Infrastructure Operating Fund

The Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) helps cover a portion of the operating and maintenance costs of CFI-funded research infrastructure to ensure its optimal use. It is the institution’s responsibility to secure the remaining portion from other sources.

How does the CFI calculate my institution’s IOF allocation?

The CFI allocates an amount of funding that each institution can access from the IOF. We calculate that amount as a percentage of our contribution to research infrastructure projects at your institution.

For projects approved by the CFI Board of Directors after July 1, 2001, your institution is usually allocated 30 percent of the maximum CFI amount approved at award finalization. Projects funded on or before that date or through the following are not allocated support from the IOF:

• Major Science Initiatives Fund
• Canada Research Chairs Infrastructure Fund (2001 to 2006)
• Career Awards (2002 to 2006)
• International funds (2002 and 2007)
• Exceptional Opportunities Fund – COVID-19.

You can view the details of your institution’s IOF allocation, including payments from the CFI and the unpaid amount of the allocation, in the CFI Awards Management System.

How, and when, does the CFI make payments from the IOF to institutions?

We make payments from the IOF to institutions every spring. These payments begin a set amount of time after the date the infrastructure award is finalized. Until spring 2024, we will be transitioning toward making payments to institutions two years after the associated infrastructure award is finalized.

The transition plan is as follows:

Is there a timeframe within which the CFI expects my institution to use the funds paid to it from the IOF? Does the CFI require my institution to spend the entire IOF amount in the fiscal year it is paid?

We do not require you to spend the amount allocated from the IOF in the fiscal year it is paid to you. However, it is increasingly important that institutions use the IOF as one of their earlier sources to pay for eligible operating and maintenance costs so the CFI is not in a position to defer payments to future fiscal years. We will monitor your use of these funds (through our review of your IOF annual report) and follow up with you if we have concerns.

How can my institution request additional payments?

Your institution can request additional payments in the IOF annual report if the spring payment is insufficient to cover your institution’s needs for the year. We will make these additional payments as follows:

• Additional requests under $1,000,000 will be paid in one instalment once we have reviewed your institution’s IOF annual report.
• Additional requests of $1,000,000 or more will be paid in two equal instalments: the first following our review of the IOF annual report, and the second the following January.

Where can I find out more about what costs are eligible under the IOF?

You can read about eligible costs for the IOF in the CFI Policy and program guide.

Can my institution claim the full salary and benefits of technicians and professionals as an eligible cost?

Yes, the full salary and benefits of technicians and professionals directly involved in the operating and maintenance of the CFI-funded infrastructure may be claimed if the infrastructure cannot be operated without such assistance. For example, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technician is required 25 hours/week for the operating and maintenance of a CFI-funded NMR, but performs other unrelated duties the remainder of the week. Without his/her expertise, the NMR cannot be operated. Although the technician is not needed on a full-time basis for the operating and maintenance of the NMR, the full salary may be claimed as the CFI-funded infrastructure cannot be used for research without the NMR technician.

Are there templates or other resources I can use to help calculate the eligible costs?

You can use the following templates to report salaries of technicians and professionals, the cost of electricity related to CFI-funded equipment, and facilities charges related to CFI-funded space or space essential to house and use CFI-funded infrastructure. You can use the annual rate tables to easily calculate electricity costs and facilities charges.

Salary of technicians and professionals

Electricity costs (2023-24 rate table)

Facilities charges (2023-24 rate table)

The rate tables for calculating electricity costs and facilities charges using the simple method are updated annually, usually in April.