Competition year : 
2018-2019

Deadline (pre-request) : 
August 29th, 2017 at 16:00 (EST)

Deadline (application) : 
October 6th, 2017 at 16:00 (EST)

Announcement of results : 
April 2018

Amount : 
$15,000 per year including equipment

Duration : 
Maximum 3 years (not renewable)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The link to the FRQ electronic Portfolio (forms) is available under the Portals Access. More details are available in the About FRQnet section.

Important: The submission of a notice of intent is now required before being granted access to the application form (3.1)

This program refers to the Common General Rules (CGR), which are applicable to all programs of the FRQSC. Only the special conditions applicable to the Research support for new academics program are indicated in this document, and these prevail over the CGR .

In the event of a discrepancy between the English and French versions of this program, the French version prevails.

The Fonds uses the Canadian Common CV and requires a PDF file of detailed contributions (available in the E-Porfolio). Refer to “Preparing a CV for the Fonds” and “Detailed Contributions the Common Canadian CV” in the program toolbox.

Updates to contact information can be made directly in the FRQnet E-Portfolio.

ANY APPLICATION THAT IS INCOMPLETE ON THE COMPETITION CLOSING DATE OF OCTOBER 5th OCTOBER 6th, 2017 WILL BE DEEMED INELIGIBLE BY THE FONDS.


1. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The aim of the Research support for new academics program is to:

  • Enable the completion of an individual research project;
  • Help support a new generation of researchers and university instructors by assisting new academics embarking upon their careers in establishing themselves as independent researchers and becoming competitive at the national and international levels;
  • Foster collaborations between new and established researchers;
  • Consolidate the research system by supporting up-and-coming research academics;
  • Incite new research academics who are beginning their careers to develop original research avenues.

The Fonds encourages new academics to carry out and take part in knowledge mobilization activities (knowledge transfer activities, sharing, valorization, promotion and dissemination) with practice settings and the general public whenever relevant.

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

2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have university researcher status (CGR, definitions – status and roles) and must meet the general eligibility conditions set out in the CGR . In addition, applicants must:

  • Have held a full time regular position for less than five years at a university in Québec, elsewhere in Canada or abroad at the competition closing date;
  • Have a full time regular position leading to tenure in a Québec university by June 1, 2018, at the latest;
  • Have successfully defended their doctoral dissertation before June 1, 2018.

Applicants may request an extension of their eligibility period if they have interrupted or considerably delayed their career for family or health reasons. Applicants on parental leave may request an extension of their eligibility period up to the maximum amount of time permitted under the Act respecting labour standards.

The following applicants are not eligible:

  • Researchers who have submitted three applications to the program during their eligibility period;
  • Researchers who have submitted an application to another research start-up program of one of Québec’s three Fonds de recherche;
  • Researchers who are (or has been) already funded through a research start-up program of one of Québec’s three Fonds de recherche.

3. APPLICATION

The application process is comprised of two distinct and mandatory steps:

  1. Submission of a notice of intent
  2. Submission of the funding application

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

3.1 Notice of intent

The main purpose of the notice of intent is to provide the information required to assemble the peer committee that will assess the grant application. At this stage, the notice of intent will not be used to assess the eligibility of the applicant or the scientific merit of the project.

The submission of a notice of intent is mandatory, and the form is available on the Fonds website. The deadline for submitting the notice of intent is 4:00 p.m. on August 29, 2017.

The applicant must ensure that the notice of intent is submitted within the prescribed time, and that it is complete and in compliance with program specifications. The filing of a notice of intent is a necessary condition for submitting a grant application

3.2 Grant application

The following forms and documents must be transmitted before the competition deadline of 4:00 p.m. on October 5 October 6, 2017. No reminder will be made and no documents may be added after the closing date and time of the competition.

