DIALOGUE – Student Component – 2026-2027

Principal applicant

Role: The principal applicant is the person who submits the funding application in FRQnet. The principal applicant is the project leader, responsible for its implementation and reporting (financial report and final report).

Principal applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be enrolled in a master’s, doctoral, postdoctoral or post-professional research training program;
2. Attend a Québec educational institution, university-affiliated institution or research institution at the competition deadline;

• Be supervised by a researcher with status 1, 2 or 3 (identified in the “Supervisor” section of the FRQnet form) as defined in the CGR of the FRQ:

o   Status 1: university researcher;

o   Status 2: clinical university researcher;

o   Status 3: college researcher.

Supervisor’s role: In addition to providing scientific supervision, the supervisor undertakes to review and co-sign the activity and financial reports prepared by the person submitting the application to the FRQ (principal applicant).

Once identified in the form, the supervisor will receive an email to complete and submit a consent form.

Co-applicant

It is also possible to submit a team application by identifying at least one person in the “Co-applicant” section of the FRQnet form.

Role: The co-applicant is a co-leader of the project and shares the responsibilities for project implementation and reporting (financial report and final report) on an equal basis with the principal applicant.

Co-applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be enrolled in a college, undergraduate, master’s or doctoral program.
2. Attend a Québec educational institution, university-affiliated institution or research institution at the competition deadline.

Collaborator

One or more collaborators may also be included in the section provided for this purpose in the FRQnet form, whether the project is submitted individually or as a team.

Role: Any person who brings specific (and often ad hoc) expertise to the project may be identified as a collaborator. Collaborators do not provide a CV and cannot be entrusted with the management of the project or delegated the management of part of the funds. It is possible to use the project description to highlight their contribution, if applicable.

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with individuals who have expertise in science communication and with individuals or organizations that can contribute to the project’s visibility and dissemination (influencers, artists, community organizations, etc.).

Important notes regarding eligibility of individuals contributing to the submitted project

• All individuals identified in the application (applicant, co-applicant, collaborator) may only participate in one application under this program, with the exception of service providers (e.g. influencers).

3.2 Project location:

• Grant recipients must carry out the entire project in Québec.

Not eligible:

• Projects that are directly linked to another source of funding, unless the support awarded under the DIALOGUE program would be used to achieve complementary objectives.
• Projects that are directly related to a project funded by an FRQ Postdoctoral Scholarship – Knowledge Mobilization Plan (Société et culture sector), and projects funded under the Researcher component of the DIALOGUE program.

If your project involves the participation of a partner, make sure you have their consent to mention them in the pre-application or application. Although it is not permitted to attach a letter of support for this purpose, the FRQ reserves the right to verify any information provided with the partner.

PRE-APPLICATION

The following documents are required:

1.       The electronic form including:

• A text of no more than three (3) pages divided into four (4) sections explaining how the application satisfies the pre-application evaluation criteria, including:
• Summary description of the project (“Promoting research” or “Discussing societal issues”);
• Alignment of the project and the proposed approach with the specific objectives of the project type;
• Potential for dialogue with the general public;
• Potential for strengthening and developing science communication skills.

• Identification of the researcher supervising the project in the “Supervisor” section. Once identified in the form, the supervisor will receive an email to complete and submit a consent form. This step must be completed before the pre-application deadline.

2.       The abridged CV of the principal applicant.

3.       The abridged CV of the co-applicant (for a team project). If there is more than one co-applicant, their CVs must be combined into a single PDF document.

4.       The abridged CV of the researcher supervising the project.Abridged CVs must be prepared using the presentation template (max. two pages).

APPLICATION

The committee members will not have access to your pre-application. The application must contain all the necessary information for committee members to make a full and informed assessment of the project. Do not hesitate to repeat any points that were included in the pre-application.

The following documents are required:

1.       The electronic form including:

• A text of no more than (4) pages divided into three (3) sections explaining how the proposed project satisfies the application evaluation criteria.

Use the evaluation criteria as section titles and the subheadings provided in the table below.

Note: It is important to clearly demonstrate that your project is realistic and feasible, especially if it is ambitious and complex to carry out.

