FRQSC – Research Support for New Academics (NP) 2026-2027

4.1 STEP 1: PRE-APPLICATION

The main purpose of the pre-application, which will not be assessed to determine the eligibility of the application or the scientific quality of the proposed research project, is to provide the information required to assemble the peer committee that will assess the grant application. At this stage, applicants are invited to indicate the disciplinary committee(s) that best correspond to their research topic (see the list here). Evaluation committees, which may be disciplinary or multidisciplinary, are formed after the competition closing date according to the funding applications received. The Fonds reserves the right to consider various factors – discipline(s), research area(s), research topic(s), field(s) of application, etc. – when assigning applications to the various committees.

The pre-application form, available under “Available competitions” in the FRQnet E-portfolio, must be submitted before 4 p.m. on August 7, 2025. At any time, applicants can verify in their FRQnet E-portfolio that their application has been successfully transmitted to the Fonds. The pre-application in “My forms” will be flagged as “Submitted to the Fonds” once it has been transmitted.

REMINDER: At this stage of the application process, approval of the managing institution is not required.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the pre-application is duly completed and submitted within the prescribed time. The applicant must also ensure that, at the competition deadline, the pre-application form has the status “Submitted to the Fonds”. A pre-application that does not satisfy these requirements will not be considered.

4.2 STEP 2: FUNDING APPLICATION

The funding application form will be available in the FRQnet electronic Portfolio under “Available competitions” as of August 8, 2025. Only those applicants who have duly completed and submitted a pre-application form by the prescribed deadline will have access to this form.

At the competition deadline of September 18, 2025 at 4:00 p.m., the status of the application in the FRQnet system must be “Submitted to institution” or “Submitted to the Fonds” and all required documents must be attached to the form.

NEW CV FORMAT: The applicant must attach the FRQ descriptive curriculum vitae (CV) to the application form, using the FRQ-CV template and completing it in accordance with the FRQ Descriptive CV Instructions and the Presentation Standards for Attached Files (PDF) for FRQnet forms. All of these documents are available on the “CV-FRQ” page.

The information provided in this descriptive CV must align with the objectives of the program and its evaluation criteria. Accordingly, it is recommended that the information be clearly structured into subsections corresponding to the relevant criteria or sub-criteria in order to highlight elements that are pertinent to the evaluation.

In addition, the following documents must be scanned individually in PDF format, identified with the name of the researcher and attached to the form at the place indicated:

• A description of the research project – see the corresponding criterion in Section 5 of these rules (maximum 6 pages);
• A bibliography (maximum 2 pages);
• A justification of planned expenditures (maximum 1 page);
• A letter from the appropriate university authorities stating that the applicant qualifies or will qualify for the status of university researcher, remunerated as per Definition i) (CGR, Definitions – Status and Roles) by June 1st, 2026. The letter must specify the hiring date, the type of position held, and, for a grant-funded position, attest that the applicant will be employed by the institution for the entire duration of the funding. The employment start and end dates for previously-held tenure-track regular professor or contract research professor positions at other universities must also be listed, if applicable. Applicants who do not yet meet the status of university researcher, as defined in section i) of the CGR, at the competition deadline must also provide, if awarded funding, a letter issued by the appropriate authorities of their institution confirming that this eligibility requirement was met within the prescribed timeframe;
• If the applicant has not obtained his or her doctoral degree by the competition closing date, a letter from the appropriate university authorities confirming that the thesis will be defended or that the doctoral degree is expected to be obtained no later than June 1st, 2026. If funding is awarded, the applicant must also provide a letter issued by the appropriate authorities of their institution confirming that this eligibility condition was met within the prescribed timeframe;
• In the case of a request for an eligibility period extension, official document or documents attesting to the nature and duration of the leave or the specific situation mentioned. Applicants who wish to extend their eligibility period but prefer, for personal reasons, not to attach one or more confidential documents to their application form may request accommodation. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the program manager in this regard, sufficiently in advance of the competition deadline to enable a secure transmission process to be put in place. In all cases, these documents are not sent to the evaluation committee;
• If applicable, the necessary authorizations providing access to data or letters from partners attesting to partnership agreements;
• If applicable, a document specifying the other sources of funding already obtained to carry out the project and explaining how the various sources of funding are complementary.

Please refer to the FRQNet Application Presentation Standards document to properly format the documents to be attached to the application. For further details on completing and submitting applications, please refer to Section 3.2 of the CGR.

Applicants are advised to give equal importance to the criteria and their associated sub-criteria. Given the diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise of evaluation committee members, applicants are encouraged to present all documents submitted for evaluation in a manner that facilitates understanding.

The role of the evaluation committees and the conditions governing funding decisions are outlined in the CGR (Articles 4.4 and 4.5).