FRQSC – Doctoral training scholarships (B2Z and A2Z2), Autumn 2023 competition

1. Objectives

The training scholarships granted by the Fonds de recherche du Québec aim to:

• Help support new generations of students in a range of research sectors:

–        natural sciences, mathematics sciences and engineering (FRQNT);

–        human health (FRQS);

–        humanities, social sciences, art and literature (FRQSC);

• Spark the interest of new generations of students in research; and
• Support research excellence by providing financial assistance to the best students as they undertake or pursue a doctoral research program.

2. Features

2.1. Value of the scholarship

The doctoral scholarship is valued at $25,000/year.

The maximum amount is twelve payments (12 semesters) totalling $100,000.

2.2 Supplement for studies outside Québec

The supplement available to students who pursue their training outside Québec is meant to help awardees undertake or pursue a graduate program outside the province.

The supplement is only available to awardees who specify a training location outside Québec in their application. Each Fonds may attribute the supplement to the ten applications that ranked first among all the applications evaluated by the review committees. All applications that specify a training location outside Québec will be automatically considered. Co-supervised programs are not eligible.

The maximum value of the supplement is $1,500/year, or $500 per semester.

3. Eligibility

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements in effect during the competition period, as stipulated in the program rules and the CGR.

3.1   Target group and eligibility period

3.1.1. Target group

Doctoral training scholarship (B2Z)

The doctoral training scholarship program is open to applicants who want to undertake or pursue a doctoral research program in one of the areas covered by the Fonds.

Scholarship for re-entering the research community at the doctoral level (A2Z2)

The scholarship program to re-enter the research community at the doctoral level is open to applicants who want to re-enter the research community by pursuing their studies or the equivalent in one of the areas covered by the Fonds.

The program is aimed at applicants who, at the competition deadline:

• Have not been registered in a graduate program for at least five years. However, applicants may be registered for their first semester at the time of application;
• Have not earned university credits for at least five years;
• Have held an undergraduate or master’s degree for at least five (5) years.

3.1.2 Eligibility period

Applicants must have been enrolled in a doctoral program for up to fifteen full-time semesters (5 years) or less before May 1, 2024. Semesters completed in a professional doctoral degree program and those completed in a doctoral research program in another area are excluded from the calculation. Applicants who obtained a first doctoral degree in research and who seek to undertake a second in another area may apply to the Fonds if their initial doctoral degree was not funded by a Fonds de recherche du Québec scholarship program. The Fonds reserve the right to deny an application when they deem there are too many similarities between the two doctoral programs.

A person making a direct transfer from a bachelor’s degree to a doctoral degree or a person making an accelerated transfer to a doctoral degree without obtaining a master’s degree must have been enrolled in the doctoral program for less than 6 years, or less than 18 full-time semesters, before May 1, 2024. However, they must initially apply to the Master’s Training Scholarship competition if they are eligible.

Applicants are eligible for a doctoral research scholarship for a maximum of 12 semesters. Any semesters already completed in a doctoral program (or equivalent) at the time the scholarship comes into effect will be subtracted from the funding period.

The Fonds will consider unregistered semesters and those completed on a part-time basis when calculating the eligibility period. Applicants can verify their eligibility by consulting the Equivalency table for part-time semesters.

The Fonds will also consider the number of semesters during which applicants received financial support from a recognized Canadian or Québec government funding agency  (e.g., NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC, Fonds de recherche du Québec) to ensure the total funding granted does not exceed 12 semesters.

Applicants may not submit concurrent applications to the Scholarship program for re-entering the research community at the doctoral level and a doctoral training scholarship program.

Applicants who apply for a scholarship for their preparatory studies are not eligible.

3.1.3 Exceptions

The Fonds reserve the right to refuse any exception request that is not adequately justified.

The rules pertaining to the eligibility period for training scholarships allow for exceptions in circumstances that are beyond an applicant’s control, such as serious illness, major family obligations or disability.

• Major family obligation or serious illness: an applicant who has suspended or delayed their studies owing to a parental leave, serious illness or a major family obligation may seek to extend the eligibility period for up to twelve (12) months. The Fonds will determine the duration of the extension based on the supporting documents provided by the applicant.
• Disability: as defined in the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration (CQLR, E-20.1) and reserved for persons who meet the definition of “handicapped person” in the Act, the rules pertaining to the eligibility period do not apply. The maximum duration of the funding is 12 semesters at the doctoral level. Supporting documents must be submitted with the application.

