Scholarship for internship in a practice environment 2019-2020 (BSMP)

1. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• Foster collaboration between the academic research community and organizations in the public, parapublic and private sectors;
• Stimulate interest in knowledge application and the acquisition of work experience in a practice environment;
• Support practice environments in their efforts to provide jobs for people enrolled in Master’s or doctoral research programs.

2. TARGET GROUP

This program is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students in humanities and social sciences, arts and letters wishing to do an internship in a practice setting.

3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements at the competition deadline.

3.1 Citizenship and Domicile

In addition to the provisions of Section 2 of 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 internship application, that:

a) they have been living in Québec on a regular and daily basis for at least six months of the seven months prior to the competition closing date (with the appropriate visas and authorizations);

b) that they are enrolled full-time in a Master’s or doctoral research or research-creation program in a Québec university.

Pursuant to the statements above, Fonds scholarship holders must meet all eligibility requirements throughout the term of the scholarship.

3.2 Internship eligibility requirements

To be eligible to apply for this program, applicants must:

• Plan to conduct an internship in Québec;
• Be jointly supervised by a Master’s or doctoral research supervisor and a supervisor from the practice setting during the internship.

3.3 Internship conditions

• Throughout the internship, the applicant must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Master’s or doctoral research or research-creation program in a Québec university;
• The internship must begin no earlier than the second semester of enrollment in a full-time Master’s program or the fourth semester of enrollment in a full-time doctoral program;
• Internships that are part of the Master’s or doctoral program (credits) are not eligible (mandatory internship for graduation);
• Only one internship can be funded under this program;
• The internship must last at least two months, and may be as long as six months. It may be carried out in several stages;
• The average time spent on the internship may vary between a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 20 hours per week, to be broken down according to the needs of the submitted project;
• At the competition deadline, no more than 50% of the internship may already be completed. However, this scholarship is not retroactive. Only the months of internship remaining at the competition deadline can be funded;
• It is up to the student to ensure that he/she has insurance coverage throughout the internship. If insurance coverage is not provided by the institution or the practice setting, the student is responsible for taking out private insurance.

4. INTERNSHIP LOCATION

Eligible: Public, parapublic, community or private sector organizations in Québec, and College Centers for Technology Transfer (CCTT).

Ineligible: Postsecondary teaching institutions and university-affiliated research centres and laboratories.

Should you fail to find an internship location, please consult the List of partners interested in hosting interns .

5. COMPETITION DEADLINES

There are three annual competitions. Application deadlines are March 5, October 5 and December 5*. When the deadline falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is extended to the next business day.

Depending on the targeted competition, internships must begin no later than:

* These dates are subject to change without prior notice. The official competition deadline is posted in the Summary section at the top of the Program Rules.

6. VALUE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

The value of the BSMP scholarship is $1,500 per month, paid directly to the scholarship holder.

7. APPLICATION FORM AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Before completing an application, 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.

The application must include the following items, transmitted through the E-portfolio in the sections intended for that purpose or in the “Other documents” section where applicable:

• A duly completed application form, available in the E-portfolio and completed via the website (3 pages);
• A letter of support from the Master’s or doctoral research supervisor (1 page);
• A letter of support from the internship supervisor of the practice setting (1 page);
• A registrar’s attestation identifying all full-time sessions completed in the current program.
• RAMQ CARD OR OTHER OFFICIAL DOCUMENT.  If the applicant does not have a RAMQ card, or a proof of eligibility for RAMQ, the applicant must provide a copy of at least two documents proving that he or she has been living in Québec for at least six months of the seven months prior to the competition closing date. See the list of accepted documents  in the Toolbox;
• PROOF OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY or student permit (if applicable) : A copy of the applicant’s landing documents (IMM 1000 or IMM 5292) or permanent resident card is required for applicants with the status of permanent resident under the 2001 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, c. 27;
• PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP (if applicable): Canadian citizens born outside Canada must provide a copy of proof of citizenship (both sides). Citizens born in Canada may need to provide this document on request.

