Tri-Agency Policies

Many elements of Tri-Agency Policies are captured within SFU's Research Policies. However it is important that researchers are familiar with the following policies, resources and concepts.

On this page:

Eligible Use of Funds & Other Administrative Matters

You can obtain information on eligible and ineligible expenses for Tri-Agency funds by referring to the Use of Grant Funds section of Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration.

Important: The new Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration took effect as of April 1, 2020. All expenses incurred on or after April 1, 2020 on Tri-Agency grants are subject to the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration. For more information and resources, visit Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration – Renewal.

The Guide also covers matters such as ownership of equipment, funds transfers to co-applicants at other institutions, and transferring a grant when an award-holder changes institutions.

Tri-Agency Open Access Publications Policy

Peer-reviewed journal publications resulting from Tri-Agency-funded research must be freely accessible within twelve months of publication. For more details, refer to the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.

Open access can be achieved in one or both of the following ways.

• Publishing with journals that permit open access within twelve months on their websites
• Depositing the final, peer-reviewed manuscript into an institutional or disciplinary repository within twelve months of the publication. SFU's repository is called 'Summit'

Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

Researchers and their respective institutions must comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2). All researchers including faculty, staff and students are required to complete the TCPS 2 tutorial offered by Research Ethics, prior to undertaking human research.

SFU does not provide access to research funds in the absence of a valid human ethics protocol. A partial-funding release (termed 'Protocol Development') can be requested for a portion of research funds covering research undertaken prior to research involving human participants. Please fill out a Protocol Development Form and submit it to Research Services if you request early release of a portion of first year funding for protocol development.

Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit & Métis Peoples of Canada

Researchers who undertake research in partnership with, or research about, the First Nations, Inuit or Métis Peoples of Canada should carefully read TCPS 2 – Chapter 9. The goal of Chapter 9 is to provide guidance to researchers and Research Ethics Boards; it is not meant to override or replace ethical guidance offered by Indigenous peoples themselves.

Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

SFU receives and administers Tri-Agency funds on behalf of faculty members and is required to comply with the Framework for Responsible Conduct of Research. The Framework outlines the process to respond to allegations of research misconduct. The four objectives of the Framework are as follows.

1. To ensure the Agencies make decisions based on accurate and reliable information
2. To ensure that public funds are used responsibly for research and in accordance with all terms and conditions
3. To promote and protect the quality, accuracy and reliability of research funded by the Agencies
4. To promote fairness in the conduct of research and in addressing allegations of policy breaches in the responsible conduct of research

For more information, please see the RCR pages.

Research Data Management: Draft Policy

The Tri-Agencies introduced the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy on March 15th, 2021. The new Data Management Policy (DMP) is grounded in the Tri-Agencies’ belief that research data collected through the use of public funds should be responsibly and securely managed and be available for reuse by other where ethical, legal and commercial obligations permit. Institutions are required to develop a DMP strategy that is shared with the Tri-Agencies and is publicly available. The strategy is to be phased in over the next few years.

CIHR’s data deposit requirements for CIHR-funded researchers, that has been in place under the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications since January 1, 2008, remains in place. More details are available at Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.