Can I transfer funds to team members?

This depends on the terms and conditions of the grant. For Tri-Council grants, NSERC and SSHRC permit the transfer of grant funds (accountable cash advances) to co-applicants and co-directors, but not to collaborators. This means that payments to collaborators must operate on a cost-recovery basis.

Further, SSHRC stipulates that “with the exception of certain travel- and subsistence-related expenses, SSHRC does not cover expenses that research collaborators incur in the conduct of research or research-related activity.” It is thus important to carefully consider whether an individual should be a co-applicant or a collaborator on your project.

NSERC only permits the transfer of grant funds to NSERC-eligible institutions (i.e., only to Canadian post-secondary institutions). All other costs would be treated on a cost-reimbursable basis.