3.2   Citizenship and domicile

3.2.1 Basic conditions

The following section is based on Section 2.1. of the Common General Rules:

To be eligible to apply for a doctoral training scholarship, applicants must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

AND

• Have a health insurance card issued by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) valid at the competition deadline, or proof that a health insurance card has been requested from the RAMQ and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline.

If either of the above conditions is not met, the applicant must submit one of the following documents to be eligible:

• Proof of admission to a program of study eligible for this scholarship program (see section 3.1.1) at a Québec university

OR

• An acceptance form from the research supervisor at a Québec university (“Supervisor’s form”).

3.2.2 Conditions for training outside Québec

An applicant may carry out training outside Québec on the condition they:

• Are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

AND

• Have a valid health insurance card issued by the RAMQ or proof of RAMQ eligibility.

If either of the above conditions is not met, the applicant must carry out their training in Québec. Continued physical presence in Québec is required throughout the entire term of the scholarship, excluding the break periods specified in the academic calendar, unless the institution approves* travel outside Québec deemed necessary for the proper implementation of activities related to the program of study.

Travel outside Québec as part of a co-supervised program is not permitted except for applicants who are eligible to carry out training outside Québec.

Applicants who are not eligible to carry out training outside Québec at the time of filing their application to the competition will not be eligible to study outside Québec during the scholarship period, even if their citizenship and domicile conditions change.

* To avail themselves of this option if the scholarship is awarded, applicants must provide a Declaration of travel outside Québec approved by the Québec university in the Manage my funding section of the FRQnet ePortfolio.

3.3   Restrictions

Applicants enrolled in some psychology programs (see the Eligibility of psychology programs for FRQ training scholarships page to verify eligibility) are not eligible.

4. Application

The 2024-2025 application e-form (PDF version for information) will be available on the respective websites of the Fonds at least one month prior to the competition deadline. At the competition deadline of October 4, 2023 at 4:00 p.m., the status of the application in the FRQnet system must be “Submitted to the Fonds” and all required documents must be attached to the form.

With regard to the language of submitted forms and documents, please refer to Section 3.6 of the Common General Rules.

Refer to the Presentation standards for PDF attachments in the FRQnet ePortfolio to properly format any documents to be attached to the application.

4.1   Selection of the review committee

Applicants are responsible for selecting their review committee. No changes may be made after the competition deadline. The choice must be made on the basis of the research topic, field and training program. See the List of review committees in the Toolbox.

4.2   Documents required from the applicant

All required documents must be included with the application for it to be considered eligible. Documents that are illegible or low-resolution or do not allow the eligibility of the application to be determined will not be accepted.

Official documents submitted in a language other than English or French must include a certified professional translation. Any other documents submitted in a language other than English or French must include a basic translation.

4.2.1 Transcripts

Transcripts that are missing, incomplete, unofficial, uncertified or not up-to-date shall render the application ineligible.

Copies of all transcripts are required for all the applicant’s academic studies, whether completed or not, including transcripts from exchange programs and courses (equivalencies), if applicable.

The transcript for an applicant’s current program of study must include the last semester completed prior to the competition deadline, including the summer semester, if applicable.

The elements that make a transcript official may differ from one academic institution to the next. Nevertheless, in order to be considered official by the Fonds, each transcript must:

• be issued by the relevant academic institution;

AND

• include the elements that prove it is an official transcript from the academic institution, including the university seal and/or signature of the registrar and/or wording such as “official transcript”, etc.

A WATERMARK does not render a transcript unofficial as long as the requirements specified above are met.

If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of a transcript, the Fonds reserve the right to confirm the information with the applicant and with the academic institution.

A transcript submitted in a sealed envelope from a registrar’s office may be opened and scanned.

Other documents to be attached with the transcripts (if applicable):

• For transcripts obtained outside North America, a document explaining the current grading system. The attachment must clearly explain the grading system so that the transcripts may be easily understood;
• Explanatory letter* from the institution (registrar’s office or equivalent administrative body) when no transcript is issued. The attachment must detail the reason(s) for the missing transcripts. The Fonds reserve the right to verify the admissibility of the reasons given;
• Explanatory letter from the applicant and signed by the department chair of the host institution when no transcript is issued and the applicant is unable to obtain a letter from the university.

4.2.2 RAMQ health insurance card (as applicable)

Case 1: Applicants who do not have proof of full-time admission to a Québec university or who do not have an acceptance form from the research supervisor at a Québec university (“Supervisor’s form”).

Case 2: Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Applicants in cases 1 and 2 must provide:

• a photocopy of their RAMQ health insurance card valid at the competition deadline;

OR

• an official document from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) that establishes their status as a resident of Québec within the meaning of the Health Insurance Act;

OR

• if an official document is not available, proof that a health insurance card has been requested from the RAMQ and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline.

