Clinical Trial Overhead Requirements

When negotiating clinical trial agreements, it is important to be aware of the institutional overhead rate. 

The current policy for overheads is 30% of direct (total) costs of research contracts.  This applies to all clinical research that is not publicly funded (e.g. CIHR, NSERC, NIH).  Exceptions are given in certain cases to funding from charitable organizations (e.g. Alzheimer’s Society or Heart & Stroke Foundation).  

If an industry sponsor inquiries about the U of C overhead rate, this letter can be provided as supporting documentation.

Please note that the overhead rate is set by the Vice-President of Research (VPR) Office. To inquire about a modified overhead rate, please contact CSM Legal (csmlegal@ucalgary.ca) to confirm if the clinical research agreement submitted meets the eligibility criteria for an overhead waiver. If a clinical research agreement is eligible for an overhead wavier, the Calgary Centre for Clinical Research (CCCR) will submit an approval request to the Associate Dean, Clinical Trials and complete the requirements for the signed overhead waivers from all parties involved in your contract and budget including the VPR Office and CSM Dean’s Office.

More details can be found in the University’s Research Overhead Policy and the Research Overhead Procedures.