Doctoral Research Scholarships (B2) and Scholarships for re-entering the Research Community (A2D), 2018-2019 competition

1. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND TARGET GROUP

1.1 PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Foster students’ interest in research.

Financially assist the best applicants in undertaking or continuing a Master’s or doctoral program in disciplines related to the social sciences, humanities, arts and literature.

The Fonds encourage students to lead and carry out knowledge mobilization activities (transfer, sharing, valorization, promotion and dissemination) with practice settings and the general public, whenever relevant.

1.2 TARGET GROUP

Master’s (B1) and doctoral (B2) research scholarships

Students seeking to start or continue to pursue a graduate program in the social sciences, humanities, arts or literature.

Scholarships for re-entering the research community (A2)

Individuals who earned a university degree (undergraduate or graduate level) or university credits at least 5 years prior to the competition deadline and who wish to re-enter the research community by carrying out graduate studies at the Master’s or Doctoral level.

2. ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements by the submission deadline on October 11, 2017, at 4 p.m. for Master’s scholarships or October 18, 2017, 4 p.m., for doctoral scholarships.

2.1 CITIZENSHIP AND DOMICILE

For full details on citizenship and domicile, refer to section 2.1 of the CGR.

To use a training award for studies outside Québec or an internship outside Québec, the applicant must meet the criteria listed in the CGR.

Notwithstanding the CGR, applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, or who are from a Canadian province other than Québec, are eligible if they provide proof, at the time of submitting their funding application, that

a) they have been living in Québec on a regular and daily basis for six months (with the appropriate visas and authorizations)

AND

b) they have been admitted or enrolled in a Québec university, or that they applied for admission to a Québec university.

Each year of the award, the university must provide confirmation of enrollment of scholarship holder who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or who is domiciled in a Canadian province other than Québec. The scholarship holder must provide proof that he/she lives in Québec on a regular and daily basis. Pursuant to the statements above, Fonds scholarship holders must meet all eligibility requirements for the entire duration of the scholarship.

2.2 REQUIRED MINIMUM GRADE POINT AVERAGE – MASTER’S SCHOLARSHIP ONLY

Consult the required minimum grade point average equivalents table

For a Master’s scholarships applicants must:

Have obtained a grade point average of A- or the equivalent in their undergraduate studies. This rule does not apply to students applying for a doctoral scholarship.

Exceptions for students applying from an LL.B. program

Applicants must have completed their studies with a 3.55 grade point average. For Université de Montréal and McGill University graduates, the required minimum grade point average is 3.4.

Applicants whose grade point averages are below the required minimum grade point average are ineligible.

No exceptions will be made with regards to the required minimum grade point average.

When assessing eligibility, the Fonds will calculate the average grade for those undergraduate studies based on which the applicant’s acceptance to a Master’s or doctoral program was based.

Any grades obtained for degrees that are unrelated to the program of study for which the scholarship is being sought will not be taken into account (see 3.1 Required documents).

2.3 ELIGIBILITY PERIOD

The eligibility period is the time in which applicants may submit scholarship applications to the Fonds based on the number of full-time sessions carried out in the same graduate program or field of study.

The Fonds will consider Master’s and doctoral sessions completed by April 30, 2018, from first registration for a Master’s or doctorate, whether they were funded or not.

When calculating the eligibility period, the Fonds will consider any sessions without registration and/or part-time sessions if an official letter by the registrar is attached to the application.

The applicant should consult the Equivalents table for sessions without registration or part-time sessions to verify eligibility for the competition.

2.3.1 MASTER’S SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PERIOD

Applicants who have been registered in the Master’s program for which they are applying for a maximum of three full-time sessions (1 year) as of April 30, 2018, are eligible for the Master’s scholarship program (see Section 2.8 Eligibility requirements for applicants seeking a scholarship to re-enter the research community, A2).

Applicants who have not been registered in Master’s degree program but who intend to begin their graduate studies between May 1st, 2018 and January 15th, 2019 are eligible.

2.3.2 DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PERIOD

Applicants who have been registered for less than 5 years (less than 15 full-time sessions) as of April 30, 2018 in the doctoral program for which they are applying, are eligible for the doctoral scholarship program (see Section 2.8 Eligibility requirements for applicants seeking a scholarship to re-enter the research community, A2).

