Sustainability Initiative Funds

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is Saskatchewan’s primary provider of skills training and technical education and plays a critical role in supporting the province’s labour market. As part of its commitment to building a stronger and more sustainable Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic promotes applied research initiatives that advance ecological awareness and foster social and economic responsibility. 

Saskatchewan Polytechnic, through the Office of Applied Research and Innovation (OARI), will provide funding support to selected projects that will contribute to bridging sustainable development challenges with practical, innovative solutions. Project scope can be institutional (Saskatchewan Polytechnic-wide) and/or involve an external partner. Eligible partners include industry and private-sector small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), not-for-profit and charitable organizations, other research institutions, hospitals or clinical settings, and government institutions. Partners are expected to contribute resources and expertise collaboratively to project execution and to commit to fully implementing the project in their everyday operations and to achieve the project outcome within their operations. 

Sustainable development:

• Seeks to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Achieving this requires learning new ways to address current social and environmental challenges and adopting practices that support long-term ecological and community well-being.

Education for sustainable development

• Aims to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed decisions that benefit themselves, others, and the planet, now and in the future, and to act upon those decisions (Source: UNESCO).

SIF grants provide up to $10,000 per award. The term of the grant is one year, commencing July 1 and ending June 30. 

The application will be reviewed by the Applied Research Review Committee (ARRC), a selection committee composed of Saskatchewan Polytechnic faculty members appointed on the recommendation of the Deans. Funding is awarded through a competitive process overseen by the ARRC. The ARRC works in collaboration with the Office of Applied Research and Innovation (OARI), which administers the SIF funds. 

Project eligibility will be assessed based on the strength of the implementation plan, including a clear timeframe, milestone schedule, and corresponding budget. 

The Sustainability Initiatives Fund (SIF) is open to all of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s academic units and research centers' staff. Student participation is strongly encouraged. 

SIF grants support projects and activities that improve processes related to waste management and reduction, energy saving initiatives, resource optimization, and other sustainability-focused efforts. While a wide range of sustainability projects are eligible, initiatives with added benefits will receive priority, such as those that promote broad stakeholder engagement, advance existing sustainability initiatives, or involve faculty and students in collaborative work. 

Applications must clearly identify the project focus, anticipated outcome and alignment with the principles of education for sustainable development, which aim to empower learners with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to make informed decisions that support sustainability. Projects that represent a faculty’s own research project, including work conducted as part of graduate studies or a dissertation, are not eligible.

If your project involves human participants or animals, please ensure that you have the appropriate ethics approvals prior to submission. See the Sask Polytech research ethics website or contact ethics@saskpolytech.ca if you are not sure if your proposed project requires ethics approval.  

SIF funds may be used for operating expenses associated with the delivery of a sustainability project. Eligible expenses may include direct costs such as: 

• release time (Saskatchewan Polytechnic employees only)
• student salary expenses
• purchase of materials and supplies
• rental of specialized equipment
• design of surveys and questionnaires
• reasonable travel expenses, as per Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Policies and Procedures, directly related to the project’s activities (excluding conferences)
• proposal development and technical writing that support the creation of a larger project 

Applicants will be advised of the competition results in early June. For successful applicants, funds will be available for use beginning July 1 of the same calendar year. SIF award recipients will access their funds through the establishment of a project org, which will be set up under the financial responsibility of the applicant. OARI will coordinate the org set up and will communicate the org details to the recipients within three weeks of the award notification. If a project requires ethics approval, the approved ethics certificate must be submitted to OARI before a project org can be issued. No funds may be accessed or used until valid ethics approval is in place.  

Project expenses must be incurred between July 1 and Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s year-end payable cut-off dates. SIF award holders are responsible for adhering to year-end financial deadlines to ensure no over-expenditures occur within their project accounts. 

SIF award recipients are required to submit brief midterm and final reports to OARI, summarizing the results and identifying potential future development opportunities. Recipients are also encouraged to deliver awareness presentations and/or workshops at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to share their research with the broader Saskatchewan Polytechnic community. 

Applicants must complete the electronic application form and submit it to their dean’s office. Their dean’s office will then submit the application to OARI on the applicant’s behalf.