Section 1 – Evaluation criterion: Quality, originality and clarity of the project (50 points)

Section 2 – Evaluation criterion: Impact and benefits (25 points)

Section 3 – Evaluation criterion: Skill development (15 points) 

The form must also include:

• Identification of the researcher supervising the project in the “Supervisor” section. Once identified in the form, the supervisor will receive an email to complete and submit a consent form. This step must be completed before the application deadline.

2. – Official transcripts for the current program of study for the principal applicant AND the co-applicant, if applicable, combined into a single PDF document (see Section 4.2 for details).

3.       The abridged CV of the principal applicant.

4.       The abridged CV of the co-applicant (for a team project). If there is more than one co-applicant, their CVs must be combined into a single PDF document.

5.       The abridged CV of the project supervisor.

Abridged CVs must be prepared using the presentation template (max. two pages).

6.       A detailed budget and one page of budget justifications (see the eligible expense categories in Section 6). Note that a budget devoted mainly to student salaries or the purchase of equipment could be viewed unfavourably. If necessary, the committee will make recommendations.

A detailed budget of up to $10,000 (individual project) or $12,000 (team project) is expected.

The page of budget justifications (in PDF format) must include a section for the following evaluation criterion:

Section: Budget and use of resources (10 points)

4.2 IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

A transcript that is missing, unofficial, uncertified or not up to date will render the application ineligible.

Copies of all transcripts for the current program of study are required, which may include transcripts for exchange programs and courses for which transfer credits were received, if applicable.

When no transcript is issued, attach:

• an explanatory letter from the institution (registrar’s office or equivalent administrative body) detailing the reason(s) for the missing transcripts. The FRQ reserves the right to verify the admissibility of the reasons given;

OR

• If the applicant is unable to obtain a letter from the university, an explanatory letter from the applicant, signed by the department head of the host institution, justifying the absence of transcripts.

The transcripts and, if applicable, the explanatory letter explaining the grading system in effect, must be consolidated into a single scanned document in PDF format. They should be in vertical orientation and arranged in chronological order, starting with the most recent. Your document must not have any read protection or special configurations.

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

• be issued by the relevant academic institution;

AND

• include 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 reserves the right to confirm the information with the applicant and with the academic institution.

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

4.3 IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING THE APPLICATION PROCESS

• All required documents must be included with the pre-application and application for them to be considered eligible. Documents that are illegible or low-resolution or make it impossible to determine eligibility will be rejected.
• Official documents submitted in a language other than French or English must include a certified translation. Other documents submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a basic translation.
• No appendices or documents other than those required will be shared with the evaluation committee.
• Applications cannot be updated after the competition deadline.

4.4 IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE USE OF LANGUAGES OTHER THAN FRENCH IN DISSEMINATING THE PROJECT.

• While the project must be carried out in Québec, to boost the visibility of Québec research, the project can include content in a language other than French, provided that a French translation is provided (e.g., video subtitles).

• This grant may be held concurrently with a training award (master’s, doctoral, postdoctoral, etc.), but it may not be held concurrently with a DIALOGUE grant (Researcher component) or a FRQ Postdoctoral Scholarship – Knowledge Mobilization Plan (Société et culture sector).
• The grant is paid directly to the funded students, who are responsible for the financial management of their project. The grant must be used to finance expenses that are directly related to the implementation of the project.

6.2 Eligible expense categories

Dissemination and knowledge transfer costs

• Costs of setting up, maintaining and promoting a digital platform (website, blog, YouTube channel, etc.).
• Costs related to the production and dissemination of videos (filming, editing, materials, etc.).
• Costs related to the organization and promotion of science communication events or activities.
• Costs related to the production and promotion of popularized content (including social media advertising, partnerships with influencers, etc.).
• Costs related to the printing of promotional material.
• Science communication training.

Professional fees and compensation

• Science communication resource persons or service providers essential to the project.
• Stipend in the form of a scholarship for the student (individual project) and/or team members (team project), up to a maximum of $2,000.

Travel and subsistence costs

• Travel expenses of the applicant (maximum $500). It should be noted that the FRQ may decide to approve a higher amount for this category of expense, provided that this is adequately justified in the application. However, applicants are advised to contact the program manager beforehand.

Not eligible:

• Remuneration of the researcher supervising the project.