2.3.3 Fast-tracking to a doctoral program

Eligible applicants directly admitted to a doctoral program after their undergraduate studies and applicants who have fast-tracked to the doctoral level without obtaining a Master’s degree must apply to the Master’s competition (B1) to obtain maximum funding (see Section 2.2 Required Minimum Grade Point Average and 2.3.1. Master’s Scholarship Eligibility Period A2).

The applicant is responsible for choosing the program of study (Master’s or doctorate).

2.4 EXCEPTIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD

Exceptions regarding scholarship eligibility periods will only be made for circumstances beyond the applicant’s control. In such cases, the applicant must submit the supporting documents along with the application.

In all cases, the closing date of the competition must be respected.

Parental leave or family obligations

Applicants who suspend or postpone their studies for a parental leave or serious family obligations may ask to extend their eligibility period for up to 12 months. In such cases, all supporting documents must be submitted along with the application.

Persons with disabilities

Applicants who suspend or postpone their studies due to reasons related to a disability are exempt from the eligibility period requirements (see Section 2.3 Eligibility Period). Where applicable, supporting documents are required and must be transmitted with the application (see Section 3.1 Required Documents). This exemption is in accordance with the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration (CQLR c. E-20.1).

The Fonds reserves the right to refuse any request that does not provide sufficient information.

2.5 RESTRICTIONS

Applicants may not use the scholarship for preparatory studies.

Professional Master’s

Professional Master’s programs are not eligible. To be eligible, at least one-third of the credits in Master’s program must derive from research and/or research training. It is the responsibility of the applicant to make this demonstration; the Fonds will judge the eligibility of the dossier accordingly. No changes to the application file may be made after the competition closing date and time.

Second Master’s

Applicants who wish to pursue a second Master’s degree as a way to redirect their career may apply for a Master’s scholarship. However, the second Master’s degree must be in a different program and discipline.

SSHRC doctoral scholarship holder

Individuals who hold or have held doctoral scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) or any other recognized funding agency may not apply to the Fonds Société et Culture to complete a study program that is currently underway, even if their scholarships have expired.

Scholarship holder for more than 15 sessions

Applicants who received funding from a recognized agency (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, FRQSC, FRQNT, FRSQ, FCAR, CQRS, etc.) for a total of five years (or 15 sessions) may not apply to the Fonds Société et Culture to begin or pursue a master’s or doctoral program.

2.6 PLACE OF TENURE

Scholarship holders must be registered in a full-time Master’s or doctoral program in a recognized Québec. Canadian or international university during the entire duration of the scholarship.

2.7 PAID LEAVES

Applicants and scholarship holders who are employed and who are on a sabbatical or study leave or any type of release from their duties with pay and/or wage replacement or any other form of compensation that exceeds 50% of their usual salary are not eligible.

In all cases,

• At the time of the first request for instalment (see 7.1 Scholarship starting date), the scholarship holder must provide a copy of an official letter from his employer indicating the conditions of the leave. Failure to provide this document will result in cancellation of the first instalment by the FRQSC.
• Every progress report must be accompanied by a copy of an official letter from the employer indicating the conditions of the leave.

If the document is not provided for two consecutive academic terms, the FRQSC will cancel the scholarship.

2.8 ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS SEEKING A SCHOLARSHIP TO RE-ENTER THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY (A2)

Applicants seeking to apply for a scholarship to re-enter the research community (master’s or doctoral level) must have held an undergraduate or a graduate degree for at least 5 years at the competition deadline (October 11, 2017, for Master’s applicants and October 18, 2017, for doctoral applicants) and must not have been registered in a university program or have earned university-level credits.

Applicants who have registered their first session when submitting their applications are eligible.

3. APPLICATION

The applicant attest that the information provided is accurate and complete and agree to respect the rules and principles set out in the Fonds de recherche du Québec Policy for the Responsible Conduct  of Research . The person therefore authorizes the institution to transmit any personal information in accordance with this policy, if applicable. Everyone will be asked to sign this engagement when completing the application.

Applicants may only submit an application to one of the following scholarship programs in the same year:

• Master’s research scholarships (B1);
• Doctoral research scholarships (B2);
• Scholarship for re-entering the Research Community (A2).

Applicants may only hold a scholarship from one Fonds (CGR, Section 3.1).

When completing their electronic application form, applicants must be sure to select the appropriate committee to evaluate their application. The list of evaluation committees is provided on the FRQSC website for information purposes. The FRQSC reserves the right to change the applicant’s choice of committee. In such cases, applicants will be advised via email.

