FRQ Anticosti Fellowship Program - Postdoctoral Stream - 2025-2026

1. BACKGROUND

The Société du patrimoine mondial Anticosti (hereinafter “the Society”) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), as part of its research program to address major societal challenges, have joined forces to launch a joint postdoctoral fellowship program to support research on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), geodiversity and biodiversity of Anticosti and societal aspects related to its inscription on the  UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023.

The Society, along with its partners – the Municipality of L’Île-d’Anticosti, the Minganie Regional County Municipality (RCM), the protected areas branch of the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), and the Innu communities of Ekuanitshit and Nutashkuan – is working to enhance the Anticosti World Heritage Site. This site is located within a network of protected areas on Anticosti Island made up of the Anticosti Biodiversity Reserve, Anticosti National Park, and two ecological reserves.

Anticosti is an exceptional natural laboratory offering many opportunities for high-quality research. The designation of Anticosti as a UNESCO world Heritage Site signals the beginning of unprecedented visibility for the island. This is therefore a pivotal moment for Québec to recognize the value of Anticosti and take a leadership role in developing Québec’s research capacity on the island.

To that end, the Society and the FRQ are seeking to foster the emergence of a new generation of scientists working on intersectoral research related to Anticosti Island.

2. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

This program offers career prospects in research related to the resilience and sustainable development of UNESCO-recognized world heritage. In this way, the Society and the FRQ aim to:

• Increase academic career opportunities that include research related to Anticosti;
• develop a critical mass of Québec research on the OUV of Anticosti;
• diversify the research produced about Anticosti Island;
• raise awareness among emerging postdoctoral researchers of the research potential offered by Anticosti, an exceptional natural laboratory right here in Québec.

The postdoctoral stream is aimed at students who are in the process of submitting their doctoral thesis, or who have recently obtained their doctorate. The postdoctoral fellowship covers awardees’ salaries and part of the costs to conduct field research in Anticosti.

The advancement of knowledge stemming from the postdoctoral research will serve to enhance the unique and outstanding nature of the site as part of the world’s natural and cultural heritage and contribute to its conservation.

2.1 Research themes

The FRQ Anticosti Postdoctoral Fellowships focus on three key research themes:

• Theme 1: First mass extinction of life at the end of the Ordovician;
• Theme 2: Biodiversity and geodiversity within the network of protected areas on Anticosti Island;
• Theme 3: Societal aspects for communities concerned.

Theme 1: First mass extinction of animal life at the end of the Ordovician (stratigraphy and paleontology)

The sedimentary succession on Anticosti is the world’s most complete and fossiliferous stratigraphic and paleontological record of the first global mass extinction of animal life at the end of the Ordovician. Theme 1 is central to the enhancement of Anticosti as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Applicants should have expertise related to:

• an integrated approach to stratigraphy, paleontology, sedimentology and geochemistry aimed at better understanding the impacts of the first mass extinction at the end of the Ordovician.

Theme 2: Biodiversity and geodiversity within the network of protected areas on Anticosti Island

The Anticosti Biodiversity Reserve, which accounts for 95% of the world heritage site, consists of a coastal strip more than 500 km wide around Anticosti Island, as well as the Pointe-Ouest and Pointe de l’Est sectors and the Rivière Jupiter watershed. The remainder of the site is covered by protected areas free of industrial activity, namely Anticosti National Park and the Pointe-Heath and Grand-Lac-Salé ecological reserves.

Applicants should have expertise related to:

• the biodiversity and geodiversity conservation objectives of the Anticosti Biodiversity Reserve, which include but are not limited to knowledge acquisition to improve conservation, management, restoration and enhancement measures for natural environments.

Theme 3: Societal aspects for communities concerned by the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Developed in conjunction with, and complementary to, Themes 1 and 2, Theme 3 aims to support research and development activities for communities concerned by the Anticosti World Heritage Site.

Applicants should have expertise related to:

• activities supporting the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage, including but not limited to local or island development, archaeology, tourism studies, social innovation, and agriculture, agroforestry or aquaculture to encourage self-sufficiency and innovation in agri-food.

