PRISME-ART

1. Objectives

The PRISME program has the following objectives:

• Create a space conducive to the deployment of artistic mediation or creation by building on a mutually beneficial network of different research sectors;
• Innovate by decompartmentalizing disciplines and contribute to the democratization of all types of scientific results, works and performances, through all forms of artistic expression;
• Provide avenues for understanding, representation and discussion of complex concepts for a public unfamiliar with the scientific and artistic communities.

2. Characteristics

The grant is for a maximum of two years and a maximum of $50,000 per year. This grant is not renewable.

Indirect costs of research (FIR) of 27% are paid to the managing institution in addition to these amounts.

3. Eligibility

Only funding applications in research areas covered by the FRQNT and the FRQSC are eligible.

All research projects, principal investigators, research teams and participants must meet the eligibility requirements in effect in the program rules and the CGR at the time of submitting the funding application and throughout the funding period covered by the grant. A project, researcher, research team or participant who does not meet, or no longer meets, the eligibility requirements set out below is not, or is no longer, eligible. Applications that do not comply with the program rules or do not contain the information needed to determine eligibility or to be evaluated may be deemed ineligible.

3.1. Principal investigator (PI)

Under this program, an application must be co-led by two principal investigators (PIs), as follows:

• One researcher from a field covered by the FRQNT;
• One researcher from a field covered by the FRQSC.

The two PIs will have to determine who will be the co-leader with editing rights for the application form (PI1) and who will have only reading rights (PI2).

Both principal investigators must have Status 1 or 3 as defined in the CGR.

A researcher may be PI for only one project under the Prisme Program.

3.2. Co-investigator (CI)

A CI is a researcher with Status 1, 3, 4c or 4d as defined in the CGR

There is no limit to the number of CIs on an application.

It is possible to have the role of CI in several projects submitted or funded under this program. However, the relevance and feasibility of this type of multiple participation will be assessed by the evaluation committee.

A notice of the application’s transmission for evaluation or of its non-eligibility will be sent to the PI by email in December.

4. Application

Applicants will not be notified of any element missing from their application. Any documents received after the application deadline will not be considered and applications cannot be updated. Pages that exceed the maximum page limit will be removed. These rules will be strictly applied. An incomplete application will be deemed ineligible. See Section 3 of the CRG for instructions on completing and submitting an application. For applications written in English, the title and summary must be provided in both French and English.

A complete application includes the following documents:

The funding application form (FRQnet electronic Portfolio) including the following sections:

The principal investigator with the role of PI1 will have editing rights for this form, while the PI2 will have reading rights via the As a co-investigator section of his or her portfolio.

• Project description (4 pages maximum): Attach a text describing the project in relation to the evaluation criteria and sub-criteria (see Section 5.1).
• Bibliography (1 page maximum): Attach the references associated with the project description.
• Justification of expenditures (2 pages maximum): Attach a text explaining the eligible expenses (Section 8 of the CGR and Section 7 of the program rules) including the use of the teaching release or salary support for a PI1 and/or PI2 with Status 3, if applicable.
• Other documents:

Proof of partnership (2 pages per partner). Attach a letter of support from each user or partner community associated with the project, where applicable.

• List of suggested experts: The PIs must suggest 10 experts who will be able to assess the scientific and/or artistic merit of the project (see the FAQ for details). The experts must have no current or recent (five years or less) collaborative relationship with the PIs or, where applicable, other members of the research team (see Section 4.2 of the CGR for examples).

Canadian Common CV and list of detailed contributions

The Canadian Common CV, including the PDF file of detailed contributions, must be attached in the FRQnet electronic Portfolio for PI1 and PI2.

The detailed contributions should cover the last 5 years (as of November 2017) in the format of the Fonds corresponding to the research field. The Canadian Common CV and detailed contributions must have been updated since June 2021.

Abridged CV (2 pages) for all CIs (Status 1, 3, 4c, 4d).

Only the abridged CV template, available in the program Toolbox, will be accepted.

5. Evaluation

5.1 Evaluation criteria

The evaluation committee will use the Application scoring guidelines.

Funding applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

Criterion 1. Project (45 pts)

• Originality and artistic merit of the proposal;
• Scientific potential and advancement of knowledge;
• Level of intersectoral integration (FRQNT-FRQSC), including joint design and development of the proposal;
• Feasibility of the project and realism of the timeline;
• Potential contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including EDI principles.

Criterion 2. Team (30 pts)

The following sub-criteria are to be addressed by relating them to the needs of the project

• Skills, leadership and relevant achievements—particularly in dissemination—of the NT-SC co-leaders;
• Complementarity, role and degree of involvement of the expertise present on the team.