Consult the list of evaluation committees.

3.1 REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

An incomplete application that do not contain the information necessary to establish eligibility or which cannot be evaluated will be deemed invalid by the Fonds. Any documents that are not required and which are included with the application will not be submitted to the evaluation committee. Applicants will not be notified of any information or documents missing from the application. Any documents received after the deadline for application will not be considered and applications cannot be updated.

Only forms filled out and submitted online are accepted.

E-forms will be available on the FRQSC website at least one month before the closing date of the application deadline.

Applicants must create an E-portfolio on the Fonds website before applying, if this has not already been done. Individuals who already have a personal identification number (PIN) have direct access to a FRQnet account and must update their E-portfolio. As indicated in Section 3.6 of the CGR, e-forms may be filled out in French or English. However, the project title on the application must be in French. This information could be used by the Fonds for promotional and dissemination purposes.

Documents submitted in a language other than French or English must include a certified translation.

Applicants must ensure that all attached documents are in PDF format and are not read protected.

Any part of the application, including the annexes, that exceeds the maximum number of authorized pages will be removed from the application.

3.1.1 ELECTRONIC FORMS

The required E-forms available in the E-portfolio consist of:

• the required e-forms scholarship application;
• the e-form for the two letters of recommendation (referees).

Applicants to Master’s, doctoral or re-entering the research community scholarship program must obtain TWO letters of recommendation to complete the application form.

Letters of recommendation completed by referees provide support for the applicant and offer an informed outsider’s opinion of his/her qualities and abilities. Referees must complete a letter of recommandation using the e-form available in their own FRQSC E-portfolio. The referee who holds a personal identification number (PIN) with the Fonds has access to an FRQnet account and must update his or her E-Portfolio, if it has not already been done. On the other hand, the referee who does not have an FRQnet account must first create a user account. Once the letter of recommendation has been transmitted electronically in accordance with the instructions provided in the form, it will be automatically attached to the applicant’s fellowship application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide his/her email address linked to FRQnet account and application number to the supervisor(s), as well as instructions for the creation of an account and the drafting of the letter.

The TWO letters of recommendation must be completed and transmitted electronically before the competition deadline (October 11, 2017, for Master’s applicants and October 18, 2017, for doctoral applicants).

If one or both letters of recommendation are missing at the closing date, the application will be deemed ineligible by the FRQSC. Only letters of recommendation using the Fonds E-form will be accepted.

There will be no exception.

No letter transmitted by any other means will be accepted.

3.1.2 DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

To be eligible, scanned copies (.PDF format) of all documents must be legible and must not be read protected in any way.

Documents required for assessing the eligibility of the application that are submitted in a language other than French or English must include a certified translation.

Every applicant is responsible for ensuring that all documents required for determining eligibility and for the scientific evaluation of the application are attached to the application e-form and transmitted by October 11, 2017 for the Master’s program and by October 18, 2017 for the doctoral program.

The following supporting documents must be scanned and included with the application in the sections of attachments as specified in “Détails des activités” section of the e-form.

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH PROJECT (mandatory): Master’s – maximum 2 pages including the justification for the choice of the director of the university institution. Doctorate – 3 pages maximum.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (mandatory, maximum 1 page): Presentation of the complete references of the basic works related to the research project and of the quotes in the description of the project. The standard of presentation is optional. No further information should appear in this section.

EXPERIENCES and REALIZATIONS (maximum 3 pages) It is important to follow the order of presentation indicated in the instructions as ginven in the e-form.

In addition to completing the various sections of the form, the following documents are required and must be transmitted from the “Autres documents” section:

The following documents must be scanned in a single document in the following order:

TRANSCRIPTS: The applicant’s most up-to-date official transcripts for all programs, e.g. certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s, Master’s or doctoral degrees, whether the studies were completed or not. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all transcripts are obtained from the respective institutions within the prescribed time. If no transcript is available, applicant must submit a letter explaining the situation. Transcripts must be uploaded in portrait orientation.

EQUIVALENCES (if applicable): Transcripts from exchange programs or courses (equivalence).

TRANSCRIPTS FROM OUTSIDE QUÉBEC (if applicable) : Transcripts for university studies pursued at institutions outside Québec.

MARKING SYSTEM (if applicable): A short letter explaining the marking system must be provided for institutions outside Canada and the United States.

