In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the faculty and the funding agency, the investigator must also request a UBC signature before submitting the proposal to the funding agency.
This institutional signature is provided by ORS and confirms that UBC officials have reviewed the proposal, that it meets internal and agency requirements, and that all documents are ready for submission.
University Policy #87 (Research) requires signatures from the following university officials, in the following order, on all proposals for external research funding. All university signatures are required, even when pre-printed forms do not have the appropriate spaces.
- Principal Applicant (and any co-applicants);
- Department Head or Director of a School or Institute);
- Dean of Faculty*; and
- Director of Research Services, on behalf of the UBC President.**
*The Dean’s signature is not required on proposals originating in the Faculty of Applied Science, Faculty of Science, or School of Human Kinetics. See agency-specific funding requirements for details.
**A very few external agencies or certain programs may specifically require the signature of the President (i.e., no delegated signatory is accepted).The President signs after the Dean and before the Director of Research Services, in the order listed above. Please allow 3 working days turnaround time and contact Gerald Calderon (604-822-5151) to request the President’s signature.
Proposals that require the naming and/or signature of the University Financial Officer this is the Manager of Research & Trust Accounting.
A signature on a grant application is legally binding. For details on the legalities of signing a research grant, please review What a Signature Implies.
The Signature Policy applies equally to:
- Funding requests for new projects;
- Letters of Intent;
- Requests for renewal or supplemental funding for existing projects;
- Requests made by letter, written proposal or on preprinted forms;
- All faculty awards and fellowships, even when the funds are not administered by UBC;
- Postdoctoral Fellowships administered by UBC; and
- All graduate or undergraduate scholarships & fellowships that include a research or travel allowance administered by UBC.
The Signature Policy does NOT apply to "Notifications of Intent to Apply" such as NSERC Form 180, or the CIHR registration package. A Research Services signature is not required for these cases.
Required Documentation
Key sections of the proposal must be supplied to obtain the institutional signature:
- Title Page;
- Agency Signature Page (if this page is unavailable, the ORS Signature Form may be downloaded and used to collect signatures for your proposal);
- Abstract or Summary of Proposed Project;
- Budget summary and all accompanying financial information; and
- All letters of support or commitment from UBC, collaborating companies or other institutions.
Applications to industry must include a complete copy of the application.
See agency specific requirements for exceptions to these requirements.
Turnaround Time
Whenever possible, applications will be signed within a half-day. Please allow a 24-hour turnaround immediately before a major deadline. ORS staff will call the submitting individuals or departments as soon as the signed applications are ready for pickup.
Express Service
Applications submitted for signature between 9-10:00 a.m. will be signed while you wait. This express service for is for individual investigators (i.e., not for bulk applications from departments) and is usually available every weekday except for holidays.
Express service is not available for applications to major competitions immediately before the deadline (e.g. CIHR Operating Grants, SSHRC Insight Grants and NSERC Discovery Grants).
