Research Integrity

Introduction:

Niagara College is committed to research and development activities that will support economic development in the Niagara Region and beyond, and enhance the quality of our programs and the professional development of our college personnel. Research activities at a college are diverse and include applied research, research into teaching and learning, labour market research and institutional research designed to improve the programs and services of the college. Student research will only be conducted under the supervision of a qualified staff research supervisor.

Research is defined by the Canada Foundation for Innovation as the "attempt to discover new facts, knowledge, and information, to develop new interpretations of facts, knowledge or information, or to discover new means of applying existing knowledge".

Applied Research is defined in the Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology as “research undertaken with the intention of applying the results to some specific problem”.

Role of the Office of Research & Innovation

The office of Research and Innovation provides the leadership for the college in furthering the institutional priorities in research and innovation. The office will develop, coordinate and support research activities by Niagara’s faculty, staff, and students; seek and administer grants for research activities; and identify and secure appropriate partnership activities and alliances that support the college’s research goals. The office works closely with other areas of the college involved in research activities, including offices responsible for labour market research, program development and quality assurance, industrial applied research, and academic divisions appropriate to individual research projects.

General Responsibilities: Office of Research & Innovation

Research Development

The office of Research and Innovation provides leadership in strategic research planning, including the sourcing of ideas, partners and funding. It is charged with building the capacity of Niagara College to conduct research activities to meet its long term research objectives.

The office supports the involvement of students in research activities by assessing student research projects, and providing consultation and professional development sessions on technology transfer processes and the ethical conduct of research. The office is responsible for research policy development and updating. It develops external partnerships as appropriate with funders, associations, educational institutions and the private sector. It coordinates the internal committees related to research, including the Applied Research Council and the Research Ethics Board.

Research Services

The Research office sources, develops, administers and reports on research grant and contract proposals and resulting research projects. It develops and updates databases for research, including the college web information about research. The office also coordinates research communications tools, and supports research “publications” appropriate to the college research activities and goals.

It coordinates the college’s science and technology assessment services, and is the college’s technology transfer and commercialization arm.

Applied Research

The office of Research and Innovation administers applied research projects and funds that have been sourced and developed through the office itself or through other college units, both academic and non-academic. Applied research’s goal is to develop economic benefits through the application or adaptation of science and technology (or new knowledge) to industry problems and goals. Applied research also concerns the application of knowledge and information for the purpose of developing or improving products and services.

Institutional Research

The office of Research and Innovation is the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) college liaison and secretariat. It gathers or supports the gathering of KPI data, its communication and analysis. It is responsible for carrying out other surveys or data collection required to support college strategic goals.

Procedure for Approval and Administration of Research Projects

1. Proposed research projects may be identified through a request from a granting agency, a request from industry, or a concept from college staff or students.
2. The proposed project should be described on the “Application for Research Project” form (attached to this practice document), signed, dated, and submitted to the office of Research and Innovation, either directly or through an appropriate division or college unit. If the project is in response to a grant application for an external agency, the agency’s forms and guidelines will supersede the college application form.
3. The Director, Research and Innovation will review the application against college research criteria and priorities. The qualifications and experience of the Principal Investigator will also be a factor. The Director will determine if an ethical review is required, and will accordingly request the forms for “Application for Research Involving Human Subjects” to be completed. A review by the Research Ethics Board will be scheduled in a timely manner.
4. The Director will consult as needed with relevant college staff, and sign and date the research application prior to any research being conducted.
5. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) will normally be required prior to the start of a research project. The Director of Research and Innovation will make this determination and notify researchers and necessary staff.
6. The research application must be approved by the head of the college division responsible for the research, the finance department (if new resources are required outside of divisional budgets), and the Director, Research and Innovation. Some research projects must also obtain the approval of the appropriate Vice-President.
7. A budget, including an expected 30% overhead charge, for the research project will be developed by the division responsible for the research and the Director, Research and Innovation. The office of Research and Innovation normally administers the budget in collaboration with the Finance Department. Each research grant or contract must have a completed “Research Grant/Contract Information” form, a “Budget Form”, and a “Budget Worksheet” form completed, with any research contract documents attached. The original forms will be maintained in the office of Research and Innovation, with a copy provided to the Finance department and the division responsible for the research.
8. A project work plan with deliverables and timelines will be developed jointly by the Director of Research and Innovation and the responsible division.
9. The Director, Research and Innovation will manage all reporting requirements according to grant or contract requirements.
10. Any intellectual property potential must be disclosed to the office of Research and Innovation following the college’s Intellectual Property practice.