The Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF) was announced on May 15, 2020, as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The three-stage program has been established to help sustain the research enterprise at Canadian universities and health research institutions that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program, which has a total budget of $450 million, will support two main research areas:

1. Wage support (up to 75% for 12 weeks; $847/week maximum) for eligible research personnel who were paid from non-government sources (March 15, 2020 – August 29, 2020) (Stages 1 and 2, $325M).

2. Incurred costs associated with maintenance and ramping-up of research activities (Stage 3, $125 million).

Committee Adjudication Process

To facilitate Stage 1 allocations, an internal review committee will be formed to oversee CRCEF and ensure alignment to the Tri-agency program policies and requirements.  The committee members will have received unconscious bias and Gender-Based Analysis+ training prior to membership.

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is dedicated to excellence in research and research training. UPEI is strongly committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion within our community. UPEI wants to ensure that members of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups benefit from the CRCEF program.  Those include, but are not limited to, women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.  To ensure equity in this process, no call for applications is being made, instead Research Services will direct the review of internal records to locate ALL eligible and affected people.  Anyone with questions about eligibility for the CRCEF program can contact Maria Steele at mlsteele@upei.ca.

Stage 1 CRCEF Allocation Process at UPEI

Decision process for allocation of Stage 1 funds:

1. Eligible recipients were identified by internal financial records.

2. An Internal Review Committee was formed to review the list.

3. The approved list was provided to Research Accounting to allocate CRCEF Stage 1 as per the program guidelines.

4. If the determined need exceeds the committed funds, the Vice-President Academic & Research will determine the appropriate process in consultation with the internal review committee.

Contact Information:
Dr. Katherine Gottshall-Pass, Vice-President Academic & Research (interim) vpar@upei.ca