SPARC Support + Resources

The SPARC team is available to meet with individual UBC faculty researchers are interested in information about funding opportunities or who are developing ideas into competitive research funding applications. To request a consultation meeting, please contact a SPARC team member who specializes in the relevant Tri-Agency and funding competition.

Depending on capacity, SPARC may provide specialized presentations and meetings tailored to the needs of UBC Departments, Faculties and other units.

SPARC offers various CWL-protected competition-specific resources to the UBC faculty research community:

• Guidelines, tips and templates: These include ‘cheat sheets’ for drafting initial content; templates to ensure applications adhere to competition instructions and adjudication criteria; common mistakes to avoid; best practices shared by previous applicants/reviewers
• Workshop materials: These include recordings, presentation slides and handouts from SPARC and Tri-Agency sessions.
• Successful grant applications: These have been generously contributed by UBC faculty researchers

SPARC offers various review services, with registration and/or submission deadlines and requirements:

• Application Review: Written feedback on submitted documents is provided by SPARC staff as a full criteria and editorial review of all written sections or criteria review of targeted sections (e.g., CIHR Project Grant)
• Internal Review: Written and/or verbal feedback on submitted documents is provided by UBC faculty peers on a one-on-one basis or via small discussion group (e.g., SSHRC Insight Grant)
• Test Your Concept: Verbal and written feedback on project concepts, based on presentations by project teams, is provided by panels of UBC faculty members (e.g., NFRF Transformation)
• Internal Selection: Written feedback on submitted documents is provided by formal panels comprised of UBC faculty members tasked with selecting applications to meet agency-mandated institutional quotas

SPARC hosts a variety of events for new and established UBC faculty researchers, communicated as <Announcements and Events> on our website and via the monthly UBC Research Digest:

• Strategic Grant Workshops: These provide competition overviews and advice on developing competitive applications, as well as forums for UBC faculty researchers to connect with VP Research & Innovation Faculty Research Advisors and UBC peer review panel members, plus networking opportunities for team-building and collaboration efforts
• Information Sessions: These include introductions to funding agencies and their suite of funding competitions, visits from funding agency representatives, etc.