6.8 Operation and maintenance of CFI-funded infrastructure

It is the institution’s responsibility, in accordance with its established policies and practices, to ensure that appropriate resources are provided for the operation and maintenance of the CFI-funded research infrastructure over its useful life (i.e., the period of time over which the infrastructure is expected to provide benefits and be usable for its intended purpose, factoring in normal repairs and maintenance). As such, institutions should carefully consider their ability to sustain the infrastructure before submitting a proposal to the CFI.

To meet this obligation, institutions must have an internal plan for the provision and administration of operating and maintenance support. The plan should be made available to all relevant stakeholders. Based on experience to date, operating and maintenance plans have included:

• The guiding principles as well as the decision-making and approval processes related to the provision of operating and maintenance support
• The way the Infrastructure Operating Fund will be allocated
• A list of other available sources of operating and maintenance support
• The person project leaders should contact for operating and maintenance support when allocated funds have been exhausted.

Institutions must keep on file their operating and maintenance plan and provide it to the CFI upon request. The CFI encourages the institution to provide this plan to potential project leaders at the proposal stage. Short- and long-term operating and maintenance requirements should be monitored periodically, using a risk-based approach, to ensure that appropriate resources are available over the useful life of the infrastructure.