Programs of scholarships of 2nd and 3rd cycles

1. Objectives

The purpose of Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) scholarship programs is to foster student interest in research and to financially assist the best candidates in undertaking or continuing a Master’s or Doctoral’s program in natural science, mathematics or engineering research.

2. Clientele

Master’s (B1X) and Doctoral (B2X) research scholarships are intended for candidates who wish to undertake or continue a graduate university program.

Scholarships for re-entering the research community are intended for candidates who have had an undergraduate or Master’s degree for at least five years and who wish to re-enter the research community through Master’s level or Doctoral studies.

3. Eligibility conditions

Candidates must meet eligibility conditions as of the deadline for submitting applications.

Citizenship and place of domicile

To be eligible for a master’s or doctoral research scholarship, candidates must have been enrolled at a Québec university on a full-time basis (or equivalent) for 2 of the 3 academic sessions prior to the competition deadline, OR have a valid Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) card or proof of eligibility for RAMQ.

To use a training award for studies outside Québec, the candidate must have a valid RAMQ card or proof of eligibility for RAMQ AND be a Canadian citizen at the time of application.

Candidates who do not have a valid RAMQ card or proof of eligibility for RAMQ, or who are not Canadian citizens at the time of application, must pursue their studies in Québec. Their continuous physical presence in Québec is required throughout the duration of funding, apart from break periods listed in the university calendar.

Candidates who become FRQNT scholarship holders must meet their requirements relative to citizenship and place of domicile for the duration of the scholarship.

Minimum cumulative average

Candidates for a Master’s scholarship must have an average equal or superior to 3.55 or the equivalent for their undergraduate degree. Candidates whose average is less than the minimum cumulative average are not eligible.

In the case of candidates who are changing careers, grades from degrees unrelated to the program of study for which the scholarship is being sought are not considered. However, a degree used as the basis for admission to a Master’s or Doctoral program is deemed to be relevant. Transcripts for these grades must be enclosed with the file.

Restrictions

It should be noted that:

• Candidates cannot apply for the scholarship for preparatory studies.
• Candidates with Ph.D.s are not eligible for a Master’s scholarship.
• Candidates who have already received financial assistance from a recognized funding agency, (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, les Fonds de recherche du Québec, etc.) over a period totaling six years (18 sessions) cannot apply for the current competition for starting or continuing a Master’s or Doctoral program.
• Students may hold an award or scholarship from only one Fonds.

Eligibility period

The rules governing scholarship eligibility periods take into account sessions (Master’s and Doctoral level) completed before May 1^st, 2020 whether funded or not.

The Fonds considers part-time or unregistered sessions in calculating the eligibility period, provided the registrar’s attestations are enclosed with the candidate’s file. Candidates must verify whether they are eligible for the competition by consulting the equivalency table for terms taken or a non-registered or part-time basis (Tableau des équivalences pour les sessions sans inscription ou effectuées à temps partiel).

To determine the funding period for the Master’s or Doctoral level, the Fonds takes also into account the number of sessions during which the candidate received financial assistance from all recognized funding agencies so that total funding does not exceed 15 sessions.

Master’s scholarship eligibility period

A candidate is eligible for the Master’s research scholarships competition during the first six sessions of his/her Master’s degree (or the equivalent). The sessions completed in a Master’s program (or the equivalent) prior to the effective date of the scholarship will be deducted from the duration of the funding. No funding will be ranted after a student’s sixth session in a Master’s program.

Scholarship holders who go on to the Doctoral level without having used all the instalments of their Master’s scholarship can use them to begin their Doctoral program. However, they have to successfully compete in the Doctoral scholarship competition in order to receive the subsequent nine scholarship instalments.

Qualifying period for students who proceed directly from a Bachelor’s to a Doctoral program and for students who fast-track from a Master’s into a Doctoral program

A candidate admitted into a Doctoral program from a bachelor’s program and one who fast-tracks into a Doctoral program without writing a thesis is eligible for the Master’s research scholarships (B1X) during the first six sessions of his graduate studies program. As a result, these first six study sessions can only be funded by a master’s scholarship. In this case, the value of the Master’s scholarship will be increased to be of the same value as the Doctoral scholarship. A candidate must apply to the PhD scholarships competition (B2X) to fund subsequent sessions. The sessions completed in a program prior to the effective date of the scholarship will be deducted from the duration of the funding. No funding will be granted after a candidate’s sixth (B1X) or fifteenth session (B2X).

