Science en exil - Students 2024-2025

1. Objective

The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) proposes to perpetuate and expand the programs put in place after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Indeed, the threats faced by the scientific and research communities in the world can be of several kinds and other crises will occur in the future. The FRQ intends to participate in global solidarity efforts with scientific communities affected by major and sudden crises.

Thus, the program aims to facilitate access to FRQ training grants for students from countries experiencing an emergency. The supports put in place can assist students in exile by providing scholarships, language training and networking opportunities through the collaboration of Quebec’s higher education institutions.

The rules of this program may evolve to better address the situations that arise over time.

What is an emergency?
For the purposes of this program, we consider a country to be in an emergency situation when it is facing a crisis with the following aspects

• a situation that presents an immediate danger to life, health or the environment
• a situation that causes death or serious effects on life, health or the environment
• a situation with a high probability of endangering life, health or the environment
• a situation that leads to the exile or displacement of a part of its population

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees lists here the countries or regions in emergency situations in which it intervenes.
Beyond this list, the FRQs will consider the particularities and challenges of each situation submitted when studying the application.

2. Eligibility requirements

Host institutions will be responsible for validating the eligibility of individuals for this program. To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Hold a passport from the country of origin that is valid on the date the application is submitted
• Hold (or have applied for) a residence permit (refugee application or visa or any emergency travel authorization issued by Immigration and Citizenship Canada allowing them to study at an institution of higher learning)
• Provide a letter of application that describes the reasons why the individual is requesting the award (e.g., without the award, the individual’s professional and scientific future and safety could be compromised, security reasons, impact on research, etc.)
• Not having started their training program
• Be working on a research project in one of the research fields covered by the FRQ
• Have confirmation that the person in charge of the research or internship accepts the student in their team
• Have a continuous physical presence in Quebec for the entire duration of the funding, excluding break periods provided for in the school calendar. Candidates who are pursuing their training under cotutelle are also subject to this rule. In their case, a study period in the country where the co-tutorship is taking place is not permitted
• Submit a complete application (see sections 3. Selection by the institution and 4. Creating a Folder in the ePortfolio)
• Be selected by a Quebec university or college

3. Selection by the institution

Applicants must first find a person willing to direct their master’s or doctoral research project or to supervise their postdoctoral fellowship.

This person or the host institution must be able to assume one quarter of the total amount of the award, the portion paid by the FRQ being 75% (see section 6. Amount of the award).

The host institution may then forward the applicant’s file to the authorities of its University or College for confirmation of eligibility (see section 2. Eligibility Requirements) and evaluation of the file. The documents that must be provided for a file to be considered complete and ready for evaluation will be determined by the host institutions. This evaluation is left up to the institutions, which may also use the evaluation grids of the FRQ for each level of training if desired (see toolbox).

When eligibility is confirmed by the institution, the institution contacts the person responsible for the fund in question (see section 9. Contacts) to request that the form be made available in the student’s electronic portfolio. The student must then complete and submit the form within 30 days following the opening of the form. Once the form is submitted, the student confirms the submission to the following email address: science.exil@frq.gouv.qc.ca 

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4. Creating a Folder in the ePortfolio

Upon receipt of the applications chosen by the universities, the FRQ will invite the recipients to create a file in the system and will take charge of the management of the funded files.

To create a folder in FRQnet, it is essential to create a user account. Once the user account has been created, candidates will be able to find the application form in their Electronic Portfolio, under Available competitions/Grants and training courses. The documents that will be requested from the candidate and their superior for the constitution of the file are listed below:

Applicants

• Electronic application form, duly completed
• In the Other documents section of the electronic form:
  • Copy of passport
  • Residence permit or proof that an application has been made (email, acknowledgment of receipt, etc.)
  • Cover letter/motivation letter, including the proof requested in the section 2. Eligibility conditions section
  • Pledge letter to provide financial and material support to the applicant from the institution (including the breakdown described in section 6. Amount of the award )

Director or supervisor

• Electronic form of the director or supervisor of the research

5. Application review by the FRQ

Once the electronic application has been sent to them, the FRQs will analyze the file and transmit the funding decision as soon as possible.

6. Amount of the award

Below are details of the amounts to be paid by the institution or supervising individuals, as well as those paid by the FRQ..

7. Management of the award

Grant holders of this program are subject to the common general rules (CGR), for the entire duration of the funding.

Specific situations

• Deferral of payment for parental leave, sick leave or acquisition of relevant experience
• Possibility of studying part-time
• Management of the remaining amounts during direct or accelerated passages
• Paid work outside the research project
• Scholarship accumulations.

The specific situations listed below are to be managed using the rules for the 2024-2025 Master’s, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral training programs.

Terms

Payments are conditional upon confirmation of full-time registration by the institution for master’s and doctoral students. A confirmation is sent to the FRQ each session by the universities. For post-doctoral students, payments are conditional upon confirmation of presence at the internship site by the internship supervisor.

They are also conditional on the receipt, in the electronic portfolio, of the documents listed below.

• Request for payment made by the grant holder, 3 times a year starting on May 30, September 30 and January 30 for master’s and doctoral level holders and according to the payment schedule established for postdoctoral and internship awardees
• Supervisor’s Confirmation for postdoctoral fellows
• Ethics training certifications (levels 1 and 3), if applicable

8. Final report

A final report is required after the end of the session corresponding to the last payment. The grant holder is notified by e-mail of the availability of the form to be completed in his/her electronic portfolio. This form must be completed and submitted by the deadline indicated. The granting of subsequent financial assistance in another FRQ program is conditional upon receipt of this report.