ARTICLE SUBMITTED OR ACCEPTED, PROOF (if applicable, .PDF format)Acknowledgements of receipt from the editor for all articles submitted and notices received from editors for articles accepted for publication. Article references must include the applicant’s name. No publication declared to be submitted, accepted or in press will be considered for the application evaluation without a supporting document from the editor, in the form of a letter or copy of an e-mail (not required for published articles).

RAMQ CARD or other official document (with the appropriate visas and authorizations)- mandatory : A copy of a valid Québec medical insurance card (RAMQ card) or any other official document that proves resident status, as define in Article 2.1 of the CGR.If this document is not available, the applicant must provide a letter addressed to the eligibility committee explaining the reasons, accompanied by proof that a replacement card has been requested from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec or provide some other official document attesting that he/she is domiciled in Québec.

PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: Canadian citizens born outside Canada must provide a copy of a proof of citizenship (both sides).

PROOF OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY: A copy of a permanent resident card or the applicant’s landing documents (IMM 1000 or IMM 5292) in the case of permanent residents under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (S.C. 2001, c. 2).

PROOF OF ADMISSION, ENROLMENT OR APPLICATION (if applicable): Copy of formal letter of admission or proof of enrolment in a Québec university, or copy of application to a Québec university for applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada or who are from admission to a Québec university.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENT ELIGIBILITY PERIOD EXCEPTION (if applicable): Applicants seeking eligibility period exceptions must provide an official document attesting to their suspended registration and a medical certificate that includes the reason(s) for the interruption and the duration of the suspension (refer to article 2.4 above).

ATTESTATION PART-TIME SESSIONS (if applicable): Applicants who completed part-time sessions since registering for a graduate degree must provide a registrar’s attestation for any part-time session or sessions without registration in the program of study for which the scholarship is being sought, if applicable.

Once the application form has been submitted, it will not be possible to resubmit or modify the application in any way regardless of the transmission date, even if it is before the competition deadline. Note that referees and supervisors may transmit their letters at any time up to the closing date and time of the competition.

ATTENTION

No recall will be made and no document may be added after thte context closing date and time.

No appendices or documents other than those required for establishing eligibility will be accepted.

No document transmitted to the Fonds by mail or email will be accepted.

Applicants will not be able to update their files after the closing date and time of the competition.

The Fonds reserves the right to request additional documents for the purpose of establishing eligibility.

REMEMBER TO TRANSMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION.

3.1.3 SUBMISSION CHECK

At any time, applicants may verify in their E-portfolio that the most recent version of their application has been successfully submitted. The application file in “Mes formulaires” must be flagged as “Transmis au Fonds” before the closing date and time of the competition.

3.2 STATUS OF THE APPLICATION

Applicants will be informed via email of the status of their application and, if applicable, its transmission to the evaluation committee, at the latest in the month of December following the closing date of the competition.

Following the reception of applications, the Fonds verifies their eligibility. Applicants whose applications are incomplete or ineligible will be advised by e-mail of the rejection of their application.

Updates to contact information can be made directly in the FRQnet E-portfolio.

4. SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT

4.1 EVALUATION COMMITTEE

Consult the list of evaluation committees.

Applicants should pay close attention when selecting an evaluation committee. The choice of evaluation committee is based on the Master’s or doctoral research topic: the field, program and degree should also be considered.

Once granted, the scholarship may only be used for research on a topic that is covered by the evaluation committee’s field of expertise.

An applicant who selects an arts and literature committee for the realization of a research-creation project is asked to state this in the “project” section of the application form.

The applicant is responsible for choosing the appropriate scholarship program (B1, B2, A2 Master’s or A2 doctoral) and evaluation committee. No changes are possible after the competition closing date and time.

In exceptional circumstances (conflict of interest, not enough applicants, lack of committee expertise, etc.), the Fonds reserves the right to change the applicant’s choice of committee. In such cases, applicants will be advised via email.

4.2 EVALUATION CRITERIA

To be recommended for funding, an application must obtain an overall grade of at least 70%.

The evaluation is based on the following criteria:

MASTER’S

DOCTORAT

Applicants are invited to consult the Scores and Ratings Grid for Evaluation Committees  which is applied by the evaluation committee.

5. EVALUATION PROCESS, ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS AND AWARDING OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Fonds receives applications for financial assistance, checks their eligibility and submits them to specially formed evaluation committees, which recommend funding of applications judged to be of scientifically quality (CGR, Section 4).

