Partnership Training Scholarhips

1. Objectives

The Partnership Training Scholarhips program has the following objectives:

• Contribute to fostering a new generation of female students working in natural science, mathematics and engineering (FRQNT) fields and, more specifically, in the target areas and priority research sectors of CRIAQ;
• Stimulate an interest in research among female students;
• Support research excellence by providing top female applicants with financial assistance to undertake or continue postdoctoral research.

The Partnership Training Scholarships program is a program administered by the FRQNT. It is funded by the FRQNT and CRIAQ.

2. Characteristics

The annual value of the scholarship is $45,000.

A maximum of $45,000 may be paid each year, in 3 instalments.

3. Eligibility

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements in effect at the time of application as set out in the program rules and the CGR.

3.1 Target group and eligibility period

This training scholarship offered in partnership with the Consortium de recherche et d’innovation en aérospatiale au Québec is intended for female students in a postdoctoral training program at a research environment in Québec who wish to undertake or continue postdoctoral research in one of the areas targeted by CRIAQ.

This program is intended for applicants who have obtained their doctoral degree no more than two years prior to the competition deadline;

OR

Applicants who have not yet completed their doctorate but who plan to submit their thesis no later than March 1, 2024, the deadline for starting the scholarship.

A doctorate is considered to be obtained on the date at which all degree requirements are met, including the successful defence of the thesis and submission of the revised version of the thesis.

In the case of applicants with more than one doctoral degree, the date of the first degree prevails.

The applicant must be supervised or have made an agreement with a research director for the supervision of the postdoctoral training.

3.2 Citizenship and residence requirements

This competition is open to all female applicants whose training is related to the priority areas and sectors targeted by CRIAQ, with no restrictions as to citizenship or place of residence.

3.3 Target areas and priority sectors

To be eligible, the research must be in one of the areas targeted by CRIAQ:

• Sustainable aerospace
• Future air mobility
• Digital aviation systems

Among these areas, the partner has identified the following research themes as priority sectors:

• Propulsion and energy, operations, GHG reduction
• Drone operations, air taxis, and infrastructures
• Simulations and cybersecurity, human-machine collaboration

3.4 Restrictions

Applicants cannot apply for funding under this program to carry out preparatory studies.

Applicants may submit only one funding application to this competition and may also apply to the FRQNT 2023-2024 training scholarships programs.

3.5 Choice of host environment

The postdoctoral research must be carried out at a Quebec institution other than the one that awarded the applicant’s doctoral degree. Exceptionally, applicants who demonstrates that their mobility is restricted due to serious illness, a disability or major family obligations can carry out their research at the same institution that awarded their doctorate. Applicants who wish to request an exception are strongly advised to consult with the program manager before submitting their application to the Fonds.

3.5.1 Supervision

The applicant’s doctoral supervisors and co-supervisors may not supervise the postdoctoral research, even if they have changed institutions. Exceptionally, in the case of applicants who demonstrates that their mobility is restricted due to serious illness, a disability or major family obligations, postdoctoral supervision can be provided by their doctoral supervisors and co-supervisors if it is also shown that it is impossible for the postdoctoral studies to be supervised by any other person.

3.5.2 Co-supervision

The postdoctoral research can be co-supervised, provided that the applicant spends a minimum of 6 months at the co-supervisory environment.

4. Application

The 2023-2024 electronic application form will be made available on the FRQNT website at least one month before the competition deadline and must be submitted electronically by the competition deadline date and time set by the Fonds.

It is preferable that the funding application be written in French, but it can also be written in English. However, the project title and abstract must be provided in French.

Please refer to the Presentation Standards for Attached Files in the FRQnet electronic Portfolio when preparing the files to be attached to the form.

4.1 Electronic form (research director)

A research director who does not have a personal identification number (PIN) must request one from the FRQNT and provide it to the applicant. The applicant must enter this PIN in her application form.

When the applicant enters the PIN of the research director in the application form, the “Director’s Section” form becomes available in the director’s FRQnet electronic Portfolio.

The “Director’s Section” form must be completed and submitted via the FRQnet electronic Portfolio of the research director by the competition deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the research director submits the acceptance letter by the competition deadline.

4.2 Required documents

All required documents must be included in the application for it to be considered eligible. Any documents that are illegible, of a poor resolution or that do not allow verification of the application’s eligibility will be rejected.

Any official document submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a professional translation certified as a true copy of the original. Any other document submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a basic translation.

Transcripts

Any academic transcript that is missing, incomplete, unofficial, out-of-date, or is not a certified copy of the original will render the application ineligible.

Copies of all academic transcripts are required, for all doctoral studies pursued by the applicant, whether completed or not. This includes transcripts from exchange programs or courses (equivalencies), where applicable.

For a current program of study, the academic transcript must include the last semester completed before the competition deadline, including the summer session if applicable.

What makes a transcript official may differ from one academic institution to another. Nonetheless, to be deemed official by the Fonds, each transcript must:

• be issued by the academic institution in question;

AND

• include elements indicating that it is an official transcript for that academic institution. This may be the seal or stamp of the issuing institution AND/OR the registrar’s signature AND/OR the notation “Official Transcript”, etc.

THE PRESENCE OF A WATERMARK will not render a transcript unofficial, as long as it meets the requirements specified above.

If there is any doubt about the authenticity of a transcript included with the application, the Fonds reserves the right to verify with the applicant or the institution concerned.

A transcript delivered in a sealed envelope by the registrar’s office can be opened and its contents scanned.

Other documents to attach, where applicable, in the file with the transcripts:

• Document explaining the grading system for transcripts from institutions outside North America. This letter must clearly explain the grading system used, so that the transcripts can be properly understood;
• Letter of explanation from the institution (registrar’s office or equivalent administrative body) if no transcript is issued. The letter must state the reasons for the missing transcript. The Fonds reserves the right to verify the acceptability of the reasons given;
• If no transcript is issued but the applicant is unable to obtain a letter from the university, a letter of explanation written by the applicant and endorsed by the department director at the host institution, justifying the absence of the transcript.

Proof of citizenship

• A copy of an official document establishing the applicant’s citizenship, such as a copy of the identification page of a valid passport.

Acknowledgement of receipt from publishers

• Acknowledgements of receipt from the publisher for all articles submitted and notices received from publishers for articles accepted for publication (acknowledgements of receipt for articles already published are not forwarded to the committee).

Notice

A notice of the application’s transmission for evaluation or of its non-eligibility will be sent to you by email in December at the latest. An applicant who has not received this notice should contact the program manager before December 15.

5. Evaluation

To find out more about the rules governing the scholarship evaluation process, please refer to Section 4 of the CGR.

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

6. Open access policy

Peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research made possible by this grant must be released as immediate open access (without embargo), under an open license, in accordance with the FRQ Open Access Policy (revised in 2022).

7. Effective date

The rules apply to the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

8. Contact person

Michel Garceau
Program manager
FRQNT Training Scholarships
Phone: 418 643-8560 ext. 3459
Email: bourses.nt@frq.gouv.qc.ca