Criterion 3. Democratization of knowledge (25 pts) 

• Capacity of the project to reach the target audiences with suitable strategies;
• Anticipated impacts in the target research areas;
• Scope of outreach (at regional and provincial, and even national or international, levels) and sustainability of the project.

An application must receive an evaluation score of 70% or higher to be recommended for funding.

5.2 Evaluation process

As indicated in Section 4 of the CGR, the Fonds receive funding applications, check their eligibility and submit them for scientific evaluation by committees whose members are recognized for their skills, expertise and achievements relating to the program objectives and the applications submitted. This evaluation is carried out in two stages: by a multidisciplinary evaluation committee and through an interview.

5.2.1 Evaluation by multidisciplinary evaluation committee

Funding applications are evaluated by a multidisciplinary evaluation committee. Each application is evaluated by three members of the evaluation committee with, as far as possible, one person from each research sector (FRQNT and FRQSC) and one person with a combined artistic and scientific background. The eight top-ranked applications are invited to move on to the interview stage.

5.2.2 Evaluation by interview

The eight teams will be asked to present their proposals to the interview committee, which will select four applications for funding. The principal investigators will receive a guide to prepare for the interview.

Interviews will take place virtually on March 23 and 24, 2023.

The conditions governing funding decisions are defined in Sections 4.4 and 4.5 of the CGR.

6. Expenses

The grant must be used exclusively for funding operating expenses directly related to the realization of the research project.

All budget items listed in the CGR (Section 8) are eligible. Specific details for this program are described below.

Persons whose salaries are paid out of the regular budget of a government-funded institution or any other government agency 

Except for the specific case of college researchers (Status 3), Fonds grants must not be used to pay salaries or salary supplements to the PI, CIs or persons whose salaries are paid out of the regular budget of a government-funded institution such as a university, a government department or its institutions, or any other government agency. See the CGR for more details.

Salary support for eligible Status 3 CCTT researchers with no teaching duties

Part of the grant may be used as salary support for project co-leaders (PI1 and/or PI2) who are college researcher with no teaching duties. This amount is paid directly to the college, or to the college with which the CCTT is affiliated in the case of a CCTT researcher.

SUPPLEMENT for teaching release for eligible Status 3 researchers with teaching duties

For each project co-leader (PI1 and/or PI2) who is a college researcher with teaching duties, a maximum additional amount of up to $16,000/year will be paid directly to the college to cover the portion of the salary dedicated to the release from teaching duties. This amount may be used as partial compensation for the researcher’s salary or to ensure that the researcher’s teaching duties are performed by another college faculty member.

Status 3 CIs may receive a teaching release or salary support of $10,000 from the operating grant.

Maternity BONUS for female students in FRQNT areas of research

This measure aims to encourage the retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where they have historically been underrepresented.

A female student enrolled in a Québec postsecondary institution who receives a scholarship (not in the form of a salary) funded by a grant under this program may receive a maternity bonus paid by the FRQNT for a period of up to eight months for the birth or adoption of a child. To be eligible, the student must have been receiving her scholarship under the FRQNT grant for at least six months. In addition, she may not hold an award from another granting agency and may not receive benefits from the Québec Parental Insurance Plan.

To obtain the maternity bonus, the student must send an email request to the program administrator at the FRQNT and provide a copy of a medical certificate attesting to the pregnancy and, when the time comes, the child’s birth certificate or proof of the child’s adoption, and proof of interruption of enrolment at the Québec postsecondary institution. In addition, a copy of the student’s scholarship contract must be provided. The maternity bonus may begin up to eight months before the birth or adoption of the child. The FRQNT will transfer the student’s maternity bonus to the postsecondary institution upon receipt of the required documents.

The maternity bonus is authorized by the FRQNT provided that the postsecondary institution allows parental leave. The principal investigator of the grant undertakes to resume supervision of the student after her absence. The FRQNT reserves the right to reject any request that is not adequately justified.

7. Management and follow-up

See Sections 5 to 7 of the CGR.

Grants are awarded for a maximum of 2 years. Grants are disbursed annually for the period from April 1 to March 31 of each year.

The unspent balance remaining at the end of the grant period may be carried forward for an additional period of one year only, subject to Section 6.10 of the CGR.

Final report

The final report is administrative in nature and allows the FRQNT to document the impact of the grants it offers. The PI must complete and submit the final report, which is available in his/her FRQnet electronic Portfolio, no later than 6 months after the submission of the last financial report.

If the final report is not submitted within the time prescribed by the Fonds, or the report is not to the satisfaction of the Fonds, the funding holder is not eligible to receive new funding from any of the three Fonds or may have his/her payments suspended until the situation has been remedied.

8. Open access policy

Peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research made possible by this grant must be released as immediate open access (without embargo), under an open license, in accordance with the FRQ Open Access Policy (revised in 2022).

9. Effective date

These rules apply to the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

10. Person to contact