The committee members are known for their research skills and for their knowledge of the research topics, methodologies and disciplinary basis of the applications under evaluation.

The evaluation committees’ recommendations are submitted to the Board of Directors of the Fonds concerned, which then makes funding decisions based on these recommendations. The awarding of scholarships and the commitment to continue funding in subsequent years are subject to decisions made by the Board of Directors of the Fonds according to strategic priorities and the size of the annual budgetary appropriations voted by the Québec National Assembly. If need be, the Board of Directors may review and modify or terminate funding without notice (CGR, Section 4.5).

The Fonds informs every applicant of the evaluation results. The decision of the Board of Directors of the Fonds Société et Culture is sent by email to the applicant’s e-file in late April, following the competition deadline (CGR, Section 5). The letter and appendix will include the ranking of the applicant’s file as well as the scores for each criterion presented in the scholarship program description. Applicants may print out the letter, which serves as proof of the results obtained in the competition.

All decisions of the Board of directors of the Fonds are final and cannot be appealed.

Applicants who meet funding conditions must accept or decline the scholarship within thirty (30) calendar days following the receipt of the scholarship offer in the “Gérer mon financement section of their E-portfolio Applicants who do not respond to the offer within 30 calendar days will be deemed by the Fonds as having declined the scholarship (see CGR, art. 5.2).

For further information on awards and conditions, please refer to section 5 of the CGR and the Fonds de recherche du Québec.

6. VALUE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

6.1 Master’s scholarship

The annual value of a Master’s scholarship is $17,500 for a period of 3 sessions or 12 months of study.

Scholarship holders may receive up to six instalments totalling $35,000 to cover 6 sessions or 24 months. Each instalment of $5,833 covers a period of one session or 4 months.

6.2 Doctoral scholarship

The annual value of a doctoral scholarship is $21,000 for a period of 3 sessions or 12 months of study.

Scholarship holders may receive up to 12 instalments totalling $84,000 to cover 12 sessions or 48 months. Each instalment of $7,000 covers a period of one session or four months.

Funding for a fourth year is available if:

a) at the time of the first scholarship instalment, the scholarship holder is enrolled in the doctoral program for the first time;

AND

b) his/her thesis is submitted during the fourth year of the program.

7. SCHOLARSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Scholarship holders must request each payment, and this at the beginning of each session.

Compliance with scholarship terms and conditions

From the start date of the scholarship and throughout the duration of funding, scholarship holders must:

– be registered as full-time students in the Master’s or doctoral program for which the scholarship was granted at the starting date and for the entire duration of the funding period. However, if for exceptional reasons arising from serious family obligations, the scholarship holder is unable to pursue full-time studies, he/she has the possibility of enrolling part time and receiving partial instalments accordingly. In such a case, the scholarship holder must submit a prior request to the FRQSC indicating the duration and reason for the request, accompanied by a medical certificate or other official document where appropriate. The FRQSC reserves the right to reject any request that contains insufficient justification.

– meet all conditions as defined in section 2.1 Citizenship and domicile in the CGR;

– meet all funding conditions pertaining to paid work hours during the scholarship period.

Progress reports

Scholarship payments will be made during the scholarship period and are subject to satisfactory progress reports. The scholarship holder is required to submit a progress report every three academic terms of the scholarship.

Submission of doctoral thesis

To be eligible for a fourth year of funding, a doctoral scholarship holder must satisfy the conditions detailed in Section 7.3.2, including providing the FRQSC with proof that his/her thesis was submitted during of the fourth year of the program (in the form of an official document from the program director).

7.1 SCHOLARSHIP STARTING DATE

The scholarship starting date refers to the academic term during which the scholarship holder may request his/her first payment.

For scholarship holders who have not started their study program at the time the scholarship his granted:

Mandatory starting date: summer, fall or winter terms

The scholarship period must begin between May 1, 2018 and January 15, 2019. Barring exceptional circumstances, the scholarship cannot be carried over from one year to the next.

For scholarship holders whose study program is already underway at the time the scholarship is granted:

Offers prior to May 1

Scholarships awarded before May 1, 2018, come into effect in the 2018 summer session.