The choice of scholarship (Master’s and/or Doctorate) is the responsibility of the candidate. No changes can be made after the competition closing date.

A candidate who holds a Master’s degree when beginning his/her Doctoral studies must apply to the Doctoral scholarships competition.

Doctoral scholarship eligibility period

A candidate is eligible for a Doctoral research scholarship for twelve (12) consecutive sessions of Doctoral studies (or the equivalent) during the first fifteen (15) sessions of the Doctoral program. However, the eleventh (11th) and twelfth (12th) sessions of funding are contingent on the submission of the Doctoral thesis before the end of the twelfth session of funding.  In all cases, no funding will be granted after the student’s fifteenth (15th) session in a Doctoral program.

A scholarship recipient beginning his/her post Doctoral research and who has not used his/her entire scholarship may transfer the payments in order to start his/her post Doctoral research.

Exceptions in calculating the eligibility period

The only exception to the rules governing the eligibility period for scholarships concerns circumstances beyond the candidate’s control, such as a serious illness that forces students to suspend their studies. Supporting documents must be enclosed with the application. Exceptions cannot be made to justify cumulative averages of less than the minimum cumulative average for Master’s scholarship (B1X competition) applications.

Candidates who interrupt their studies for maternity or parental leave can request an extension of their eligibility period for a maximum of 12 months per leave.

When the student is a person with a disability as stipulated in the Act to secure the handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration (L.R.Q. chapt. E-20.1), the rules pertaining to the eligibility period do not apply. The duration of the scholarship is two years at the Master’s level and three years at the Doctoral level. Documents must be then passed on with the demand.

The Fonds may refuse any request not adequately justified.

Place where scholarship is used

To use a training award for studies outside Québec, the candidate must be a Canadian citizen and have a valid RAMQ card or proof of eligibility for RAMQ at the time of application as set out in Section 3 of these rules.

Choosing an evaluation committee

Candidates must choose their evaluation committee, based on their research subject. Other factors are the candidate field of study, program and degree. Once granted, the scholarship cannot be used for research on a subject in a field not covered by the committee that evaluated the application.

A candidate who chooses the multidisciplinary committee (14) must attach a one-page document to the form, in the section “Autres documents”, explaining the multidisciplinary aspect of the program of study.

The candidate is responsible for choosing his/her evaluation committee. No changes can be made after the competition closing date.

Paid leave

Candidates who are on a sabbatical or study leave with remuneration that exceeds 50% of their regular salary are not eligible. However, those receiving deferred remuneration are not subject to this restriction.

Additional eligibility conditions for candidates re-entering the research community (A2X)

At the deadline for submitting applications, candidates for a scholarship for re-entering the research community (A2) must have had an undergraduate or graduate degree for at least five years and not have been subsequently enrolled in a university program. However, candidates may register for their first study session on the date they apply.

Rules governing the duration of Master’s and Doctoral funding for scholarships for re-entering the research community are the same as those for regular Fonds programs (B1X-B2X).

4. Submitting applications

Applicants may not submit simultaneous applications for a Masters research scholarship (B1X) and a Re-entering the research community scholarship (A2X);

Applicants may not submit simultaneous applications for a Doctoral research scholarship (B2X) and a Re-entering the research community scholarship (A2X).

A candidate may submit simultaneous applications for a Master’s scholarship and a Doctoral scholarship if, during the allotted period for beginning to use the scholarship (see Section 8), the Master’s scholarship eligibility period ends and the Doctoral scholarship eligibility period begins.

Contents of a file

E-forms

The candidate must create a user account in order to complete the scholarship application form.

The application form you are required to complete and send electronically before the closing dateis available only on the FRQNT Web site.  Keep a printed copy of the form for your files.

A candidate who chooses the multidisciplinary committee (14) must attach a one-page document to the form, in the section “Autres documents”, explaining the multidisciplinary aspect of the program of study.

Forms may be completed in English or French. Candidates who submit the form in English must provide a French title for their project.

Presentation standards

With the exception of the documents attached in the “Autres documents” section, all files attached to the application must meet the following presentation standards:

• Pages must be 8½” x 11″ (216 mm x 279 mm) and converted to PDF format. The file must not be password protected;
• Pages must be single-spaced with no more than 6 lines per inch;
• All text must be in 12 pt Times New Roman font for Microsoft Office or Open Office users, or 12 pt Nimbus Roman font for LaTeX users;
• Narrow fonts are not permitted;
• Margins must be set at a minimum of 1.9 cm (¾”);
• Identification of pages:
  • Top right corner: candidate’s last name and first name;
  • Top left corner: TITLE OF THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT;
  • Bottom centre: page numbers (1, 2, … , 10);

The maximum number of pages varies according to document type and is specified in the form. No additional pages will be transmitted to the evaluation committee.