Case 3: Applicants who do not have a RAMQ health card must provide:

• proof of admission to a program of study eligible for this scholarship program (see section 3.1.1) at a Québec university;

OR

• an acceptance form from the research supervisor at a Québec university (“Supervisor’s form”).

4.2.3. Acknowledgement of receipt from publishers

Acknowledgements for all papers submitted to publishers and publisher notifications for papers accepted for publication (acknowledgements for previously published papers are not shared with the committee).

4.2.4 Additional documents

Applicants who completed one or more part-time semesters since the date at which they first registered for a graduate program and applicants whose transcripts do not include all registered semesters:

• Attestation from the registrar’s office indicating all semesters;

Applicants seeking to avail themselves of an exception:

• Official document attesting to the duration of the parental leave or sick leave, such as a medical certificate or a copy of the child’s birth certificate;
• In the case of a major family obligation or a person with a disability, documents attesting to the situation.

No appendices or documents other than those required will be sent to the review committee. Applications may not be updated after the competition deadline.

4.3. Documents required from the research supervisor

For applicants who do not have both:

• Canadian citizenship or permanent residency

AND

• a health insurance card issued by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) valid at the competition deadline, or proof that a health insurance card has been requested from the RAMQ and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline

AND

• do not have proof of admission to a program of study at a Québec university (see Section 3.2.1 above), you must provide:

The Electronic form from the research supervisor (and co-supervisor if applicable), a PDF version for information is available in the Toolbox.

Notice

Applicants will receive an application eligibility decision by email in December at the latest. Applicants who have not received this decision must contact the program manager before the end of December.

5. Evaluation

For more information on the rules regarding the evaluation process, refer to Section 4 of the CGR.

Applications are reviewed according to the following evaluation criteria and weighting:

EVALUATION Criteria – DOCTORAL training

Academic record and background (45 points)

• Transcripts;
• Honours (awards, distinctions, scholarships);
• Achievements (scientific, professional, social, etc.) and relevant experience (related to the project or background);
• Capacity for engagement and leadership (in and out of academia);
• Ability to facilitate dialogue between science and society.

Research project (55 points)

• Originality of the project and contribution to the advancement of knowledge;
• Clarity and coherence of the research problem;
• Relevance of the methodology;
• Feasibility of the project and realism of the time frame.

TOTAL (100 points)

6. Open access policy

Peer-reviewed publications stemming from the research funded by the scholarship must be made immediately available on an open access (non-embargoed) basis under an open license in accordance with the FRQ’s Open access policy for the dissemination of research (revised in 2022).

The doctoral thesis stemming from the research funded by the scholarship must be made available on an open access (non-embargoed) basis in an institutional or disciplinary repository, in accordance with the FRQ’s open access policy for the dissemination of research (revised in 2022).

7. Partnership scholarships

The Fonds may grant training scholarships with partners. As with all scholarships granted by the Fonds, scholarship offers are given out according to merit following a scientific evaluation by a peer review committee.

There are three steps in the process to select eligible applicants for these scholarships:

• Applicants select one or more partners whose research areas are in line with their research theme (in the Partnerships section of the application form).
• The Fonds send the partners the list of applicants who have expressed interest and the information required to determine the relevance of the applications to their strategic and research priorities.
• When the evaluation process is complete (see Section 5 of this document), applicants who obtained a scientific excellence rating that entitles them to receive funding from the Fonds and whose proposed projects are deemed relevant by the partners may receive an offer for a partnership scholarship.

By choosing to be considered for a partnership scholarship and being granted a scholarship, applicants agree that the partner may contact them regarding activities related to the research project.

Partner :

SSA Québec Support Unit

SPOR National Training Entity

Research with and for patients in a learning health system approach

The SSA Québec Support Unit is a provincial unit of the national SPOR network of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Unit’s vision is to continuously improve the Québec health system and make it a learning system. It mobilizes and empowers the network to do things differently and achieve the quintuple aim by making partnership a driving force, integrating science and innovation, and facilitating change. The unit’s teams work across Quebec and deploy their expertise by offering training, consultation services, tools, facilitation and networking opportunities:

• It builds scientific and experiential knowledge;
• It offers support to project leaders in the network;
• It oversees the continuous improvement of quality.

The SPOR National Training Entity (NTE), an integral part of the CIHR SPOR network, is a pan-Canadian organization that aims to increase, support and maintain the capacity of a collaborative, interdisciplinary research community focused on partnerships with and for patients. The NTE provides answers to changing healthcare questions, helping to improve the patient experience.

