Governance & Policies

Ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability.

myresearchcloud.ca is operated by Computing for Humanity, a Canadian registered charity founded in 2015 and granted CRA charitable status in 2017. Our governance model combines nonprofit accountability with clear policies to ensure resources are shared equitably, data remains sovereign, and operations are sustainable.

Organization & Status

  • Operated by Computing for Humanity (CFH)

  • Founded: 2015 (non-profit) | Charity status: 2017

  • Canadian Registered Charity #: CRA Registration # 821158524RR0001

Purpose & Scope

Our mission is to provide free and affordable cloud resources to Canadian researchers and citizen scientists.

  • All compute and storage remain in Canada.

  • Access policies are designed around equity, sustainability, and research integrity.

Leadership & Oversight

  • Board of Directors provides fiduciary oversight and approves policies.

  • Executive Team manages operations, infrastructure, and partnerships.

  • Advisors provide expertise in HPC, security, and research ethics.

Policies & Public Documents

Eligibility & Fair Access

  • Open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or students at Canadian institutions.

  • Applicants must be 18+; minors may use the service if sponsored by a parent, guardian, or teacher.

  • Free tier: one lifetime allocation per person or organization.

  • All free allocations run for one year from the day the instance is created. Unused resources may be reclaimed to serve others.others.

Data Residency & Sovereignty

  • All compute and storage physically located in Canada.

  • Not subject to the U.S. CLOUD Act or foreign cloud jurisdiction.

  • Not intended for highly sensitive personal data (e.g., PHIPA health data) without explicit written approval.

Security & Risk Management

  • Controls include access restrictions, segmentation, and audit logging.

  • Users must secure their own credentials and maintain backups.

  • CFH will investigate and notify users of incidents as required by Canadian law.

Conflicts of Interest & Ethics

  • Board and staff disclose conflicts and recuse from related decisions.

  • Resource decisions are made on policy and eligibility, not donor influence.

  • Users must acknowledge myresearchcloud.ca / CFH in publications and outputs.

Financial Stewardship

  • Funding sources include hardware donations, grants, and discounted paid tiers.

  • Paid tiers target pricing at 40–50% below hyperscalers.

  • Annual summaries of usage, finances, and impact will be made public.

Donations & Procurement

  • We accept in-kind hardware and financial donations aligned with our mission.

  • Donations are evaluated for efficiency, lifecycle, and security compliance.

Complaints & Whistleblowing

  • Concerns about misuse, conflicts, or privacy can be reported via the Contact page.

  • Good-faith reports are reviewed by CFH leadership and the Board as required.

Contact

For governance inquiries, please use the Contact page. For information about Computing for Humanity visit computingforhumanity.com


Last Updated: 2025-09-26