Required documents

The required documents must be transmitted electronically in the appropriate sections of the application form. Any illegible or low-resolution documents will be rejected.

Candidates must ensure that their application includes all the required documents so that the application file is considered acceptable.

Candidates must supply the following documents:

• A copy of official transcripts of marks (any non official electronic version will not be accepted) for all university studies, completed or not (certificate, degree, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph. D., etc). When equivalences are granted for courses taken at other institutions or in previous programs, transcripts for these grades must be enclosed with the file, including collegial transcripts. For transcripts from outside Canada or United States, candidates must enclose a letter explaining the grading system used by the institution in question. The Fonds de recherche reserves the right to verify with institutions the authenticity of any information given by applicants.FRQNT considers transcripts issued by the Registrar’s Office to the applicants to be official transcripts. Opening the envelope to scan the transcripts will not render it unofficial for FRQNT purposes;
• A candidate who was not enrolled in a Québec university for at least two of the three sessions prior to the competition deadline must provide a photocopy of a valid Québec health insurance card or other official document from the Régie de l’assurance maladie (RAMQ) confirming residency status in Québec under the meaning of the Québec health Insurance Act. If such a document is not available, the candidate must provide a letter addressed to the eligibility committee explaining the reasons, accompanied by proof that a replacement card has been requested from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec or that another official document is provided;
• A candidate who is a Canadian citizen and who wishes, or may wish, to use a training award to undertake studies outside Québec must provide a photocopy of a valid Québec health insurance card or other official document from the Régie de l’assurance maladie (RAMQ) confirming residency status in Québec under the meaning of the Québec health Insurance Act. If such a document is not available, the candidate must provide a letter addressed to the eligibility committee explaining the reasons, accompanied by proof that a replacement card has been requested from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec or that another official document is provided;

• Acknowledgements of receipt from the editor for all articles submitted and notices received from editors for articles accepted for publication (Acknowledgements of receipt for articles already published are not sent to the evaluation committee);

Additional document for candidates who studied part-time for at least one session since the date they first enrolled for graduate studies:

• An attestation from the registrar’s office identifying part-time or unregistered sessions, where applicable;

Additional documents for candidates wishing to be considered for exemptions regarding the eligibility period:

• Official attestation of interrupted enrolment and, where applicable, a medical certificate indicating the duration of and the reason for the interruption.
• For the eligibility extension for parental leave, a copy of the child’s birth certificate or adoption certificate.

Only the e-form for the 2019-2020 financial year and the other documents required are accepted. No attached material or documents other than those required are forwarded to the evaluation committee. Files cannot be updated after the closing date for applications. You may, however, update any contact information (address, phone number and e-mail address)

The FRQNT reserves the right to verify with institutions concerned the authenticity of any documents and information provided with the application. Additional documents may be required.

Documents submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Procedure for submitting required documents

Candidates must submit the required documents in the appropriate sections of the application form before the competition deadline. No reminder will be made and no documents can be added after the competition deadline.

Important: incomplete files will not be accepted.

Eligibility of applications

The program administrator and members of the evaluation committees verify the eligibility of each application according to the requirements set out in the program rules.

Acknowledgement of receipt

You will receive a preliminary decision regarding the eligibility of your application by e-mail in December at the latest. Candidates who have not received this notification should contact the program administrator before December 15.

5. Evaluation of applications

Evaluation criteria

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria and weighting:

Evaluation procedure

Role of evaluation committees

Eligible applications are submitted to evaluation committees composed of three or four members, mostly university professionals and, occasionally, government and private enterprise representatives.

The evaluation committees compare the candidacies submitted according to the evaluation criteria in effect.

The evaluation committees are responsible for ranking all of the applications on merit.

Role of Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is advised by the evaluation committees and, being the only body with an overall view of the work of peer committees, makes funding decisions, thereby exercising its role as an administrator of public funds to the best of its knowledge. The Board is accountable for its decisions to the Government of Quebec.

