FRQSC - Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z), fall 2023 (2024-2025)

3.4 Restrictions

Applicants may only submit an application to one of the following FRQSC scholarship programs in the same year:

• Master’s Research Scholarships (B1Z)
• Doctoral Research Scholarships (B2Z)
• Scholarships for re-entering the Research Community (A2Z)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z)
• Postdoctoral Research-Creation Fellowship (B5)

Applicants may only hold a scholarship from one of the Fonds (CGR, Section 3.1).

Applicants who receive or have received postdoctoral funding from a recognized agency in Québec or Canada (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, FRQSC, FRQNT, FRQS, etc.) are not eligible for this competition.

Applicants who hold a regular professorial position at a university are also ineligible for this program, as per Section 2.2 of the CGR.

3.5 Choice of host environment (supervision and co-supervision, if applicable)

The planned host environment(s) must enable applicants to join new scientific networks, enhance their research perspectives and develop collaborative relationships in a quality scientific environment. The applicant must plan to be present at the host environment throughout the duration of the fellowship, in accordance with the host environment integration objectives of this program. The postdoctoral research can be co-supervised, provided that the applicant spends a minimum of 6 months of the 2 years at the co-supervisory environment.

The choice of host environment(s) must comply with the conditions relating to citizenship and residency set out in Section 3.3 of these rules.

The Fonds encourages mobility outside Québec and internationally, when permitted by the program’s eligibility requirements. However, the research can be carried out in Québec if this choice is clearly justified by the applicant, who must demonstrate that carrying out the project in this environment adds value to their research training.

3.5.1 Internship supervisor

The fellowship must be supervised by a person whose position or university affiliation qualifies them to act as the sole supervisor of graduate students and independently lead research projects.

A fellowship holder cannot be supervised by their doctoral research supervisor.

Similarly, the supervisor cannot be affiliated with the institution where the applicant carried out their doctoral studies.

3.5.2 Internship co-supervisor (if applicable)

The fellowship may be co-supervised by a person whose expertise is considered relevant to the postdoctoral research, and who holds a regular university position or a full-time paid position in a public, parapublic, community, private, or practice sector organization, or other setting deemed appropriate.

A fellowship holder cannot be co-supervised by their doctoral research supervisor.

Similarly, the co-supervisor cannot be affiliated with the institution where the applicant carried out their doctoral studies.

3.5.3 Supervising institution

The supervised internship must take place at the supervisor’s institution of affiliation.

The supervised postdoctoral fellowship must be carried out at an institution other than the awarding institution or the co-supervisory/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the doctoral degree.

IMPORTANT: Applicants who completed a joint doctoral program offered by multiple universities are encouraged to choose a host environment that is not at one of these associated universities. If not, this choice must be fully justified in the application.

3.5.4 Co-supervising institution (if applicable)

The co-supervising institution may be a university; a university-affiliated service centre; a public, parapublic, community, private or practice sector organization; or any other setting deemed appropriate.

A co-supervised postdoctoral fellowship must be carried out at an institution other than the awarding institution or the co-supervisory/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the doctoral degree.

The restriction regarding the supervising institution for applicants who completed a joint doctoral program offered by multiple universities, as set out above, also applies to the choice of co-supervising institution, where applicable.
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Exceptions

An exception may be made in the case of major family obligations, a disability or for serious health reasons. Following analysis by the Fonds, an applicant may be authorized to propose a postdoctoral research project at the same institution that awarded their doctorate, but under a different supervisor. In order for the application to be considered admissible at the eligibility stage, it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the necessary explanations in an attachment in the “Host environment” section of the form and to upload relevant supporting documents (medical certificate, certificate of disability, proof of tax credit for caregivers, etc.) in the “Other documents” section. Note that only the explanatory document  will be given to the scientific evaluation committee.

Applicants wishing to request such an exception are advised to verify the admissibility of the exception with the program manager before submitting their application form.

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3.5.5 Field research and data collection trips

Field research and data collection trips are permitted*. However, when these exceed a period of 6 months, a co-supervision agreement must be formalized in the application. A letter of acceptance must then be provided by the co-supervisor (see Section 4.3 below).

* In the case of applicants who are not eligible to use their fellowship outside Québec, all trips for field research or data collection must take place within Québec, unless the institution approves travel outside Québec deemed necessary for the proper implementation of activities related to the postdoctoral research. See Section 3.3.2 above for more information.

As indicated in Section 3.1 of the CGR , applicants are responsible for sending their application package to the appropriate Fonds by referring to the list of Research areas of the three Fonds.

