Hospital for Sick Children.
EDI in Research and Innovation
- EDI Resources at UTM page
- U of T’s office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research & Innovation (EDIRI) for guidance on EDI initiatives related to research and innovation; support in the implementation of EDI best practices in research and innovation; and support in complying with EDI requirements for federally sponsored research programs.
Submit a Proposal
My Research Applications (MRA) is an automated system for the internal review and endorsement of research applications. The application will flow through a defined electronic review and approval process and includes the submission of request for non-funded agreements, such as Material Transfer Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, etc.
Faculty members will be asked to submit their proposal and budget on the MRA in advance of the sponsor deadline and will also need to submit their applications on the external sponsor site.
Please note that there is an earlier MRA submission deadline for certain faculty at UTM; for deadlines, please check the pages for the specific opportunity you are applying to on the UTM OVPRI website.