3.  ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements at the application deadline.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• hold a doctoral degree issued no more than 3 years prior to the year in which the competition opens (e.g. for a competition opening in 2024, doctoral graduates who received their degree on or after January 1, 2021 will be eligible). Applicants who have not yet received their degree but who make their initial thesis submission prior to the start of the postdoctoral fellowship are also eligible;

AND

• have made arrangements to be affiliated with a Québec university or research establishment.

For Theme 1, it is possible to have a co-supervisor from a research institution outside Québec that is recognized for its expertise in this theme. Applicants wishing to do so must provide a letter confirming the co-supervision, signed by the co-supervisor from a research institution outside Québec, and include it in the “Other Documents” section of the form. It is expected that the roles and responsibilities of each party in supervising the awardee, including the minimum one-month period spent in Québec by the awardee (see Section 8), will be specified before the start of the fellowship.

4. APPLICATION

Required documents:

The e-form to be completed in the applicant’s FRQnet ePortfolio, which must include:

• A text of up to five pages with the following points:
  • a description of the research project (excluding the bibliography, to be submitted in the appropriate section of the form);
  • a timeline;
  • a description of the applicant’s knowledge and skills as they relate to the specific mandate and required skills;
  • Theme 1 only: a supervision plan for co-supervision with a partner outside Québec, if applicable.
• A lay summary of the research project.
• Information about the applicant’s doctoral thesis and how it relates to the proposed project.
• The supervisor’s commitment form attesting to the affiliation arrangement with a Québec university or research institution (the supervisor identified in the Supervision section will receive an email to complete and submit the form).

Attachments to be included in the Other Documents section:

• The applicant’s abridged CV (maximum 2 pages), prepared according to the presentation template.
• A letter of motivation in which the applicant explains how the fellowship fits into their university studies and career plan.
• A document attesting to the submission of the applicant’s thesis OR a copy of the applicant’s doctoral degree.
• For Theme 1, include a letter confirming co-supervision, signed by the co-supervisor from a research institution outside Québec, if applicable (optional).

5. FELLOWSHIP PERIOD AND AMOUNT

The duration of the fellowship is one year, renewable once upon request and approval by the Society’s scientific leadership, the supervisor(s) and the awardee. The award cannot be transferred from one year to the next. It is not retroactive, and months of research completed before the start of the fellowship period will not be funded.

Each awardee will receive an excellence award of $45,000/year and a supplement of $25,000/year to support the research project, both of which can be renewed once for one additional year. The supplement is intended to cover eligible expenses directly related to the research project (Section 8 of the CGR) and is administered by the managing institution of the supervisor identified in the application form.

An additional amount equivalent to 27% of the supplement awarded (the $25,000 to support the research project) will be paid directly to the managing institution to cover indirect research costs.

5.1 Payment of the fellowship

The FRQ is responsible for fellowship payments, which must be claimed every four months in the Manage my funding section of the awardee’s ePortfolio. The first instalment will only be paid out when the FRQ has received a copy of the original doctoral degree or an official attestation that the awardee has submitted their doctoral thesis.

5.2 Renewal

Awardees wishing to renew their fellowship must request this at least one month before the end of the funding period, by submitting a letter with the elements listed below in the Manage my funding section of their FRQnet ePortfolio (Nature et technologies sector), under “Statements – situation and required documents”. Select “Renewal request” in the document dropdown menu.

This letter must include the following:

• Motivation to pursue the project;
• Confirmation that both parties undertake to continue under the same terms as before;
• Confirmation that the applicant still meets the eligibility requirements and applicable conditions of the initial award.

5.3 Reporting

An activity report and a financial report in connection with the $25,000 supplement, the format of which will be communicated in due course, must be submitted to the FRQ at the end of the fellowship period. The activity report must detail the strategies and activities undertaken to make the research project accessible to the public beyond the usual means of academic knowledge dissemination (e.g., presentations, visibility on social media and media interviews), in collaboration with the Society.

