Research cover sheets - Faculty of Health

Section 1: Project information 

• Unless instructed otherwise from the OR, the named Principal investigator (PI) should be a Health faculty member. Insert names of students or postdoctoral fellows after the PI’s name.
• Principal investigators must be affiliated with the Faculty of Health for the full duration of the proposed funding.

Section 2: Project budget 

Enter budget figures (a draft budget is acceptable barring substantive changes) and append a matching summary budget. Enter these amounts:

• Cash: Straight cash
• Overhead: Overhead amount using UWaterloo standard overhead rates
  • For Tri-Agency grants, check Yes to maximum overhead, and enter zero as the amount. 
  • For non-standard overhead rates, append the agency’s policy.
  • In the absence of an overhead policy, provide documentation on how the rate was determined for review and approval . 
• In-kind: Include known sources especially if from PI funding, the academic unit, the Faculty of Health or UWaterloo. Provide documentation verifying what is being provided.
• Matching Funds: Include known sources especially if from PI funding, the academic unit, the Faculty of Health or UWaterloo. Provide documentation verifying what is being offered.
• Total: Sum of cash, overhead, in-kind and matching funds. The total should match the appended budget.   

Section 3: Certfications and risk declaration 

Check off (✓) Yes or No for each section. If yes, append the relevant approval documents from your chair or director:  

#9 – Research consulting payments [Managing Research Funding; Policy 49 - Extra University Activity (faculty members) and Policy 69 - Conflict of Interest]

#10 – Teaching release (per Faculty of Health guideline which is available from the chair/director)

#11 – Additional space, resources, renovations, upgrades, computer equipment, or construction – provide details of the request.

Section 4: PI acceptance

Complete your approval and submit.

Waterloo approvals workflow

PI approved cover sheets are routed to the chair/director. Chair/director approved cover sheets are routed to the dean’s office for approval. Dean’s office cover sheets are routed to the correct OR contact for approval.

Cover sheets with missing or incorrect information will be held pending receipt of required information.

Checklist of essential information to append with the OR cover sheet

Five business days prior to the OR deadline provide with the cover sheet:

• A draft proposal or agreement
• A clear budget matching the cover sheet (drafts are accepted if substantive changes are not expected)
• Supporting emails, memos or letters detailing the request and chair/director approval for the following sections:
  • #9 – Research consulting payments
  • #10 – Teaching release
  • #11 – Additional space, resources, renovations, upgrades, computer equipment, or construction

Overview

The Office of Research (OR) standard overhead rate outlines that the rate is 30 per cent for most organizations and lists organizations with special arrangements. The Faculty of Health adheres to these standard rates.  

Overhead rates and contractual arrangements can be complex. Researchers are responsible for consulting with their Office of Research contact for recommendations regarding overhead rates, contractual terms, and processes prior to negotiating with organizations.

For organizations with a stated policy that differs from the university, append the organizations’s policy.

For organizations without a stated overhead policy, communicate to them UWaterloo’s standard overhead rates. Rare exceptions to the standard rates need to be reviewed and approved by the chair/director and the dean or designate before proceeding. 

Why charge overhead?

Policy 26 states that, "It is intended that the University recover the cost (direct and indirect) of sponsored research activities. Whenever possible, provision for University overhead (the indirect costs) must be made when applying for sponsored research activities. Contract and industrial grant sponsors must allow for overhead recovery; for other grant and research sponsors, an overhead factor must be used whenever possible.”

Overhead is provides compensation to the University for the use of resources such as space, heat, light, power, furniture, administrative services, the library, and central computing.