Research, Technology and Innovation

British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund

Program Implementation

British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) approval of a project will be conditional on all partners being financially committed, in writing, within six months of the approval date.

Applications that fail to receive financial commitment in writing from all partners within the specified time will be removed from the competition. These applicants will be eligible to reapply in subsequent competitions.

Funding will be disbursed to successful applicants using established provincial capital funding mechanisms and will be subject to the same provincial controls.

For multi-year proposals, subsequent disbursements will depend upon the applicant demonstrating that milestones and reporting requirements have been met. Any increase to the cost or scope of the original project description must be approved by the Province in writing before expenditures are incurred.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) requires funding recipients to substantially start construction/renovation components of projects within 18 months of confirmation of CFI awards. In order to align the BCKDF program with CFI, BCKDF also requires that construction or renovations be substantially started within 18 months of the BCKDF approval, and that institutions purchase equipment within 18 months of the BCKDF approval.

Accountability and Reporting Requirements

Each institution that receives funding from BCKDF will be required to report on the outcomes of that investment. The Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development will develop appropriate accountability measures based on the nature of the infrastructure to be funded. The applicant will be informed of the accountability requirements prior to initial funding being disbursed. These measures may include, but are not limited to:

  • Impact of the infrastructure on research.
  • Program management strategy.
  • Detailed implementation schedules.
  • Major milestones and deliverables.
  • Performance measures, such as the number of researchers using the infrastructure, the number of students trained on the infrastructure, etc.
  • Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and other funding disbursal timetables.
  • Financial reporting and audit.
  • Governance.
  • Job creation figures and other appropriate economic indicators.
  • Press release dates.