Research-Creation Support for New Academics (CCZ) 2022-2023

1. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The Research-Creation Support for New Academics program has the following objectives:

• Enable the completion of an individual research-creation project;
• Foster a new generation of academic researcher-creators within Québec universities and contribute to their visibility and recognition on national and international levels;
• Promote the integration of new researcher-creators into institutional research and training missions, research-creation networks and relevant practice settings, on national and international levels;
• Contribute to the research-creation training of students at every level;
• Encourage new academics to establish a diversity of collaborative ties with peers from different disciplines and professional artists within and outside Québec, to stimulate the development of original avenues of research-creation;
• Facilitate the transmission, presentation and dissemination of the experimentation and results of research-creation projects of all types to students, peers and the general public.

The Fonds uses the term research-creation to designate any research process or approach that fosters creation and aims at producing new aesthetic, theoretical, methodological, epistemological or technical knowledge. All these processes and approaches must include, to varying degrees (depending on the practices and temporalities specific to each project):

1) Creative or artistic activities (conception, experimentation, technology, prototype, etc.)

AND

2) The problematization of these activities (critical and theoretical analysis of the creative process, conceptualisation, etc.).

As there can be no research-creation without give and take between the work of art and the creation process by which it exists, the Fonds goes by the principle that the creative or artistic activities and their problematization must be carried out by the same person.

For the purposes of the Fonds, a research-creation approach is based on:

• A sustained creative or artistic practice;
• The problematization of this creative or artistic practice;
• The transmission, presentation and dissemination of the experimentation and/or results of research-creation projects of all types to students, peers and the general public.

Specifically, the research-creation activities carried out under this program must contribute to:

• The development of productions or works resulting from a creative or artistic practice, provided that they offer an element of renewal or innovation in terms of approach, process, technology, materials, form of presentation or experimentation, repertory or interpretative style. These productions must lend themselves to problematization leading to the development of new aesthetic, theoretical, methodological, epistemological or technical knowledge;
• The training of research-creation students;
• Greater recognition of individuals working on research-creation within their institutions and in national and international artistic and cultural environments and communities;
• The enrichment of the cultural heritage of Québec, Canada and/or the international community.

For the purposes of this program, performance in the context of a theatrical, choreographic or musical presentation is considered to be creation provided that it is innovative and gives rise to a problematization.

The following do not qualify for this program:

• Performance for the purpose of the interpretation or analysis of artistic works or productions;
• The development of productions resulting from an artistic or creative practice that are not accompanied by problematization leading to the development of new aesthetic, theoretical, methodological, epistemological or technical knowledge.

In light of these objectives, universities are encouraged to support the application by releasing the applicant from at least 25% of his/her teaching duties.

In keeping with its Knowledge Mobilization Strategy, the Fonds encourage funding recipients to carry out such activities (sharing, valorization, dissemination, etc.) for the general public, whenever such activities are relevant in the context of their research.

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.

Finally, 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 visit our website.

2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

This program is intended for creators and artists working as university research professors who are able to present both a portfolio of productions resulting from a creative or artistic practice and a body of theoretical or scientific contributions.

Applicants must, on June 1, 2022, have the status of University Researcher (CGR, Definitions – Status and Roles), be recognized for their work in research-creation, meet all eligibility requirements set out in the CGR and have held a full-time regular professorial position at a university in Québec, elsewhere in Canada or abroad for less than 5 years on the competition closing date.

An applicant who does not hold a position at a university on the competition closing date is still eligible if he or she expects to hold a full-time regular tenure-track professorial position at a Québec university no later than June 1, 2022, notwithstanding Section 2.1 of the CGR. Successful applicants will have to provide a letter from the appropriate authorities of their university specifying the hiring date and position held.

Applicants who have interrupted or delayed their career for parental leave, major family obligations or serious health reasons may be granted an eligibility period extension. In the case of parental leave, the eligibility period may be extended for up to one year per parental leave. In the case of major family obligations or a career interruption due to serious health reasons, the Fonds will determine the extension to be granted based on the supporting documents provided by the applicant.

Applicants who suspend or postpone their studies for reasons related to a disability may also be granted an eligibility period extension. The Fonds will determine the extension period based on the supporting documents provided. This exemption is in accordance with the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration (CQLR c. E-20.1).

