Funding, News and Announcements

With over 1000 research applications submitted every year at Dalhousie and approximately 800 research accounts approved for opening, how are the staff in Dalhousie Research Services (DRS) able to keep track of everything? DRS relies on a little help from a database that shares a name with a famous Shakespearean character - ROMEO.

The current version of the ROMEO database has been in use at Dal since 2009. It’s used to manage all externally-funded research projects, including grants, contracts, clinical trials, agreements and other types of research initiatives that are administered through the university.

Recently, a decision was made to purchase a new module that will streamline the application process at DRS and feed into the existing ROMEO platform.  This new module will better service the research community and help make things run a little more efficiently.

The module will be a one-stop-shop for researchers, resulting in faster processing time for applications, giving researchers the ability to manage their full research portfolio and submit applications from anywhere in the world. It will also likely lead to improvements in post-award procedures, like account opening.

“The implementation of the researcher portal really is in response to a need in the Dalhousie research community,” says Juliana Serroul, Manager, Institutional Programs, Dalhousie Research Services. “The portal will provide Dalhousie researchers with the ability to submit their research proposals using a convenient online resource.”

Other benefits of the Researcher Portal include:

· Single sign-on ability through MyDal
· An electronic Investigator’s Checklist
· Automated checks for application completeness
· A workflow log that will provide updated information on how an application is progressing through reviews and approvals
· A simplified process for obtaining necessary approvals, feedback and application re-submission

“We are currently in the process of creating online forms for the researcher portal.  These forms will provide the basis for Dalhousie researchers to apply for research funding online. The electronic workflows built into the system will streamline the application process as ink signatures on the existing paper Investigator’s Checklist will no longer be required,” says Natasha Neal, Research Grants Assistant, Dalhousie Research Services.  “Our next steps include meeting with Faculties and Administrators, testing forms for usability and training.”

It is anticipated that the ROMEO Researcher Portal will be available for use in the summer of 2017. Dalhousie will be the 14^th university or institution in Canada to use this portal. Stay tuned for details on an official launch date and training opportunities.

Research Support Fund
At Dalhousie, the federal Research Support Fund (RSF) program helps to fund, among other things, the ROMEO database. Established in 2003, the RSF (formerly the Indirect Costs Program) helps Canadian universities and colleges, along with their affiliated health research institutes and research hospitals, with the indirect costs associated with federally-funded research.

Last year, the RSF grant provided $9.3 million to support the indirect costs of research at Dalhousie and affiliate hospitals.