Carleton University Commitment Form

The CU Commitment Form is a document used by the Faculty Research Offices and various offices within the OVPRI. It is designed to capture: 

1. Internal cash and/or in-kind contributions to a research funding application/research contract/agreement included in sections of applications in abridged form (i.e. letter of support), such as source, amount and required signing authority approvals; and/or 
2. Direct and indirect research support cost reimbursements expected to be received if the project is successful by administrative units at Carleton University that are incurred as part of the ongoing support to a research project, such as the budgetary amounts for course buyouts, PI fees, salary recovery; and/or  
3. Research revenues expected to be generated by the project if successful.
   

The form compliments the CUResearch Approval Form by providing more detailed documentation of institutional contributions and allows for the documentation and approval of cash and/or in-kind contributions from a wider range of potential contributors. 

A CU Commitment Form is required when: 

• there are committed cash and/or in-kind contributions committed as part of a funding application, institutional letter of support, or research agreement; or 
• there is an agreement at the time of application that part of the research funding will flow to Carleton University or its administrative units for specific costs (for example, PI fees, salary recovery, course buyout, etc.).

The CU Commitment Form provides documentation, in a single location, of all Carleton contributions to a research project, including detailing any relevant conditions or restrictions on the contributions. This provides clarity to you, as the researcher, on the full details on how to access and maximize the benefits from these contributions when you awarded the funds. 

A duly completed CU Commitment Form also ensures that OVPRI is able to more efficiently pay out contributions from OVPRI to you (the principle investigator (PI)), without follow up by yourself to each contributor, upon fund opening.

When required, the form should be prepared by OVPRI staff member or the Dean’s office and circulated to all relevant signatories, in advance of the submission of an application to the funder, or the institutional signature on a letter of support or a research agreement.  

You (the PI) are not responsible for initiating or completing a Carleton Commitment Form, but may be asked to sign a Commitment Form in cases where they are making contributions from your own research funding or research time (if eligible) to a project. 

You (the PI) will need to sign a CU Commitment Form when they are committing cash from existing research funding or research time (if eligible) in an application, institutional letter, or agreement. 

Any fund holder is required to sign the CU Commitment Form to ensure sufficient documentation of their cash contributions to the project. Similarly, CU Commitment Forms are used to ensure that in-kind contributions are approved by those with the authority to make those contributions. This applies to you (the PI) where you are committing their own research funds and research time (if eligible) to a project. 

Your cash or in-kind contributions to research projects need to be documented for several reasons: 

1. Create a written record that you have approved the contribution. 
2. Provide documentation to mitigate the risks of over-committing your time, existing research funding, and/or other resources that may jeopardize the ability to fulfill obligations under the proposed project. 
3. Facilitate award management and reporting of Carleton’s cash and/or in-kind contributions to research projects by Research Financial Services.