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

A postdoctoral fellowship application consists of the following documents:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship application form, available in the FRQnet E-portfolio (see 4.1);
• Canadian Common CV and “Detailed Contributions” attachment file (see 4.2);
• Supervisor acceptance form(s) and letter(s) (see 4.3);
• Required documents, attached to the application form (see 4.4).

4.1 Application Form

The Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z) application form is available in the FRQnet portal no later than one month before the competition deadline, under “Available competitions”. A PDF version of this application form (for information purposes) can be consulted in the program Toolbox.

Applicants must create an FRQnet user account on the Fonds website before applying, if they have not already done so. (Watch our video Premier accès à votre profil.)

In the application form, applicants must select the evaluation committee that corresponds the best to their research topic. A List of evaluation committees (Liste des comités d’évaluation) is available in the program Toolbox. As this choice has a significant impact on the evaluation of their application, applicants are encouraged to contact the program officer in case of doubt or difficulty in selecting the appropriate committee.

4.2 Canadian Common CV and Detailed Contributions

The Canadian Common CV and “Detailed Contributions” attachment file are available in the Toolbox section on the fellowship program page or directly in the “Activity details” box in the FRQnet E-portfolio.

The Canadian Common CV – “Fonds Société et culture” version – must be updated within the 12 months prior to the competition deadline.

The Detailed Contributions attachment must be duly completed using the template specific to postdoctoral fellowship programs, available in the program Toolbox. Once completed, it must be attached to the application in the appropriate section of the FRQnet E-portfolio. To ensure that the attachment is properly transmitted to the Fonds, it must be saved in PDF format under “Canadian Common CV” in the FRQnet E-portfolio.

For more information, please refer to Preparing a CV for the Fonds in the program Toolbox.

4.3 Supervisor acceptance form(s) and letter(s)

Supervisors, and co-supervisors where applicable, must complete the form provided for that purpose in their own FRQnet E-portfolio and attach the required file (letter of acceptance).

A supervisor or co-supervisor who does not have an FRQnet account must first create a user account (Créer un nouveau compte).

Once they have been transmitted electronically in accordance with the instructions provided in the supervisor acceptance form, the form and letter will be automatically attached to the applicant’s fellowship application.

Supervisors and co-supervisors must complete and submit their letters and forms prior to the submission of the applicant’s application, no later than the competition deadline. If any of these letters are not received by the Fonds, the application will be deemed ineligible.

Only letters completed using the supervisor acceptance form in the FRQnet E-portfolio will be accepted. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the persons concerned with instructions for creating an account and writing the letter, and to ensure that the letters and forms are submitted before the deadline.

These letters of acceptance support the application but should in no way serve to fill any gaps in the applicant’s demonstration of alignment with the “Host environment” criterion (see Section 5.1).

4.4 Required documents

All the required documents, detailed below, must be scanned in PDF format and inserted directly into the application in the appropriate sections of the form under “Activity details”. Do not include any documents that are not required.

To be accepted, scanned PDF copies must be legible and without read protection or special double tab configuration.

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 document. Any other document submitted in a language other than French or English must include a basic translation.

Please refer to the FRQnet Application Presentation Standards document to properly format any documents to be attached to the application.

The number of pages required for each document may vary and is specified in the form.

The following documents are required:

• RAMQ CARD (if applicable):

Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents AND have

• a Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) card that is 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

• proof that a card has been requested from the RAMQ and that the new card will be valid at the competition deadline

must provide one of these documents.

Applicants who do not have any of the three documents listed above do not need to attach any other documents in this section of the form.

• DOCTORAL TRANSCRIPTS (mandatory):

Any doctoral transcripts that are missing, incomplete, unofficial, not certified as a true copy, or are out-of-date, as well as the absence of any other required document listed below, will render the application ineligible.

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

Transcripts must be up-to-date and include all completed semesters and grading scales (back of transcript).

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

1) be issued by the institution in question;

2) 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, 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. Opening the envelope to scan the transcript will not render it unofficial for the purposes of the Fonds.

PLEASE NOTE: For a current program of study, the transcript must include the last semester completed before the competition deadline, including the summer session, if applicable. In this context, the Fonds will validate this document based on the date of issue indicated on the transcript. This date must be after the last session completed before the competition deadline in order for the document to be considered up-to-date.

Other documents to be included in the transcripts file, where applicable:

• For transcripts from institutions outside North America, the applicant must include a document (short letter) explaining the institution’s grading system, in order to allow a clear understanding of the transcripts.
• If the institution where the applicant’s studies took place does not provide a transcript, the applicant must attach a letter of explanation from this institution (registrar’s office or equivalent administrative body) stating the reasons for the missing transcripts.
• If such a letter from the institution is not available, a letter of explanation written by the applicant, justifying the absence of a transcript and endorsed by the department director at the host institution, must be attached to the application.