3.2.1 The Research Support for New Academics application form and required documents. The latter must be scanned individually in PDF format and attached to the form at the place indicated:

  • A description of the research project;
  • The bibliography;
  • A letter from the university attesting that the applicant holds or will occupy a full time regular position leading to tenure by June 1, 2018. The letter must specify the date on which the applicant will be hired and the position held, and attest that the applicant will remain in the employment of the university for the term of the grant. No other document will be accepted;
  • Applicants who have not obtained their doctorate by the competition deadline must attach a letter from the appropriate authorities of their university stating that their dissertation defense will take place before June 1, 2018;
  • If applicable, the necessary authorizations providing access to data or letters from partners attesting to partnership agreements, etc.;
  • If applicable, appropriate supporting documents attesting to the circumstances of any leave, in the case where an extension of the eligibility period is requested for family or health reasons.

3.2.2  The Canadian Common CV and the “Detailed Contributions” attachment available in the E-Portfolio.

Grant applications may be submitted in French or English. However, the title and summary of the project must be in French. The title and summary will be used for promotional and distribution purposes. Any part of the application, including the annexes, that exceeds the maximum number of authorized pages will be removed from the application.

Any missing documents will render the application ineligible.

An incomplete application that do not contain the information necessary to establish eligibility or which cannot be evaluated will be deemed invalid by the Fonds. Any documents that are not required and which are included with the application will not be submitted to the evaluation committee. Applicants will not be notified of any information or documents missing from the application. Any documents received after the deadline for application will not be considered and applications cannot be updated.

The signing applicants attest that the information provided is accurate and complete and agree to respect the rules and principles set out in the Policy for the Responsible Conduct  of Research  of the Fonds Société et culture. The researchers therefore authorize the institution to transmit any personal information in accordance with this policy, if applicable.

Until agreements have been signed with the managing institutions under the “Policy for the Responsible Conduct  of Research  (PRCR),  a copy of the certificate of ethics for the use of human subjects, human biological materials or animals as part of the project is required on the issuance of any grant, if applicable. Payment of the grant is contingent on the submission of the certificate and related documents.

Applicants will receive an acknowledgement of receipt via email.

4. EVALUATION

4.1 Evaluation criteria and indicators

Applications for financial assistance are evaluated according to the following criteria and indicators:

Expertise – 30 points

  • Quality of scientific achievements and research activities, peer recognition and renown (communications,  grants, knowledge transfer activities, publications, scholarships, seminars, student supervision*, etc.) (15 points);
  • Relevance of scientific achievements, research activities, experience and training to the project (15 points).

Research project – 60 points

  • Originality and contribution to the advancement of knowledge (10 points);
  • Clarity of the research problem, relevance of the theoretical approach and precision of the stated objectives (20 points);
  • Relevance, rigour and rationale of the methodological approach (20 points);
  • Soundness of the time frame and relevance of planned dissemination activities  (10 points).

Research training – 10 points

  • Diversity of the activities proposed for the research training** of students and of the tasks and responsibilities planned for that purpose during the project (10 points).

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

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

Applicants are invited to consult the Scores and ratings grid for evaluation committees  used by the evaluation committees.

An overall passing grade of 70% is required. A passing grade of 70% is also required for the ‘Research project’ criterion.

As indicated in section 4 of the CGR, the Fonds receives applications for financial assistance, checks their eligibility and submits them for evaluation by specially formed multidisciplinary committees. These committees may need to consult outside experts. The research proposal must therefore be written in such a way as to be easily understandable. The evaluation committee members and experts may be from Québec, Canada or elsewhere. The role of the evaluation committees is defined in article 4.5 of CGR.

5. GRANTING AND CONDITIONS

For further information on awards and conditions, refer to section 5 of the CGR.

6. DESCRIPTION AND NATURE OF THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The financial support is an operating grant of up to $15,000/year and covers the equipment necessary to carry out the proposed research. The grant must be used for current expenses to complete the research program.

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

  • The awarding of scholarships;
  • Professional fees for consultation or expert advice;

The cost of purchasing books and reference documents must not exceed $800 per year

7. TERM OF THE GRANT

The grant is awarded annually for the period from April 1 to March 31 for up to three years and is not renewable.

8. EFFECTIVE DATE

These rules apply to the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Technical assistance

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone: 418 646-3669

Toll free: 1 866 621-7084

centre.assistance.sc@frq.gouv.qc.ca

Priority will be given to e-mail enquiries.

Updated July 7, 2017