Internal Opportunities

The University of Saskatchewan offers a number of internal funding opportunities to faculty members to support their research, scholarly, and artistic activities.

• Internal Funding Listings

University Research System (UnivRS)

 is a web-based central repository for research-related activities and CV data management.

For information about obtaining Saskatoon Health Region Operational Approval for research, contact either Saskatoon/North Research Approval Coordinator or Regina/South Research Approval Coordinator. 

• Operational Approval Form

Please see the attached infographics regarding the Indirect Costs of Research (ICR), commonly known as Overhead.

For grant development information, please visit Office of the Vice-President Research, Strategic Facilitation

Before you start writing your grant, make sure that you are aware of the Funding Agency’s deadline to submit as well as the Usask internal deadline for submitting to Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives (RASI).

Process:

• Download the pdf of your complete Application Package
• Visit UnivRS; login with your NSID and password
• Top right, click on + Add new > Project > Project Application
• Click on Externally Funded
• Complete all fields marked with a red asterisk
  • Under the Documents Menu tab, upload your complete grant application .pdf under Final Project Documents
• When all * are filled, click Save and Update Status
• Select Submitted for Approval and click Done
• Send an email to your department head to alert him/her to approve the application in 

You will receive a compliance review from RASI via e-mail.

NOTE: you cannot submit your application to the funding agency until you have addressed the compliance review comments

If the funding agency requires a signed copy you must drop the signature page at all the offices required by the funding agency.

To check which office has approved your application:

Check the Approval and Log tab. It will say: For Approval by Department Head, or For Approval by Dean. 

If it has already gone through the academic approvals it will say For Review by Approval Coordinator or For Review by Specialist.

Research Support Specialists perform the compliance review of your grant applications and post-award processes:

• Cameron Berg
• Centaine Raginski

The following grants participate in the Usask internal review:

• Main Tri-Council Grants
• CFI
• CRC

Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives (RASI) in collaboration with Pension and Benefits and People and Resources teams developed a Compensation budgeting and calculation tool to assist researchers in drafting their proposed budgets to include estimated costs for research staff, post-doctoral fellows and students (graduate and undergraduate) for their research proposals. 

Download the Compensation budgeting and calculation tool  to assist in estimating a total cost for research staff and trainees including associated required benefits in relation to collective agreements and mandatory employer costs (CPP, EI, WCB, vacation pay, statutory holiday pay).

How HRDP-SK Can Support Researchers 

HRDP-SK provides support throughout the research lifecycle, including: 

1. Coaching from scientists and analysts to refine research questions, building analysis plans, and overall project planning/ study design. 
2. Providing guidance on available administrative and clinical health datasets. 
3. Assessing data feasibility and identifying appropriate data sources.
4. Coordinating data access approvals and integration of project-specific data. 
5. Providing data analysis support. 
6. Coordinating and supporting access to data from other Canadian jurisdictions through HDRN Canada. 

Approved data provisioned through HRDP-SK is provided to researchers in a secure research environment that can be accessed from anywhere in Canada. Researchers also have access to tools and resources including code, macros, data harmonization models, distributed analysis models, etc. Research teams working with HRDP-SK are invited to participate in a Community of Practice to support ongoing shared learning.  

HRDP-SK currently operates with four analysts who provide end-to-end project support on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Services are currently provided in-kind, with costs supported through grant funding where available. A sustainable, non-barrier cost-recovery model is under development. 

Available Data 

HRDP-SK currently facilitates access to seven Saskatchewan administrative and clinical health datasets, which include: 

• Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) 

• Person Health Registry System (PHRS) 

• Medical Services Branch – Physician Billing Data (MSB) 

• Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) 

• National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) 

• Mental Health and Addictions Information System (MHAIS) 

• Saskatchewan Cancer Registry Dataset (SCRD) 

In addition to these datasets, HRDP-SK supports project-specific data integration and linkage. Depending on approvals and project requirements, researchers may access: 

• Additional variables from existing datasets 

• Data from partner organizations 

• Linkage with external organization datasets 

• Integration of researcher-collected data (e.g., surveys, EMR data) 

HRDP-SK also supports cohort creation and cohort retention, enabling linked datasets to be reused for future research where appropriate. 

Additional services include geographic linkage using the Postal Code Conversion File Plus (PCCF+) and support for multi-jurisdictional research through HDRN Canada Data Services.  

Who Can Use HRDP-SK?

HRDP-SK supports researchers whose projects use Saskatchewan health and population data. Services are available to researchers across a wide range of disciplines, including health sciences, kinesiology, epidemiology, public health, social sciences, education, economics, and others whose research can benefit from administrative and clinical health data. 

When Should Researchers Contact HRDP-SK? 

Researchers are encouraged to contact HRDP-SK early, particularly when: 

• Developing a research idea or protocol 

• Preparing grant applications 

• Assessing data availability or feasibility 

• Planning linked, multi-source, or cohort-based studies 

• Preparing data access requests 

• Seeking guidance on governance, approvals, timelines, or costs 

Early engagement helps ensure projects are designed with realistic expectations around data availability, feasibility, timelines, and analytical requirements. 

When Should Researchers Contact HRDP-SK? 

Researchers interested in HRDP-SK services are encouraged to contact the team early to discuss their project and identify the next steps. An early consultation can help clarify available data, governance requirements, feasibility, timelines, and analytical support options. 

Email: HRDP-SK@usask.ca 

Website: https://www.scpor.ca/hrdpsk