Role of program administrators

FRQNT program administrators are responsible for ensuring that the committees comply with the evaluation criteria, the rules in effect, and standard rules of ethics

6. Awarding of scholarships and annoucement of results

Awarding of scholarship

Candidates are evaluated and ranked on merit by the evaluation committees. For each committee or group, scholarships are offered according to the available budget. When allocating its budget, the FRQNT reserves the right to change its scholarships in keeping with the objectives chosen by the Board of Directors.

Announcement of results

By the end of April, the FRQNT transmits its decision to candidates through their e-file. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their address is updated. Candidates are informed of the classification of their file and may then print the letter of decision.

Contacting members of the committees, who are subject to rules of confidentiality, is strictly prohibited.

The decisions of the Board of Directors are final and cannot be appealed. There is no appeal process.

After receiving your scholarship notification, you have 30 calendar days to signify your acceptance or rejection by completing the “Gérer mon financement” form. After this deadline, candidates are deemed to have declined the scholarship.

7. Rules for using scholarships

The scholarship holders have to conform to all the rules described in detail in the Guide for scholarship holders.

To use a training award for studies outside Québec, the scholarship holder must be a Canadian citizen and have a valid RAMQ card or proof of eligibility for RAMQ at the time of application as set out in Section 3 of these rules.

The scholarship period must begin between May 1^st, 2020 and January 15^th, 2021. Unless exceptional circumstances exist, the scholarship cannot be carried over from one year to the next. For candidates who have begun the program of study, the period of use begins in May 2020.

The scholarship is not retroactive and sessions prior to Summer 2020 cannot be financed.

Excluding the exceptional cases relating to part-time studies as outlined in the scholarship holder’s guide (disabled persons, family caregivers and parents), at the time the scholarship is received, scholarship holder must be registered full time in the Master’s or Doctoral program for which a scholarship granted.

Scholarships are awarded for the duration of the eligibility period, subject to presentation of progress reports deemed satisfactory by the program administrator.

Note that for all changes to the program, project or place of study, future scholarship recipients must place a request as prescribed in the Scholarship Holder’s Guide.

Value of scholarships

The FRQNT Board of Directors reserves the right to modify the value of scholarships at any time, without notice, notably in accordance with the credits annually allocated by the Assemblée nationale du Québec, its strategic priorities and budgetary process.

Master’s scholarship

The maximum value of Master’s scholarships is $17,500 for a period of 12 months. The scholarship holder may receive a maximum of six instalments totalling $35,000 within the eligibility period (six sessions or 24 months). Each instalment of a maximum of $5,833 covers a period of four months, or one session.

Doctoral scholarship

The maximum value of Doctoral scholarships is $21,000 for a period of 12 months. The scholarship holder may receive a maximum of 12 instalments totalling $84,000 within the eligibility period (12 sessions or 48 months). Each instalment of a maximum of $7,000 covers a period of four months, or one session. The 11th and 12th instalments are contingent on submission of the Doctoral thesis before the end of the 12th funded session. These 11th and 12th instalments will only be paid after the initial thesis submission.

Holding several scholarships concurrently (cumulation)

According to rules presented in a way more detailed in the scholarship holder’s guide:

• The Fonds provides additional funding based on merit. The current rule pertaining to the cumulation of scholarships guarantees that the scholarship recipient will not receive less than what he would have received if he had only obtained a scholarship from the Fonds.
• When the Fonds offers a scholarship of equal or higher value or duration than a federal granting agency, the student may receive a complementary scholarship to make up for the difference in value and/or duration between the two scholarships. In this case, the scholarships must be coordinated. If the duration/value of the scholarship from the Fonds is longer/higher, you MUST ACCEPT the NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC scholarship and the one from the Fonds.
• Cumulation is permitted with scholarships from federal and provincial granting agencies if, when the Fonds scholarship comes into effect, the scholarship holder is attending a teaching establishment outside Québec and his/her annual tuition fees are equal to or greater than the annual value of the award offered by the Fonds. In evaluating annual tuition fees, the Fonds does not include enrolment fees, membership fees for student associations, etc. The tuition fees must not be reimbursed by any other organization.
• Candidates who receive a scholarship from a private source, including universities, research chairs, consortiums, private international and foreign foundations, governments of other Canadian provinces and of foreign governments, may combine this support source with a Fonds scholarship if allowed under these instances’ rules governing combined scholarships.

Remuneration

Regardless of the exceptions relative to the paid work described in the scholarship holder’s guide, scholarship holders may accept a job that does not exceed the maximum hours per semester allowed by your institution, provided their supervisor is in agreement and that these activities do not hinder their research program.

