Research Professionals excellence awards 2023-2024 (FRQNT)

1. Objectives

• Recognize the contribution of research professionals to research activities, knowledge mobilization, training of new generations of professionals, as well as support for groups of researchers; in all areas covered by the three Fonds de recherche du Québec, namely the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Nature et technologies (FRQNT), the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQS) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Société et culture (FRQSC);
• Promote research professional careers in Québec;
• Develop ties between the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the province’s community of research professionals.

2. Award

An amount of $5,000 is awarded by each Fonds as follows:

• 1^st prize: $2,500
• 2^nd prize: $1,500
• 3^rd prize: $1,000

The awarding of the Prix d’excellence des professionnels et professionnelles de recherche is accompanied by an overview of each recipient’s experience and achievements, along with a photo, will be featured on the website and social media of the FRQNT.

3. Frequency of competition

One competition per year, following which names of the recipients from each Fonds will be announced.

4. Eligibility

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements on the competition deadline of March 15, 2023 at 4 p.m. Only research professionals may apply for the award.

For the purpose of this competition, the term “research professional” is used to describe any contract salaried professional regardless of his or her research job title, whose remuneration comes from research grants or the regular budget of the institution in which he or she works.

To be eligible, the candidate:

• must work as a research professional for a minimum of 21 hours per week at a Québec university or research organization affiliated with a Québec university;
• must have a minimum of 5 years of experience as a research professional in Québec (research assistantship experience during academic training will not be taken into account);
• may not be a full-time student or postdoctoral fellow;
• must not be a faculty member (regular or contracted academic appointment) of a university;
• must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

Please note that applicants:

• May not simultaneously apply to more than one Fonds for the Research Professionals Excellence Awards.
• May not receive the award more than once.

5. Application assessment

Applications are submitted to the Fonds according to the research area identified by the candidate. They are assessed by a selection committee set up by each Fonds, based on the evaluation criteria.

The candidate must demonstrate his or her contribution to one or more of the following activities:

• Training of new researchers (students, interns or other highly qualified staff);
• Support for groups, networks or teams of researchers;
• Mobilization, transfer or valorization of knowledge;
• Advancement of knowledge.

The quality and diversity of these contributions are the criteria on which applications are evaluated. The quality of the written language and the presentation of the application will also be taken into consideration.

6. Application process

As indicated in Section 3.1 of the CGR  the applicants are responsible for sending their application package to the appropriate Fonds by referring to the list of Research areas of the three Fonds. In the event of an error in any of these respects, the Fonds will not transfer the application and the application will be deemed ineligible.

Before completing the application, the candidate must create a user account on the Fonds website, if this has not been done. Individuals who already have a personal identification number (PIN) have direct access to a FRQnet account and must update their profile in their E-portfolio.

The online application form is accessible from the FRQnet portal, in the section “Available competitions”, under the category “Prize, ad-hoc support and others”. In addition to completing the various sections of the form, the following documents are required and must be transmitted in the “Autres documents” section of the online application form:

• A cover letter of no more than 2 pages bearing the candidate signature;
• A CV (maximum 5 pages) providing full details of their education, training, and research career;

NOTE: The cover letter and the CV should contain all the information required for the evaluation of the application according to the evaluation criteria listed above.

• A letter from the employer attesting that, as of March 15, 2023 (application deadline), the applicant holds a research professional position in a Québec university or a research organization or institute affiliated with a Québec university. This letter must clearly state that the contract is for at least 21 hours per week of remunerated work.
• One letter of recommendation submitted by the respondent. (maximum 2 pages).

All documents may be written in French or English.

Please refer to the Presentation standards for PDF attachments in the E-portfolio FRQnet to properly prepare any documents to be attached to the application.
No documents received after the application deadline will be considered and applications cannot be updated. In order to be receivable, copies of the documents in a PDF format must be legible and must not be read protected in any way. Once the application form has been transmitted, it will not be possible to resubmit or modify the application in any way regardless of the transmission date, even if it is before the competition deadline.

Any application that is incomplete or does not contain sufficient information to establish its eligibility or to evaluate its scientific quality will be declared ineligible by the Fonds. No document that is not required will be submitted to the evaluation committee. Elements missing from the application will not be requested.

Important:

Applicants are advised to prepare their application well in advance to ensure that it is submitted before the deadline, given the large number of applications and requests received by the Fonds at the end of the competition. 

7. Announcement of results

The results will be announced two months after the competition closing date via the applicant’s E-portfolio.

Award recipients will be asked to provide the following documents:

• a recent photograph;
• a summary of their research experience and accomplishments;
• administrative information.

By submitting an application, the recipients agree that these pieces will be shared with the award partners.