6. APPLICATION EVALUATION PROCESS

Eligible applications will be submitted for scientific evaluation by committee members appointed in accordance with the FRQ rules in effect. To be recommended for funding, an application must receive an overall score of 70% or higher.

Evaluation criteria:

Academic record and background: 50%

• Knowledge production, awards and distinctions
• Professional experience, particularly in research project management, and expertise relevant to the submitted project
• Ability to share knowledge and engage in public dialogue
• Added value for the applicant’s career

Quality of the project and grasp of issues related to the specific mandate: 30%

• Clarity and relevance of the proposed project in light of the program objectives and mandate presented in Section 2
• Strong field component for Themes 1 and 2
• Project feasibility and realistic timeline

Impacts: 20%

• Anticipated results with great potential for dissemination to the Anticosti community and the general public
• Research results that can be easily transferred into recommendations to promote the resilience and sustainable development of Anticosti as a World Heritage Site

7. IMPORTANT DATES, ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS AND START OF THE FELLOWSHIP

January 21st, 2025 from from 12 to 1 p.m. EST : webinar (in French).  Click here to register.  Registration is mandatory.

February 20, 2025 at 16:00 EST: application deadline

February-March 2025: evaluation of applications

April 2025: announcement of results

Before July 2025: start of the fellowship

The call for applications will be reopened if any of the postdoctoral fellowship positions have not been filled. These rules apply to the2025-2026 fiscal year.

8. TERMS OF THE FELLOWSHIP

To retain the fellowship, the awardee must:

• comply with the conditions related to domicile, be present in the host environment in accordance with the conditions set out with the fellowship supervisor* for the duration of the fellowship period, and dedicate themself to the postdoctoral research on a full-time basis. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the fellowship. If, for exceptional reasons, these conditions cannot be met, the FRQ must be notified as soon as possible and will determine whether the fellowship should continue or be cancelled. An annual four-week holiday is allowed;

*For Theme 1, in the case of co-supervision outside Québec, the awardee is required to spend a minimum of one month in Québec. This will allow the awardee to carry out the project’s field component on Anticosti Island, and to schedule face-to-face meetings with the Québec-based supervisor.

• comply with the rules related to concurrent funding (Section 8.1);
• comply with the rules related to paid employment (Section 8.2).

8.1 Concurrent funding

The fellowship may not be held concurrently with:

• merit-based scholarships from Canadian funding agencies (e.g., Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), etc.;
• merit-based scholarships from Québec funding agencies such as the FRQ, the Conseil de recherches en pêche et agroalimentaire du Québec (CORPAQ), etc.;
• scholarships from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) or the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for the same project.

The fellowship may be held concurrently with:

• scholarships from departments and agencies of the Québec and Canadian governments other than those listed above;
• scholarships from the private sector and universities.

8.2 Paid employment

The awardee may accept additional paid employment provided that:

• the position does not exceed 250 hours of work per four-month period;
• the fellowship supervisor has provided their approval; and
• the employment does not interfere with the research activities.

The FRQ considers that teaching a 45-hour course is equivalent to 150 hours of employment. Note that the same course given to two different groups during the same semester is considered equivalent to two teaching assignments. A salary paid for working exclusively on the research project is considered a scholarship.

8.3 Deferral and supplement during parental leave

Please refer to Section 6.13 of the Common General Rules.

9. IMMEDIATE OPEN ACCESS FOR PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM THE FELLOWSHIP

Peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research made possible by this fellowship must be released in immediate open access (without embargo) under an open license, in accordance with the FRQ Open Access Dissemination Policy. For more information, click here.

10. KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

The FRQ and the Society encourage awardees to lead and contribute to knowledge mobilization activities (transfer, sharing, development, outreach and dissemination) in practice settings and for the public whenever relevant. For more information, click here.

11. CONTACT

For the FRQ:

Émilie Rochette

Program Manager

Directorate of Major Societal Challenges

Office of the Chief Scientist of Québec

For the Society:

André Desrochers

Scientific Director for the enhancement of Anticosti as a UNESCO World Heritage Site