General Research Funding

General research is any project done with a business or other research organization. Any project that involves supporting a student is instead considered postgraduate research.

Procedure for Proposal Evaluation

The approval process for any external R&D project is as follows. Contracts or purchase orders may be necessary.

1. Contact us; tell us about your proposal. (We will suggest an appropriate Project Monitor if you do not already have one.
2. Prepare your proposal with the Project Monitor according to the guidelines in this site.
3. Contact us to book a presentation time. Proposals are reviewed during the last week of each calendar month except July, August, and December.
4. Submit the proposal to us via email, dropping off, or by regular post on or prior to the first working day of the month of your presentation. Submit your presentation at least two working days prior to your presentation time.
5. If the proposal or presentation is not received on time, you will be given the next available time slot. That may not necessarily be the following month.
6. Present your proposal.

You will receive notification via telephone (commonly within two working days of your presentation) to inform you of the Research Management Board's decision. R&D staff processes the necessary paperwork and will forward a letter of confirmation if your proposal for funding is approved.

Approval of proposal(s) for funding is always subject to Manitoba Hydro requirements, including, without limitation, the General Requirements listed below, as well as situational requirements on a case-by-case basis. If and when any legal contractual documentation is required, you will be notified and be provided with such documentation, and all such documentation must be executed to Research Management Board's satisfaction prior to any approval of funding being formalized.

Manitoba Hydro does not have an appeal process for decisions made by the Research Management Board. The decisions of the Research Management Board are always considered final.

Funding

Cost associated with your research project should be clearly identified. A detailed breakdown of all major and miscellaneous expenses is required.

Funding can be distributed in one of several ways. For smaller projects (less than $10,000), all funds minus a 10% holdback, may be paid to the researcher at the start of the project. The holdback will be released upon receipt of a final report and stated deliverables.

For larger projects (more than $10,000), the R&D department may choose to issue progress payments, monthly payments or quarterly payments. The 10% holdback applies to all projects.

All invoices must have Manitoba Hydro’s Purchase Order (PO) number clearly identified. If you have not received a PO number or if it is unclear, contact Hazel Werner at 474-4520. Invoices must be sent to the R&D Department for approval.

Reporting

Progress Reports

For projects that extend over more than one year, participants must submit Progress Reports at pre-determined intervals. These intervals may be either naturally occurring phases of the research, or quarterly or semi-annual reports.

n some instances, funding for subsequent phases will be contingent upon a satisfactory outcome of the previous phase. In such cases, you would be expected to present your progress report to the Research Management Board, along with a proposal detailing the next phase of your research.

Please book a time for your progress presentation with the R&D staff about two months in advance. A progress presentation should include:

• work completed to date;
• actual costs to date;
• work to be completed in the next phase, and;
• projected costs for further work.

Progress Reports should include:

• a summary statement ;
• a review of the progress on the study undertaken to date;
• a review of the status of work versus the schedule, with an explanation of any variances;
• a review of actual costs versus budgeted cost flow, with an explanation of any variances.

Forward your progress report to the R&D department for review two weeks prior to your presentation.

Final Reports

A Final Report is required on completion of all projects. It should include:

• Cover - Title of report
• Title Page - Title of report, author's or research proponent's name, title and department. University name, contractor's name or
• Project Monitor's name - if applicable - R&D project number, and date.
• Summary - A short summation of the total report, written in non-technical terminology, including the main conclusion and recommendation.
• Table of Contents - List contents of the report including appendices, diagrams, photographs, charts, tables, etc.
• Introduction - Indicate purposes and scope of work. Provide background information leading to the report.
• Discussion - outlining:
  • what you tried to do
  • what you actually did
  • what you found out
  • subsequent intentions
• Conclusion - a summary of the results of your research project
• Recommendation - Based on the above conclusion, in your opinion, state what must now be done. Remember that to discontinue further work is also a recommendation.
• References - List reference documents
• Annotated Biography
• Appendix - Supporting documents for your report, which may include charts, tables, photographs and test results.

Note: Please submit two copies of your final report.