Either of these two last documents should allow the Fonds to verify the eligibility of the application, and then allow the evaluation committee to understand the situation and take it into consideration. The absence of either of these two letters, when required under the circumstances described above, will automatically render the application ineligible.

• INTEGRATED BACKGROUND PRESENTATION (mandatory):

Document in which the applicant establishes links between their experiences and interests on the one hand, and their education, training and career choices on the other. This integrated presentation should give the evaluation committee a clear understanding of the applicant’s background. This document is not graded.

• DOCTORAL THESIS (mandatory):

Document stating the title, summary and progress of the applicant’s doctoral thesis, as well as the link between the thesis topic and the postdoctoral research project.

• RESEARCH PROJECT DESCRIPTION (mandatory):

Refer to the evaluation criteria for the research project (5.1) to be sure of including all necessary elements.

• BIBLIOGRAPHY (mandatory):

List the full references of the works used in the project description. Links to web pages may be included as bibliographic references where relevant.

• JUSTIFICATION OF HOST ENVIRONMENT (mandatory):

Refer to the evaluation criteria for the host environment (5.1) to be sure of including all necessary elements. The benefits of co-supervision must also be demonstrated, if applicable.

More specifically, the following documents must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form:

• DOCTORAL DIPLOMA OR OTHER OFFICIAL DOCUMENT (if applicable):

If the doctoral program has been completed, a copy of the applicant’s original doctoral diploma issued by the registrar’s office is required.

If the doctoral diploma has not yet been obtained, the applicant must include proof that the thesis has been successfully defended or proof of the final thesis submission.

If the thesis has not been defended, proof of the initial thesis submission* must be provided.

If the thesis has not been submitted at the time of application, no document is required.

* The document attesting to the initial thesis submission must be provided before the beginning of the fellowship.

• SUPPORTING DOCUMENT FOR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD EXCEPTION (if applicable):

Applicants seeking eligibility period exceptions in accordance with Section 3.2 above must provide an official document for each birth since the thesis submission or a medical certificate attesting to serious health reasons or disability.

Similarly, applicants seeking an exception to the host environment rule (see Section 3.5 above) must include the required supporting documents (medical certificate, certificate of disability, proof of tax credit for caregivers, etc.).

4.5 Submitting the application

At the competition deadline of October 12, 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.

An incomplete application that does not contain the information necessary to establish eligibility or which cannot be evaluated will be deemed ineligible by the Fonds. Applicants will not be notified of any information or documents missing from the application. No documents received after the competition deadline will be considered and applications cannot be updated after this deadline. No documents other than those required will be submitted to the evaluation committee.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all required documents have been included and transmitted.

As indicated in the CGR (Section 3.7), an acknowledgement of receipt confirms that the application has been transmitted to the Fonds.

4.6 Notice

All applications received by the Fonds are assessed for eligibility. A notice will be sent via email no later than December following the competition deadline, informing the applicant of the status of their application and, where applicable, its transmission to the evaluation committee. Applicants whose application package is deemed incomplete or invalid will be notified by email that their application has not been transmitted to the evaluation committee.

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria, sub-criteria and weighting:

The conditions governing funding decisions are specified in Section 4.5 of the CGR .

*Partial concurrent funding with a scholarship from a federal funding agency

Partial concurrent funding with a scholarship from a federal funding agency is possible when the scholarship from the Fonds is of a higher value or longer duration than the scholarship with which concurrent funding is prohibited. In such cases, the fellowship holder must accept the federal scholarship. However, the fellowship holder may also accept the scholarship from the Fonds to take advantage of additional benefits that are not covered by the federal scholarship, as applicable:

• When the value of the scholarship from the Fonds is higher than that of the other scholarship, the amount will be adjusted to make up for the shortfall.
• When the duration of the scholarship from the Fonds is longer than that of the other scholarship, the Fonds will extend the term of the scholarship to make up for the shortfall when the other scholarship ends, unless the total value of the other scholarship is equal to or higher than the total value of the scholarship from the Fonds.
• If the requirements governing the start date of the federal scholarship do not allow the first instalment to be paid as soon as the thesis is submitted, the scholarship holder may receive one instalment of the Fonds scholarship while waiting to meet the conditions for obtaining the first instalment of the federal scholarship. However, the federal scholarship cannot be delayed in order to benefit from this first instalment from the Fonds.
• All financial benefits associated with the Fonds scholarship will also be made available by the Fonds.

It is not possible to defer a payment or the start of a scholarship to receive another scholarship with which concurrent funding is prohibited.

Fellowship holders who receive payments in a situation in which concurrent funding is prohibited will be required to reimburse the sums paid.