The scholarships offered by the FRQ in partnership with the Unit and the SPOR National Training Entity allow scholarship holders to hone their skills and gain experience in research with and for patients, to network, and to work across disciplines with different healthcare professionals and organizations in a learning health system approach.

8. Using a Fonds scholarship

To maintain a scholarship or supplement, awardee must meet these basic requirements throughout the funding period:

• Meet citizenship and residency requirements;
• Be enrolled in the training program for which the scholarship was granted on a full-time basis (subject to the exceptions specified in this section);
• Comply with the rules pertaining to concurrent scholarships;
• Comply with the rules pertaining to employment and internships.

Awardees must also comply with all applicable requirements specified in the program rules and the CGR.

Awardees who are registered in a program outside Québec (when permitted under the terms of the scholarship) must request official proof of registration from their university at the start of every semester and send it to the Fonds. For awardees registered in a Québec university, proof of registration is sent directly to the Fonds by the institution.

Awardees must notify the Fonds as soon as possible when a requirement is no longer met and whenever there is a change in their situation that could affect compliance with the terms of the scholarship. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the scholarship and/or the obligation to reimburse the amounts received.

Please refer to the Technical User Guide to find out where to find the required documents and how to attach them in your Portfolio.

8.1. Scholarship start date

Payments may start in any of the three semesters following the awardee’s acceptance.

The start date of the scholarship refers to the semester in which the first payment may be claimed (see Section 8.10.2 for further details).

• For awardees whose training program has not started when the scholarship letter is issued, the first payment may be made as of:

May 30 after the scholarship is granted (summer semester);

September 30 after the scholarship is granted (fall semester);

January 30 after the scholarship is granted (winter semester).

• For awardees whose training program is in progress when the scholarship letter is issued, the first payment will be made as of:

May 30 after the scholarship is granted (summer semester).

Payments are conditional on compliance with the basic requirements and submission of all requirements documents in the FRQnet electronic portfolio (ePortfolio).

8.2   Payments and management

Payments are conditional on compliance with the basic requirements and submission of all requirements documents in the FRQnet electronic portfolio (ePortfolio).

8.2.1    Cancellation of a payment or a scholarship

The Fonds will cancel a payment after prior notice if it is not claimed or deferred or if required documents are not received in the two months following the start of the semester.

The Fonds will cancel a scholarship after prior notice if the awardee has not taken any action in their FRQnet ePortfolio for two consecutive semesters.

The Fonds will cancel a scholarship after prior notice if two consecutive payments must be cancelled due to non-compliance with the basic requirements or if required documents have not been submitted in the two months following the start of the semester.

In addition, the FRQ reserves the right to cancel any payment or scholarship in accordance with the Policy for the responsible conduct of research.

A scholarship offer that is declined by the applicant cannot be reactivated.

8.2.2    Report

A final report in the format required by the FRQ must be submitted at the end of the semester in which the last scholarship payment is made.

8.3   Exceptions for part-time studies

In all the following cases, the Fonds reserve the right to deny an insufficiently justified request.

Part-time studies are permitted only in the cases mentioned below:

8.3.1    Family caregiver, parenthood or medical condition

This exception is only available to an awardee who is the caregiver for a close family member, who is the primary caregiver for a young child (5 years and under) or who has a medical condition that prevents them from following a full-time program (in the case of a disability, see Section 8.3.2). During part-time semesters, the awardee may receive 50% of the value of the scholarship payments.

Awardees who want to avail themselves of this exception must complete their FRQnet ePortfolio and attach the following documents:

• Proof of part-time studies from the university;
• Copy of the medical certificate (caregiver, medical condition) or the birth or adoption certificate of a child (parent).

It is possible to receive concurrent parental insurance plan benefits, as applicable.

8.3.2     Disability

A person with a disability who is unable to pursue their training program on a full-time basis may choose to enrol on a part-time basis and benefit from full scholarship payments when the university allows for part-time status and upon presentation of a medical certificate or an official document attesting to the situation. This exception 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) and reserved for persons who meet the definition of “handicapped person” in the Act.

Awardees must complete their FRQnet ePortfolio and attach the following documents:

• Proof of part-time studies from the university;
• Medical certificate attesting to the condition.

8.4   Concurrent scholarships

The following table details the rules for concurrent funding.

9. Effective date

These rules apply to the 2024-2025 and subsequent fiscal years.

10. Contact us

Training scholarships – FRQSC: boursesd.sc@frq.gouv.qc.ca