Master’s Training

To be eligible to apply, applicants must : 

• Hold an undergraduate degree

• be enrolled in a Québec university for at least two full-time trimesters (or equivalent) among the three trimesters preceding the competition deadline
  OR
  have a valid Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (Québec Health Insurance Plan) (RAMQ) card or proof of eligibility for the RAMQ (see section 2.1 of the Common General Rules).

Health professionals with a valid licence to practice in Québec should apply to one of the following award programs:

• Master’s Training for Applicants with a Professional Degree in Human Health (see program rules)

• Professional Postgraduate Training in Research (Fellowship) (see program rules)

• Must be enrolled in a full-time research master’s program no later than January 15^th, 2021 and whose research project is directly concerned with human health.

Master’s awards are intended for applicants who have been enrolled in a master’s research program, for one year or less (three terms or less) as of April 30^th, 2020.

The number of enrolment terms is calculated from the first application date to a master’s program related to human health research

Individuals who enroll directly in a doctoral research program after their undergraduate degree or after a professional master’s program and individuals who are taking an accelerated path into a doctoral research program without having received a master’s diploma must first apply to the master’s research award if they are eligible.

• To be considered as “a research program,” the master’s program must consist of a minimum of 18 credits dedicated to research and lead to the writing of a Master’s thesis.

• At the time of applying, the applicant must have earned a grade point average (not rounded) of at least B+, or the equivalent, in a university undergraduate program.

Only the grades for the diploma that is used for the applicant’s admission to the master’s program will be considered.

• Individuals must be supervised by a university researcher or clinical university researcher (as defined in the Definitions section of the Common General Rules).

If the candidate’s supervisor is located outside of Québec, that person should still meet the criteria of university researcher or clinical university researcher in terms of university affiliation and autonomy (see the definition section of the Common General Rules)

• Individuals enrolling in a post-master’s qualification program in France (Diplôme d’études approfondies, D.E.A. or the equivalent) must apply for master’s award.

To use a training award outside Québec, you must have :

• a valid RAMQ card or proof of eligibility for the RAMQ
  AND
  Canadian citizenship at the time the application is submitted.

People who do not have a valid RAMQ card or a proof of eligibility for the RAMQ, as well as those who are not Canadian citizens at the time the application is submitted, must do their training in Québec (see section 2.1 of the Common General Rules).

• Students who suspended their master’s studies to take parental leave or because of serious illness or major family obligations may defer their eligibility period for up to one year.

• If the student is a person with disabilities in accordance with the Act ensuring handicapped persons their rights for academic, professional and social integration (L.R.C. chapter E-20-1), the rules pertaining to program registration do not apply.

• Professional master’s and doctoral programs are not eligible

• For a program in psychology, consult the document Eligibility of programs in psychology for FRQS training awards to check its eligibility.

•  An individual who already holds a research master’s degree in the field of human health is not eligible to submit an application in this program.

• Students who receive a master award in the regular competition and who are subsequently accepted into a Doctor in Medicine program with the agreement of their supervisor, are eligible for the first year of funding only. To obtain the second year of funding, they will have to apply to the MD-MSc program.

• An individual who has received financial support from a recognized funding agency (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, FRQNT, FRQS, FRQSC, etc.) over a period totaling six years (or 18 terms) cannot submit an application to the FRQS to undertake or pursue a master’s program (see section 6.1 of the Common General Rules).

Basic research ethics training is compulsory for all FRQS awardees conducting research projects that involve human beings.

Research on human beings involves :

• Participation of human beings
• Use of human biological materials (parts, products, tissue, cells, genetic materials, derived from a living or dead individual)
• Assisted procreation activities or the use of human embryos derived therefrom, within the meaning of the Act respecting clinical and research activities relating to assisted procreation (CQLR c. A-5.01)
• The use of administrative, scientific or descriptive data from human participants

Awardees must therefore successfully complete levels 1 and 3 of the Online Tutorial in Research Ethics developed by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.

This training must be completed in the year following the receipt of a confirmation from the FRQS that the award was granted.

The FRQS encourages awardees to follow a one-credit research ethics training course in addition to the compulsory basic research ethics training, whenever possible.