The salary that students receive from their supervisor for working solely on their research project is considered a scholarship for which cumulation is permitted.

Parental leave

If you interrupt your studies for the birth or adoption of a child, you may request parental leave. Parental leave may not exceed twelve months, or the equivalent of three academic terms. It may begin during the term the birth or adoption is expected and end no later than one year after the child’s birth. Notwithstanding Article 6.13 of the Common General Rules, paid parental leave is available for a period of eight months. However, you must have already started at least one session as a holder of the FRQNT Grant to receive paid parental leave. It is important to note that only one parental leave is granted per birth or adoption.

8. Supplement for studying outside Quebec

The supplement for studies outside Québec aims to help top students to undertake or pursue graduate studies outside Québec.

These supplements are exclusively aimed at Masters research scholarship (B1X) and Doctoral research scholarship (B2X) applicants.

These supplements are reserved for scholarship holders who choose to study outside Québec, as indicated in their scholarship application. The supplements are awarded to the ten top-ranking applicants overall. All applications indicating a place of study outside Québec are automatically considered.

At the time the Supplement is received, candidates must be enrolled full time in a university institution located outside Quebec.

The annual value of the Supplements is $1,500, added to Master’s or Doctoral scholarship amounts.

9. Research ethics and Conformity

Any individual or institution that receives funding must demonstrate the highest standards of research ethics and scientific integrity. See the Common General Rules for further details.

10. Integrity of the evaluation process

At no time may applicants or their institutional authorities make contact with evaluation committee members, unless such contact is specified as part of the evaluation process. Similarly, evaluation committee members must not make contact with applicants, unless such contact is specifically indicated in the evaluation process. The identities of evaluation committee members are kept confidential to avoid any attempt at collusion. The Fonds reserve the right to withdraw an application from competition if there is any inappropriate intervention, lobby, undue influence or collusion during the evaluation process, as stipulated in the Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

11. Liability of the Fonds

The Fonds make all reasonable efforts to ensure optimal service. However, they cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage resulting from their handling of applications for funding. Furthermore, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Fonds are not liable for any direct or indirect damage resulting from the disclosure of personal or confidential information that was not authorized by the Fonds

12. False or misleading information

The Fonds presume the good faith of the declaration provided in funding applications or in any other document submitted at any time during the funding cycle, from the initial funding application to the final report. Applicants and funding holders must be transparent and provide accurate and precise information. They must be conscientious about advising the Fonds of any changes in their situation, where applicable.

Under the Act Respecting the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie (CQLR, c. M-15.1.0.1), any individual who submits an application containing false or misleading information to obtain or procure financial support is committing an offence, is liable to a fine and could be barred from receiving financial support for a period of up to five years. Where a legal person commits such an offence, every director or representative of that legal person who was aware of the offence may be liable to a fine. Furthermore, such a declaration constitutes a breach of responsible research conduct, as set forth in the Fonds de recherche du Québec Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research, and may be subject to sanctions in accordance with this policy.

The Fonds reserve the right to take immediate measures to stop the use of public funds obtained through false or misleading information, and to take legal action to recover fraudulently obtained funds and claim compensation for damages caused where appropriate.

13. Open access to research results

In accordance with the Fonds de recherche du Québec open access policy for the dissemination of research, all funding recipients must agree to provide open access to their scientific publications no later than 12 months after publication. To learn more about the FRQ’s requirements on this subject, please visit our page on Open science.

14. Equity, diversity and inclusion

The Fonds de recherche du Québec wish to contribute to supporting a research ecosystem based on equity, diversity and inclusion. Measures have been put in place to strengthen the integration of these principles. Funding recipients are also encouraged to consider them in the context of their research activities. For more information, please consult our statement on equity, diversity and inclusion.

15. Other aspects

Please refer to the Common General Rules for any questions regarding the responsible conduct of research, confidentiality and the protection of personal information, intellectual property and the protection of academic freedom.

16. General considerations

Researchers and institutions must meet the general eligibility requirements in effect at the time of submission of the funding application. All specific program rules set out in the Common General Rules must be followed throughout the period covered by the grant.

17. Coming into effect

The provisions of this document apply to the 2020-2021 year.

18. For information

Please note that the Fonds does not accept collect calls.

Applicants who contact the Fonds via e-mail must provide a telephone number at which they can be reached. Priority is given to e-mail enquiries.