Nature et technologies Sector – Postdoctoral Scholarships (B3X) 2025-2026

In accordance with Section 2.1 of the CGR, to be eligible to apply for a postdoctoral scholarship, an applicant must:
• be a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident
AND
• have a Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) card that is valid at the competition deadline, or proof of application for a RAMQ card and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline.
Applicants who do not meet one or both of the above conditions are still eligible to apply, provided they submit an electronic Supervisor Acceptance Form from their supervisor (see Section 4.2). In addition, they must carry out their postdoctoral internship in Québec (see Section 3.4).

To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, applicants must, at the competition deadline:
• Have obtained a doctoral degree within the last two years,
OR
• Plan to submit their doctoral thesis no later than March 1, 2026.
If the applicant holds more than one research doctorate, the date of the most recent doctorate will be used to determine eligibility.
Exceptions:
• Extension: Applicants who have interrupted or delayed their research training after obtaining their doctorate for reasons such as parental leave, major family obligations, bereavement, a career period outside the research community or health reasons may be granted an eligibility period extension. In the case of an interruption for parental leave, family, bereavement or health reasons, the extension granted is equivalent to twice the duration of the leave of absence. In the case of an interruption for a career period outside the research community, the extension granted corresponds to the duration of the interruption. In the case of a slowdown, the Fonds will determine the duration of the extension based on the supporting documents provided with the application.
• Exemption: Applicants who have interrupted or delayed their research training because of a disability may be granted an eligibility period exemption. However, a given individual may not apply for a postdoctoral scholarship more than twice after obtaining a doctorate. This exemption is only available to applicants who meet the definition of “handicapped person” in 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).
The exception request and supporting documents must be submitted with the application form (see Section 4.1.4). Applicants wishing to request such an exception are advised to verify the admissibility of the exception with the program manager before submitting their application. The Fonds reserves the right to refuse any exception request that is not adequately justified.

Only one scholarship application (master’s, doctoral, postdoctoral or re-entering research) may be submitted per Fonds in any given year. In accordance with Section 3.1 of the CGR, an awardee may hold a training award from only one Fonds.
Applicants who have received or are currently receiving a postdoctoral award from a Québec or Canadian granting agency (e.g., SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, FRQNT, FRQS, FRQSC) are not eligible for this competition.
In accordance with Section 2.2 of the CGR, applicants who hold a regular professorial position at a university are ineligible for this program.

In accordance with Section 2.1 of the CGR, to use a postdoctoral training award outside Québec, the applicant must:
• be a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident
AND
• have a Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) card that is valid at the competition deadline, or proof of application for a RAMQ card and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline.
Applicants who do not meet one or both of the above conditions are required to carry out their postdoctoral internship in Québec. In this case, their continuous physical presence in Québec is required throughout the duration of funding, excluding break periods listed in the university calendar. However, travel outside Québec deemed necessary for the proper implementation of activities related to the postdoctoral internship may be allowed if it is approved by the affiliated institution and does not exceed 180 days per year.
Applicants who are not eligible to use their postdoctoral scholarship outside Québec at the time of application will remain ineligible throughout during the funding period, even if their citizenship status changes.

The proposed host environment(s) must enable applicants to join new networks in order to enhance their research prospects and develop collaborative relationships in a quality scientific environment. The Fonds encourages mobility, whether within Québec, outside Québec or internationally, when permitted by the program’s eligibility requirements.
The supervising institution must be different from the awarding institution or the co-supervising/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the applicant’s doctoral degree.
The co-supervising institution may be a university; a university-affiliated service centre; a company; a public, parapublic, community, private or practice sector organization; or any other setting deemed appropriate. Again, the institution must be different from the awarding institution or the co-supervising/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the doctoral degree.
The applicant must plan to be present at the supervising institution or co-supervising institution throughout the duration of the internship. However, field research and data collection trips are permitted, subject to the eligibility requirements for the use of the scholarship outside Québec. When field research or data collection trips exceed six months, a co-supervision agreement must be formalized in the application (see Section 4.2).
Exceptions:
An applicant whose mobility is considerably restricted for medical reasons or because of a disability or major family obligations may be permitted to carry out the postdoctoral research at the same institution that awarded the doctoral degree. The exception request and supporting documents must be submitted with the application form (see Section 4.1.4). Applicants wishing to request such an exception are advised to verify the admissibility of the exception with the program manager before submitting their application. The Fonds reserves the right to refuse any exception request that is not adequately justified.

