O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION SSHRC Partnership Grant: Partner Agreement CAURA Discussion Webinar, November 7 th, 2012

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION There is no mandate for an Agreement by SSHRC but we need to ensure we are all on the same page. The goals of the PG program are not the same as those of the NSERC Strategic Network Grant program (which requires one all-party agreement, often with great effort.) Context: What sectors are partners typically from in a PG proposal? How intricately do we need to deal with IP, commercialization, default, etc.? What are the differences between Evidence of Formal Partnership and a Partner Agreement? (Reporting) Factors to Consider

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION PARTNERS: 1.No funds: no-sub-grant, must report commitments 2.Salary recovery: sub-grant, invoice-based, must report on commitments 3.Academic: a) Domestic co-applicant sub-grants b) International co-applicant sub-grants c) Both must report on commitments NON-PARTNERS: (Academic Co-applicants ) 4.Domestic: Sub-grant agreement 5.International: Sub-grant agreement (Invoice) Tangling with different Agreements:

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION Accepted Invitations Partner Letters Partner on-line Contribution forms Sub-grant Agreements (eligible and ineligible) Evidence of Formal Partnership (in many cases) Partnership Proposal overall Too many documents with different terms and conditions Document Collision Course?

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION Headline: Research Administrator Wins!

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION The only all-party document we have so far is the Proposal Issues with the Proposal (and potentially EOFP): There is commitment to provide commitments, but no reporting mechanisms stated nor timelines. The Proposal is binding to a degree, but expectations post- award cannot be implied. HOWEVER: we want to be fair, meet accountability requirements, maintain the spirit of the partnership, not over-document and potentially isolate (or worse) our partners. “Common Document Denominator”

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION Achieve an understanding (Agreement) among partners on a move-forward plan for common “all-party” obligations: Post award reporting (* SSHRC Webinar). Accountability. Avoidance of “over-papering” the partnership: Partners have specified commitments, written letters, and contributed to Evidence of Formal Partnership requirement (some have done it twice: LOI and Full Proposal) Respect the equity of engagement principle. Common Goals

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION We recognize project leaders unease about even more “administratocratic” documentation. Can we achieve a Partnership Agreement model that: satisfies Evidence of Formal Partnership requirement? can be amended in a post-award scenario to integrate accountabilities of institution and partners? Whatever we develop must also be available in English and French. Common Goals

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION HOW? One all-partner agreement: Use of a standard that institutions have consulted on and accepted, (at pre- and post-award stages?) Flexibility to amend. All Parties sign the same document. Binding. Risk: tangled up in many different offices (NSERC SNG) What about co-applicants (academic non-partners)? sub-grant refers to PA (or EOFP?) Questions to Consider

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION On-to-one agreement: Tailored to each partners requirements. Can meet multiple purposes (including transfer of funds). Risk: challenge to amending a term across a number of agreements. Risk: can also be tangled up in many different offices without work being able to proceed between partners in some cases. What about co-applicants (academic non-partners)? sub-grant refers to PA (or EOFP?) Questions to Consider

O FFICE OF THE V ICE -P RESIDENT, R ESEARCH AND I NNOVATION Discussion and Notes Example Next Steps Model Agreement