Offers on or after May 1

Scholarships awarded on May 1, 2018, or later come into effect in the 2018 summer session or the 2018 fall session at the latest. For scholarships awarded after May 1, 2018, payments may be issued retroactively beginning in the 2018 summer session if the scholarship holder meets all payment requirements.

The scholarship is not retroactive and sessions prior to summer 2018 will not be funded.

7.2 SCHOLARSHIP PERIOD

The scholarship period is the time in which a scholarship holder may receive scholarship payments.

Master’s scholarship

The scholarship period for a Master’s scholarship is limited to the first nine sessions of the Master’s program for which the scholarship was granted.

Doctoral scholarship

The scholarship period for a doctoral scholarship is limited to the first fifteen sessions of the doctoral program for which the scholarship was granted.

Fast-tracking to a doctorate

For eligible applicants directly admitted to a doctoral program after their undergraduate studies and applicants who have fast-tracked to the doctoral level without earning a Master’s degree, the scholarship is valid only for the first 18 sessions of the doctoral program in which they are registered.

7.3 DURATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

The duration of the scholarship is the number of payments that a scholarship holder may claim during the scholarship period (see section 7.2 Scholarship period).

The duration of the scholarship cannot exceed the scholarship period. It is based in the start and end dates of the study program, as stated in the scholarship holder’s application.

7.3.1 DURATION OF THE MASTER’S SCHOLARSHIP

Master’s scholarships are granted for a maximum period of 2 years (the equivalent of 6 consecutive sessions).

Using outstanding payment

Scholarship holders who complete their Master’s without claiming all of the payments available during the scholarship period may use outstanding payments of the Master’s scholarship to begin a doctoral program as long as it starts the following semester and provided that payment is made within the tenure of the scholarship. However, students who receive a doctoral scholarship may not claim Master’s scholarship payments.

Fast-tracking to a doctorate

Master’s scholarship holders who intend to pursue doctoral studies without earning a Master’s degree may use the outstanding payments from their Master’s scholarship to begin a doctoral program as long as the doctorate program starts the following semester and provided that payment is made within the tenure of the scholarship. Furthermore, the scholarship holder must have received at least one Master’s scholarship instalment during at least one full-time session of the Master’s program for which the scholarship was awarded. However, students who receive a doctoral scholarship may not claim Master’s scholarship payments. 

7.3.2 DURATION OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP

Doctoral scholarships are granted for a maximum period of four years (the equivalent of 12 consecutive sessions).

Funding for a fourth year is available if:

a) at the time of the first scholarship instalment, the scholarship holder is enrolled in the doctoral program for the first time;

AND

b) his/her thesis is submitted during the fourth year of the program.

Using outstanding payment

Scholarship holders who complete their doctorate without claiming all of the payments available during the scholarship period may use theoutstanding payment to begin their postdoctoral training. The conditions for using the instalments are the same as those that apply to a postdoctoral fellowship (B3 or B5). However, students who receive a postdoctoral scholarship may not claim doctoral scholarship payments.

7.3.3. MODIFICATION TO THE DURATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

All requests to modify the duration of a scholarship must be sent to the Fonds before claiming the first scholarship payment. Any requests to modify the scholarship period received after a first payment has been claimed will be refused.

As defined in section 6.1 of the CGR, the Fonds will help fund 15 graduate sessions. Sessions funded by agencies subject to the rules for concurrent funding (see Section 7.4 Stacking of scholarships) will be deducted from the duration of the financial assistance offered by the Fonds, which calculates the duration of the scholarship based on the number of graduate sessions for which the scholarship holder received financial support.

7.4 STACKING OF SCHOLARSHIPS

Stacking prohibited

The Fonds grants funding that is complementary to grants received from other public or aid organizations based on merit. Stacking of scholarships is therefore prohibited with:

– Merit scholarships offered by federal or provincial (Québec) departments, organizations or agencies;

– Public charitable foundations, unless there are previous targeted joint funding agreements between the Fonds and the organization.

A student who is offered a scholarship that cannot be held concurrently with a scholarship from the Fonds must accept the offer from the other party and decline the Fonds’ offer.

Applicants who receive scholarship offers from several Fonds programs may select only one.

Applicants who receive scholarship offers from several Fonds de recherche du Québec programs may select only one. Students may hold an award or scholarship from only one Fonds (CGR Section 3.1).

Partial stacking

When the Fonds awards a scholarship of longer duration than a scholarship for which stacking is prohibited, the Fonds scholarship will be adjusted to make up the shortfall when the external scholarship expires. The duration of the concurrent partial scholarships cannot exceed the maximum funding period, as set out in Section 7.3.