The postdoctoral internship must be supervised by a person whose position or university affiliation qualifies them to act as the sole supervisor of graduate students and independently lead research projects.
The postdoctoral internship may also be co-supervised. If so, the applicant must indicate this on the application form. Co-supervision must be provided by a person who holds a regular university position or a full-time paid position in a university-affiliated service centre; a company; a public, parapublic, community, private or practice sector organization; or any other setting deemed appropriate. The co-supervisor’s expertise must be considered relevant to the postdoctoral internship.
Furthermore, supervision and co-supervision may not be provided by the applicant’s doctoral research supervisor, or by a person affiliated with the institution where the applicant’s doctoral studies were carried out.
Supervision and co-supervision of the postdoctoral internship come with a commitment to responsible research conduct, to upholding ethics and integrity standards, and to encouraging the applicant’s own commitment to ethical and responsible research conduct.
Exception:
In exceptional circumstances, supervision or co-supervision of the postdoctoral internship by the supervisor or co-supervisor of the applicant’s doctoral studies may be permitted. In such cases, the applicant must demonstrate that it is impossible for the postdoctoral internship to be supervised or co-supervised by another person, notably because of considerable mobility restrictions due to medical reasons, a disability or major family obligations. The exception request and supporting documents must be submitted with the application form (see Section 4.1.4). Applicants wishing to request such an exception are advised to verify the admissibility of the exception with the program manager before submitting their application. The Fonds reserves the right to refuse any exception request that is not adequately justified.

4.1.1. RAMQ card
Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada must provide:
• a Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) card that is valid at the competition deadline
OR
• proof of application for a RAMQ card and that the card will be valid at the competition deadline.
In accordance with Section 3.4 of these rules, applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or do not have either of the two documents listed above, are still eligible for this competition, but must carry out their postdoctoral internship at a Québec university.
4.1.2. Curriculum vitae
Applicants must attach a curriculum vitae in the “Other documents” section of the application form. Applicants who already have one can use the Canadian Common CV (CCV) and detailed contributions document. Applicants who do not have a CCV, or decide not to use it, may attach the FRQ Postdoctoral CV. In this case, the detailed contributions document need not be included.
The CCV will no longer be used in postdoctoral scholarship programs as of 2025.

CCV and detailed contributions
Applicants must complete the version of the Canadian Common CV corresponding to the Fonds to which they are applying for a postdoctoral scholarship. Once the CCV has been completed, the applicant must save a copy and combine it with the detailed contributions file into a single PDF document. The CCV and detailed contributions must be up to date as of June 2024.
For more information, see the document Preparing a CCV for the Fonds, with the exception of Section 7, which is not applicable at the postdoctoral level.
FRQ Postdoctoral CV
The FRQ Postdoctoral CV must be prepared using the following template: Instructions and template for the FRQ Postdoctoral CV.
4.1.3. Other documents to attach to the form
Applicants must also attach the following documents in the appropriate sections of the application form:
• Integrated background presentation (maximum 1 page): description of the links between the applicant’s experiences and interests on the one hand, and education, training and career choices on the other. While there are no evaluation criteria for this, the integrated background presentation can help the review committee to better understand, contextualize and assess the applicant’s academic record, background and contributions. Applicants are not expected to disclose any personal, sensitive or confidential information.
• Doctoral thesis (maximum 2 pages): the title, abstract and stage of completion of the applicant’s doctoral thesis, as well as the link between the thesis topic and the postdoctoral research project. Although not graded, the “doctoral thesis” section can help the review committee to better assess the research project and to modulate its expectations in terms of achievements according to the progress of the doctorate.
• Research project (maximum 3 pages): description of the research project demonstrating the originality of the project and its potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge; the clarity and coherence of the research problem; the appropriateness of the methodology; the feasibility of the project and the realism of the time frame.
• Bibliography (maximum 1 page): full references of the works used in the description of the research project. In accordance with Section 3.2 of the CGR, links to web pages may be included as bibliographic references where relevant.
• Justification and suitability of host environment (maximum 2 pages): justification of the quality and suitability of the supervising or co-supervising institution for carrying out the research project, including the integration plan. Must also demonstrate the added value of this environment to the development of the applicant’s career plan. To this end, it is recommended that the following be addressed:
o how the research project fits in with the research activities of the supervising or co-supervising institution
o the type of supervision provided by the supervisor and, where applicable, the co-supervisor
o how the supervising or co-supervising institution will enrich the applicant’s experiences and broaden the applicant’s area of expertise
o the material resources available to the applicant for carrying out the project
4.1.4. Documents for eligibility period exception
Applicants seeking an eligibility period exception (see Section 3.2) must provide:
• Justification of request for an eligibility period extension or exemption (maximum 1 page): the applicant must justify the exception request and provide, in the case of a request for extension, the dates and duration of the interruptions. This document must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form and will not be sent to the review committee.
• Supporting documents: documents supporting the exception request (e.g., medical certificate, disability certificate, child’s birth certificate, caregiver tax credit application, official document or letter from employer, etc.) allowing the Fonds to determine the duration of the extension to be granted. These must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form and will not be sent to the review committee. Any supporting document for an exception request submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a translation.
Applicants seeking an exception regarding the supervising or co-supervising institution (see sections 3.5 and 3.6) must provide:
• Justification of the exception (maximum 1 page): the applicant must demonstrate having considerable mobility restrictions due to medical reasons, a disability or major family obligations. The applicant must also demonstrate that it is impossible for the postdoctoral internship to be carried out at an institution other than the one that awarded the doctorate, or to be supervised by a person other than the doctoral supervisor. This document must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form. It will not be sent to the review committee.
• Supporting documents: documents supporting the exception request (e.g., medical certificate, disability certificate, child’s birth certificate, caregiver tax credit application, official document or letter from employer, etc.) must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form. They will not be sent to the review committee. Any supporting document for an exception request submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a translation.