The funding application must be completed in French or English.

Applications must contain all information required for their evaluation. Any incomplete application that does not contain the information necessary to establish eligibility or which cannot be evaluated will be deemed invalid by the Fonds. Documents that are not required and that are included with the application will be removed from the application before evaluation. Applicants will not be notified of any required information or documents missing from the application. Any documents received after the deadline for application will not be considered and applications cannot be updated.

DO NOT FORGET TO TRANSMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION.

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

Once the application has been submitted, it may not be modified or resubmitted regardless of the transmission date, even if it is before the competition deadline.

All applications received will be assessed for eligibility by the FRQSC before being submitted to the evaluation committee. Applicants will be informed by e-mail of the progress of their application and, if applicable, its transmission to the evaluation committee, at the lastest one month following the closing date of the competition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the evaluation committee has the right to declare an application ineligible if it considers that the application does not meet the program conditions and objectives.

Applicants whose application package is deemed incomplete or invalid will be notified by e-mail that their application has not been transmitted to the evaluation committee.

Throughout the process, applicants are invited to check that no correspondence from the Fonds is placed in the “Undesirable” folder of their e-mail box.

8. APPLICATION EVALUATION

Evaluation criteria, indicators and weighting

Internship (50 points)

• Objectives and relevance of the internship
• Appropriateness of the internship with respect to the program of study
• Added value of the internship (for the host environment and for the applicant)

Time frame (20 points)

• Relevance of the proposed activities
• Realism of the timeframe and feasibility of the project (including the number of hours expected to be spent in the host environment)

Host environment and supervision (30 points)

• Quality of the host environment and of the supervision it offers.

Evaluation process

The members of the evaluation committee will assess the applications according to the criteria, indicators and weighting described in this program, based on the Scores and Ratings Grid. To be recommended, an application must obtain an overall score of 70% or more. In addition, a score of 70% is required for the “Internship” criterion.

The evaluation committee also recommends the funding period based on the proposed time frame and the objectives of the internship. Consequently, the recommended length of the internship may differ from that indicated in the application.

The number of recommended applications that receive funding will depend on the availability of FRQSC funding for the program.

9. TERMS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

BSMP Scholarship holders must continue to be enrolled as full-time students in their program of study for the duration of the internship – the institution will be asked to provide proof of full-time enrolment. The Fonds must be advised of any change in status before it is implemented.

BSMP recipients cannot be employed or remunerated by the practice setting throughout the duration of the internship.

The internship start and end dates may be modified, subject to Fonds approval of a documented modification request sent by e-mail to the program manager. The proposed changes must meet all eligibility conditions and cannot change the nature of the internship presented and evaluated in the initial application.

Scholarship payments are conditional on the signing of a tripartite agreement between the host environment, the thesis or dissertation director and the scholarship holder. This agreement must be approved by the Fonds.

10. ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMPETITION RESULTS

The results will be announced in the two months following the closing date of the competition via the applicant’s E-Portfolio.

11. RULES GOVERNING STACKING OF SCHOLARSHIPS

BSMP recipients are not eligible for the Soutien aux cotutelles Québec-France program or other Government of Québec or Government of Canada mobility programs during the same period. Students funded under the mobility support program (Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement Supérieur in collaboration with universities) can claim only the difference between the value of the mobility scholarship and funding received under the BSMP program.

Stacking is possible with awards from the Fonds de recherche Société et culture and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

12. INTERNSHIP REPORT

BSMP recipients agree to submit to the Fonds, no later than one month after the end of the internship, a report summarizing the work done and the extent to which the objectives were achieved. This report must be signed by the Master’s or doctoral research supervisor, the internship supervisor. The report is to be submitted in the latter’s Portfolio.

The internship supervisor at the host institution must complete the section provided for this purpose, detailing the successes and/or failures of the internship as perceived by the host institution.

The final scholarship instalment is conditional on the submission of this report and its approval by the Fonds. Failure to comply with this condition may result in the cancellation of the instalment. Future funding under a different program is contingent upon receipt of the final report.