Documents sent via mail or e-mail will not be accepted

Letters of recommendation will not be accepted

Transmission via the FRQS electronic Portfolio only

• Canadian Common CV ,  Funding CV version, for the FRQS (updated since June 2018)

• Detailed contributions updated since June 2018 (attachment required through the FRQS Electronic Portfolio on the Canadian Common CV page),  consult the document entitled Guidelines for the CV attachment in the Toolbox

• Electronic application form : Formation de maîtrise/ Master’s training
  PDF version – for information

• A copy of a valid Quebec health insurance card OR evidence of eligibility to the RAMQ (official RAMQ document before the issuance of the card) (crucial for eligibility)
  • If the RAMQ card or a proof of eligibility to the RAMQ is not provided, please include a proof of registration at a Québec university for the fall trimester (crucial for eligibility)

• Form to calculate the number of training program sessions (calcul du nombre de sessions au programme de formation) available in the FRQS Electronic Portfolio, menu Documents and in the toolbox (crucial for eligibility)

• Copies of official academic transcripts (the unofficial electronic version is not accepted) for all years of university courses completed or not (crucial for eligibility and evaluation)

  • For a current program of study, the transcript must be the most recent. 

  • Academic transcripts must be complete and include grading scales (at the back of the transcript), for candidates from Québec as well as for candidates outside of Québec.

  • For transcripts from institutions located outside North America, the applicant must include a note explaining the institution’s marking system.

  • If no transcript is issued by the institution where the studies are pursued, an explanatory letter must be attached to the application.

• Acknowledgements from publishers for articles submitted and accepted for publication

• Canadian Common CV, Funding CV version, for the FRQS (updated since June 2018);

• Detailed contributions updated since June 2018 (attachment required through the FRQS Electronic Portfolio on the Canadian Common CV page), consult the document entitled Guidelines for the CV attachment in the Toolbox

• Supervisor’s (and if applicable, co-supervisor’s) electronic form
  PDF version – for information

For candidates pursuing their training in Québec : the university will have to confirm that the awardee is officially registered.

For candidates pursuing their training outside Québec : the awardee must provide an official proof of registration at the university.

To start the second year of the award, the awardee will have to provide:

• a confirmation from the supervisor indicating that the student is still under his/her supervision (by email)

• ethics training certificates (levels 1 and 3) , if applicable (by email in a single PDF document)

May 2020 (Summer term), September 2020 (Fall term) or January 2021 (Winter term), according to the starting date of the study program.

If the study program is already in progress in May 2020, the award should begin in May 2020, with some exceptions.

2 years or until the completion of the awardee’s master’s studies (final submission of the thesis), whichever the earliest

Use of remaining installment:

Individuals who have finished their Master’s degree without having used all of the installments allotted for that purpose can receive one installment to start a doctoral program, as long as they start the following term, that this installment be made within the same timeframe as the initial award and that the eligibility requirements are respected.

This situation does not apply if a doctoral award has been offered to the individuals.

Accelerated path to a doctorate:

Individuals who received a Master’s award and would like to continue onto doctoral studies without obtaining a Master’s diploma can receive the installments that were not used during their Master’s award to start a doctoral program, as long as the program starts the following term and that the eligibility requirements are respected. These installments must be claimed within the same timeframe as the initial award. Individuals must have received at least one installment of their Master’s.

The candidate fast tracking to a doctorate without having started his or her master’s scholarship is entitled to a maximum of one year master’s scholarship (3 terms) up the stipulated amount for a master degree, as a transitional measure, as long as the eligibility requirements are respected.

These situations do not apply if a doctoral award has been offered to the individuals.

The awardee may benefit from an award payment deferral during parental leave (maternity, paternity or adoption) for a maximum period of 12 months as described in section 6.13 of the Common General Rules.

Awardees must fill out the Award payment deferral form, accompanied by the documents supporting the leave, to inform the FRQS of their intention to receive a supplement to their award for a parental leave.

The FRQS reserves the right to reject any request that is not properly justified.

The FRQS reserves the right to reject any request that is not properly justified.

Deferrals with the goal of acquiring relevant experience can be consecutive if they are approved by the research supervisor.

To benefit from this measure, the award holder must submit a request to the FRQS by filling out the Award payment deferral form (Report de versement de bourse). Furthermore, the research supervisor should provide a letter confirming his or her agreement and the relevance of the paid activities that are involved.

The FRQS reserves the right to reject any request that is not properly justified or relevant.

Caregiver or Parent

This measure applies only to the award holder who acts as the caregiver for a close family member or for a person that is the main care provider for a young child.

During the terms that will be part-time, the awardee will receive 50 % of the value of the regular award installments.

The awardee will need to fill out the Part-time studies form and provide the following documents :

• a proof of part-time studies at the University
• a letter of support from the research supervisor
• a copy of the medical certificate (for caregiver) or the birth certificate or certificate of adoption of a child (parent)

If applicable, this can be cumulated with the benefits paid by the Parental Insurance Plan.

Person with disabilities

This measure applies only to a person with disabilities in accordance with the Act ensuring handicapped persons their rights for academic, professional and social integration (L.R.C. chapter E-20-1)

During the terms that will be part-time, the awardee will receive the full value of the regular award installments as long as the University authorizes the part-time studies of the individual.

