Office of Sponsored Research Services during the MUNACA Strike

Message from Mary-Margaret Klempa, Interim Senior Director, Office of Sponsored Research

Re: Office of Sponsored Research Services during the MUNACA Strike

--

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, the McGill University Non-academic Certified Association (MUNACA), which includes clerical workers, lab technicians and other support staff, began a general strike on September 1. The work stoppage will impact all areas of the University, including the research community.

Please rest assured that the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) remains open during the strike, and we will continue to do our best to manage your awards, oversee your contracts, and provide all the other services on which you rely. However, due to decreased staffing, the OSR must reallocate resources to certain priority areas.

Pre-award activities

·         Our office’s priority will be the management of major Tri-Council, provincial, and other deadline-driven competitions, regardless of sponsor. We will maintain normal support on these competitions, including services related to review, guidance, advice and submission of applications.

·          Programs that are not deadline driven will be given lower priority. Unfortunately, the review and submission of these applications may be delayed.

Award Approvals

While the OSR will try to maintain its normal level of support for award approvals, we will be short-staffed in these services. As a result, we will give:

·         First priority to new awards and contracts, regardless of sponsor, that have followed the regular submission procedure;

·         Second priority to approval of annual instalments;

·         Third priority to approvals of sub-grants and subcontracts to McGill, because in these cases follow-up on mandatory documents requires significant resources, which may not be available due to staffing shortages.

·         Sub-grants and subcontracts from McGill to other institutions; awards and contracts that have bypassed the regular submission procedure (i.e. where applicants have submitted directly to the agency without consulting the OSR); and requests for residual funds approval have all been deemed low priority.

Although the OSR has put in place a clear list of priorities, members of the McGill research community should be aware that our services will also be affected by significant staffing shortages at the Office of Research and Restricted Funds (RRF) in Financial Services. RRF has its own strike contingency plan in place, and we will be working closely with our colleagues to minimize delays. Please contact RRF personnel for additional information on their services.

If you have concerns about your funding being interrupted, please contact OSR staff to discuss strategies for ensuring your projects continue to operate. The OSR will do our part to support the McGill community as we continue to fulfill our research and teaching responsibilities and mission. On behalf of the OSR, I thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Mary-Margaret Klempa

Interim Senior Director

Office of Sponsored Research