In all cases, the managing institution must attest that the researcher will be in its employment for the duration of the grant.

The following are not eligible:

• Individuals who have applied for this program three times (in a previous or current version);
• Individuals who have applied to another research start-up program of one of Québec’s three Fonds de recherche;
• Individuals who are (or have been) already funded through a research start-up program of one of Québec’s three Fonds de recherche.

3. APPLICATION PROCESS

Grants are awarded annually for the period from April 1 to March 31 for up to three years and are not renewable.

4. APPLICATION ASSESSMENT

As indicated in Section 4 of the CGR the Fonds receives funding applications, checks their eligibility and submits them for evaluation by multidisciplinary committees whose members may be from Québec, elsewhere in Canada or other countries, and are known for their expertise in the artistic disciplines and practices concerned. The committee may call on outside experts if necessary.

Research-creation project descriptions must be written in such a way as to be easily understandable in a multidisciplinary context. The role of the evaluation committees and the conditions governing funding decisions are specified in the CGR, Sections 4.4 and 4.5).

Evaluation criteria, indicators and weighting

Evaluation committees use the FRQSC Scores and Ratings Grid.

An overall score of 70% is required for the application to be recommended for funding. In addition, a score of 70% is required for the Research-creation project criterion.

Applicants are advised to attach equal importance to both the evaluation criteria and their associated indicators.

Funding applications are evaluated according to the following criteria, indicators and weighting:

Research-creation project – 50 points 

• Originality and impact on the development or renewal of the field, based on the state of knowledge (15 points)
• Problematization of the creative or artistic practice, and appropriateness of the methodology for the stated objectives (15 points)
• Feasibility of the time frame (10 points)
• Relevance of the planned dissemination activities (10 points)

Expertise – 30 points 

• Quality of research-creation achievements and activities, peer recognition and renown (networking activities, scholarships, communications, student supervision*, exhibitions, organization of conferences or similar events, performances, publications, individual or group works, meetings, residencies or exchanges, shows, grants, symposia, etc.) (20 points)
• Relevance of achievements, research-creation activities, experience (academic or other) and training to the project (10 points)

*  Depending on the potential for supervision offered by the institution.

Research-creation training – 10 points 

• Educational value of the activities offered to students ** and diversity of the tasks and responsibilities planned for that purpose during the project (workshops, symposia, concerts, conferences, exchanges, radio broadcasts, exhibitions, festivals, rencontres, shows, etc.) (10 points)

** Beyond what is normally provided by their study program.

Budget – 10 points 

• Appropriateness and consistency of the budget with regard to the submitted research-creation project and planned student training.

5. FUNDING AND CONDITIONS

The results are announced in accordance with the conditions described in Section 5 of the CGR.

Any significant changes made to the initial application during the funding period must be reported in the FRQnet E-portfolio and an email must be sent to the program officer, justifying the changes (CGR, Section 6.5).

The funding recipient is also required to approve the annual financial reports produced by his or her managing institution within three months after the end of the Fonds fiscal year (March 31), i.e. by June 30 (CGR, Sections 6.2 and 7.1). In addition, the recipient must complete and transmit a final report, available in the E-portfolio, within 12 months after the end date of the grant (CGR, Section 7.2). If a final research report is not submitted within the prescribed time, the funding recipient is not eligible to receive new funding from any of the three Fonds de recherche du Québec.

Finally, the funding recipient must update his or her file in the E-portfolio before the end of March each year, indicating any significant changes.

6. DESCRIPTION AND NATURE OF FUNDING

The funding is an operating grant of up to $15,000/year and includes expenditures for the equipment necessary to carry out the proposed research.

The grant must be used to cover current expenses directly related to the production and dissemination of the results of the research-creation project.

All expenses listed in the CGR are eligible with the following exceptions:

• The cost of purchasing books and reference documents exceeding $800 per year;
• Expenses arising from the promotion or marketing of artistic works;
• Self-publishing costs.

Indirect costs of research (known by the French acronym FIR) (see Section 8.2 of the CGR) are transferred to the managing institution by the FRQSC. They are funded in addition to the amount of $15,000 awarded for the research-creation project.

7. DURATION OF FUNDING

Grants are awarded annually for the period from April 1 to March 31 for up to three years and are not renewable.

8. EFFECTIVE DATE

These rules apply to the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

​Version updated on the website July 9, 2021.