The awardee will need to fill out the Part-time studies form and provide the following documents :

• a proof of part-time studies from the University
• a letter of support from the research supervisor
• a medical certificate confirming the condition

* except in some cases (see section on Awards offered in partnership)

The award will be paid to the awardee by installments. Three installments per year will be made at the end of May, end of September, and end of January.

Installments are conditional upon receipt of all required documents.

Failing to receive all the required documents within two months after the start of the trimester and no postponement has been requested, the FRQS cancels the installment of the current trimester. The FRQS terminates the scholarship if the installments have to be canceled for two consecutive trimesters due to missing documents.

The awardee is responsible for paying the income tax due on the amounts received from the FRQS. The FRQS does not make any deductions on the amounts disbursed during the taxation year.

The payment date determines the year in which the awardee must declare the amounts received as income for personal tax calculations.

Revenue Canada’s T4A form and Revenue Québec’s Relevé 1 will be sent to the awardee’s mailing address (the one specified in the module My funding (Gérer mon financement) in the FRQS Electronic Portfolio) in February of the following year of taxation.

The details provided in this program rules are for information purposes only. The FRQS is not responsible for the validity of any income tax information.

This program does not benefit from the amount paid out by FRQS to cover indirect costs of research of the institutions.

Awardees may accept a teaching load of 45 hours per session or a position that does not involve more than 225 hours of remunerated work per term, provided the research supervisor is in agreement and that the work does not interfere with their research activities.

Additional funding

An awardee may accept additional funds from the institution or his/her research supervisor.

It is the responsibility of the FRQS award holder to check whether concurrent scholarships are allowed by the institution or the research supervisor.

• Awardees who obtained an award from another public agency or a foundation recognized by the FRQS must notify the FRQS and decline the FRQS funding as soon as the award is offered, except in the case of the supplement given by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST).
• Holders of a FRQS award having applied for and obtained a scholarship for a higher cycle from one of the three Fonds de recherche du Québec are free to determine when they want to start their higher-level scholarship (applicable in cases of direct transfer to a doctoral program without going through a master’s program).

However, if the amount of the other award is lower than the one given by the FRQS, the awardee is eligible to receive the difference.

Holding an FRQS training award concurrently with a research internship to be done in another organization and that is not part of the training program of the awardee, is allowed under certain conditions.

For internships of $ 5,000 or less, awardees must notify the FRQS by email before the beginning of the internship.

For internships of $ 5,000 and more, awardees must ask the FRQS for authorization by completing the Internship authorization form  (see Toolbox) before the internship begins. If the internship is approved, it will be allowed either to 1) combine the training award and internships amounts or 2) defer the amount of the FRQS award for a period equal to the duration of the internship or a maximum of 6 months.

The FRQS offers a number of awards in collaboration with partners. The share of funding from the FRQS and the partner may vary according to the agreements in effect.

Eligible applicants are selected through a three-step process:

1. The applicant selects, in the Partnership [Partenariat] section of the application form, one or more partners whose targeted research areas correspond to the theme of their application.

2. The FRQS sends to the partners a list of candidates and useful information for them to assess the relevance of the request according to their research priorities and strategy.

3. After evaluation of the applications by a committee of experts or peers, applications having obtained the scientific excellence rating of 70 % and which have been deemed relevant by one or more partners, may receive a partnership award offer.

As with all the awards offered by FRQS, the awards granted in partnership are based on merit following a scientific evaluation by a committee of experts or peers. 

Note that by choosing to be considered for an award in partnership, and that you obtain such an award, you agree that the partner communicates with you for activities related to the award.

Training awards in the Pediatric research field, primarily in the area of early childhood diseases.

Fondation Antoine-Turmel

Training Awards in the Macular Degeneration research field.  Priority will be given to doctoral and postdoctoral training.

Training Awards in the Multiple Sclerosis research field.  All candidates must also submit an application to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.  Amount of the M.Sc. award: $20,000 per year.

Parkinson Québec

Training Awards in the Parkinson’s Disease research field. Amount of the M.Sc. award: $20,000 per year.

Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec (SPOR Support Unit in Québec)

The Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) in Quebec is to engage the various stakeholders involved, including patients, caregivers and the public, in the development and delivery of patient-oriented research projects (POR). The SPOR Support Unit in Quebec contributes to capacity building and professional development in POR of these stakeholders. The awards offered in partnership with the Unit allow award recipients to hone their skills and develop or consolidate valued expertise in POR, and to expand their network of collaborators and mentors in this area.

Priority themes: primary care, proximity care, integration of care and service trajectories.