In addition, when the Fonds awards a scholarship with a higher annual than that of a scholarship for which stacking is prohibited, the Fonds scholarship will be adjusted to make up the shortfall for the duration of the scholarship offered by the Fonds.

Stacking is allowed

Applicants who receive a scholarship from another organization (e.g. university, research chair, consortium, private international or foreign foundation, the governments of other Canadian provinces and foreign governments) may combine this grant with a scholarship from the Fonds if stacking is allowed by these organizations. When a funding agency limits the amounts that can be stacked, the Fond will decrease the value of its scholarship to enable the scholarship holder to qualify for the full value of the scholarship offered by the organization.

Special cases

Loans and bursaries from the ministère de l’Éducation etde l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec may be held concurrently with the Fonds’ scholarship.

7.5 PARENTAL LEAVE

Scholarship holders are entitled to an instalment deferral of up to 12 months during maternity leave or parental leave. During the authorized suspension of the study project for the birth or adoption of a child, a student who has already started at least one session as a scholarship holder may request an award supplement for parental leave for a period of 4 to 6 months (see Section. 6.13 of the CGR).

7.6 PAID WORK

A scholarship holder must carry out his/her research program on a full-time basis.

225-hour limit

A scholarship holder may accept employment of up to 225 hours per academic session, provided his/her research supervisor does not object and the employment does not interfere with the research program. For the purpose of this rule, teaching a 45-hour college- or university-level course is equivalent to 150 hours of employment.

Special cases

The remuneration received by a student to work exclusively on his/her research project is considered income for which stacking with scholarship is permitted.

A scholarship holder may receive a scholarship payment while carrying out a paid or an unpaid internship that is relevant to his/her research program with the prior approval of his/her research director.

7.7 CHANGES TO THE RESEARCH PROJECT OR PROGRAM OR PLACE OF STUDY

As specified in Section of the CGR, any changes to the program of study, research project or place of study must be reported in advance to the Fonds. A change request must be submitted via the E-portfolio. The Fonds will analyze the change request and decide whether to continue funding or, in some cases, reduce, suspend or terminate funding or request repayment of disbursements. The Fonds will examine the request and notify the scholarship holder of its decision by e-mail.

8. SCHOLARSHIP FOR INTERNSHIP OUTSIDE QUÉBEC (BSHQ)

FRQSC Master’s and doctoral scholarship holders can apply for funding through a BSHQ scholarship if they are interested in carrying out a research internship that meets the eligibility requirements of one of these programs.

Program guidelines may be consulted on the FRQSC website.

9. SUPPLEMENT FOR STUDYING OUTSIDE QUÉBEC

9.1 OBJECTIVE

The supplement for studying outside Québec aims to encourage the top applicants to pursue graduate studies outside Québec.

9.2 APPLICANTS

The Québec-France supplements are exclusively aimed at Master’s and doctoral scholarship applicants. Students in joint programs are not eligible.

9.3 AWARDING OF THE SUPPLEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS

The supplement is exclusively aimed at Master’s and doctoral scholarship applicants. Students in joint programs are not eligible.

9.3 AWARDING OF THE SUPPLEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS

The supplements are exclusively awarded to scholarship holders who choose to pursue their studies outside Québec, as indicated in their scholarship applications. The supplements are awarded to the 10 top-ranking applicants overall.

Note: There is no additional application form for this supplement. All students whose place of study is located outside Québec will automatically be considered.

The decision of the Fonds Société et Culture will be announced to the recipients via their E-portfolio when the Master’s and doctoral scholarships program results are announced.

9.4 TERMS OF THE SUPPLEMENT

To receive the funds, the supplement holder must be registered as a full-time student in a university located in France.

9.5 VALUE OF THE SUPPLEMENT

The supplement is valued at $1,500/year. This amount will be added to the Master’s or doctoral scholarship.

10. APPROVAL

The Fonds Société et Culture reserves the right to modify the value of the grants and the program rules detailed in this document without prior notice.

11. ENTRÉE EN VIGUEUR

Les dispositions du présent document s’appliquent à l’exercice financier 2018-2019.

Version mise à jour sur le site web le 7 juillet 2017

12. EFFECTIVE DATE

The provisions set out in this document apply to the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

UPDATED July 7, 2017