CFI Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF)

All CFI projects approved after July 1, 2001, are eligible to receive IOF, with the exception of projects funded under the Canada Research Chairs Infrastructure Fund and the international funds. All eligible projects generate an IOF allocation of 30 percent of the total finalized CFI contribution.  IOF funds are allocated at the discretion of the University.  PIs must submit an annual request to access these funds.

Eligible costs

  • Initial acquisition of new forms of content (e.g. linked and structured databases, national site licences)
  • Creation or enhancement of an operational information collection (excluding conventional acquisitions) in a specific research application area (e.g. health, environment, etc.)
  • Acquisition and customization of tools for supporting regional or national networked
  • content (e.g. hardware, communications, security and applications software)
  • Acquisition and customization of tools to enhance value for the user (e.g. intelligent search, analysis and representation agents)
  • costs for supplies and research consumables that are incurred as a result of using the research infrastructure, not to exceed 10 percent of the cumulative total IOF claimed by the institution

Non-eligible costs

  • Construction or renovation of conventional libraries
  • Upgrade of facilities for accessing conventional library collections
  • Costs to maintain library collections (e.g. digitizing or converting existing, conventional collections to electronic format)
  • Conventional collections

Guiding Principles

  1. Where the incremental operating and/or maintenance costs of the project include eligible costs normally covered by central University budgets (e.g., heating, electricity, specialized servicing, security etc.), some portion of the IOF funds may be allocated to the central budget. Projects will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and notified in advance of the IOF application if this rule is applicable.
  2. In the case of inter-institutional projects, funds will be allocated according to demonstrated need, normally not to exceed 30% of the CFI contribution attributed to each participating institution. This allocation will be negotiated and included as part of the required inter-institutional agreement.

Application Procedure

  1. Each year the University prepares a request to CFI to access IOF funds. Eligible Project Leaders will be notified by April 20 of the next University IOF budget submission to CFI.
  2. Principal Investigators must complete the University of Lethbridge application for IOF form. IOF funds may be claimed in one lump sum or spread over a five year period, subject to annual review. A one-page document justifying all costs to be claimed under the IOF is to be submitted with the form.
  3. IOF requests are to be prepared showing eligible operating costs including, where applicable, those costs normally paid through central university funds. Eligible costs are listed on the form according to CFI requirements: Personnel (technical and other operational), Supplies (maximum 10%), Maintenance and Repairs, Services, Other.
  4. Budgets should be comparable to the operating/maintenance costs as shown on page 18 of the original CFI application. Where the proposed operating budget differs from the original approved application, sufficient justification for the costs must be provided.
  5. Deadline:  IOF applications must be submitted to Research Services by May 15. Research services will forward the forms to the Dean and Vice-President Research for their review and signatures.
  6. For each project, the operating budget will be reviewed by the Dean and Vice President Research on an annual basis. Any subsequent revisions to the budget must be submitted to Research Services for review. Any revisions to IOF budgets must ultimately be approved by CFI.
  7. Sample IOF application

For further information regarding the IOF, please refer to the CFI Program and Policy guide available on the CFI web site. For additional information and queries please contact Christine Picken (2101).