The applicant must identify, in the “Host environment” section of the form, the postdoctoral research supervisor, and the co-supervisor where applicable. The supervisor and co-supervisor must first create an FRQnet account. An email will then be sent to them, and an electronic Supervisor Acceptance Form will automatically be added to their FRQnet ePortfolio. A PDF version of the form is available in the Toolbox for information purposes.
The postdoctoral supervisor, and co-supervisor where applicable, must complete the electronic Supervisor Acceptance Form and attach a letter of acceptance (max. 2 pages). The form and letter must be completed and submitted before the applicant submits the scholarship application form. If this is not done, the applicant will not be able to submit the form and the application will be inadmissible. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the persons concerned with the necessary instructions for creating an FRQnet account and writing the letter, and to ensure that the form(s) and letter(s) are submitted within the prescribed deadline.
The Fonds expects the postgraduate supervisor and, where applicable, the co-supervisor, to support the development of the applicant’s future career. The letter of acceptance attached to the form is not a letter of recommendation. It should contain only the following information:
• how the applicant’s research project fits in with the (co)supervisor’s research activities
• the type of supervision offered to the applicant
• how the supervising or co-supervising institution will enrich the applicant’s experiences and broaden the applicant’s area of expertise
• the material resources available to the applicant for carrying out the project
Once the form and letter have been submitted by each supervisor, no further changes can be made.

Applicants select the review committee that will evaluate their application according to research topic. To do so, applicants must consult the list of review committees for the appropriate Fonds (FRQNT, FRQS et FRQSC).

All applications received by the Fonds are assessed for eligibility. Applicants will receive an email notification no later than December following the competition deadline, informing them of the result of the eligibility assessment of their application and, where applicable, its transmission to the review committee. Applications sent to the review committee may nevertheless be declared ineligible at any time.

The scholarship must begin between May 1 of the year of the offer and March 1 of the following year.

A part-time postdoctoral internship is permitted only in the cases listed below, on the condition that the postdoctoral supervisor authorizes it and on presentation of supporting documents:
Family obligations or medical condition: family obligations (e.g., family caregiver, primary caregiver for a young child) or a medical condition that prevents the awardee from pursuing the postdoctoral internship on a full-time basis. During part-time periods, awardees may receive 50% of the value of the scholarship payments.
Disability: handicap as defined in 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) that prevents the awardee from pursuing the postdoctoral internship on a full-time basis. The awardee may receive full scholarship payments.
In both cases, the total value of the scholarship is not affected.

8.3.1. Concurrent awards
The following table details the rules for concurrent awards.

*Partial concurrent funding with a scholarship from a federal granting agency
Partial concurrent funding with a scholarship from a federal granting agency is possible when the Fonds scholarship is of a higher annual value or longer duration than the scholarship from the federal agency. In such cases, the awardee must accept the federal scholarship. However, the awardee may also accept the Fonds scholarship to take advantage of additional benefits that are not covered by the federal scholarship, as applicable:
• When the annual value of the Fonds scholarship is higher than that of the other scholarship, the amount will be adjusted to make up for the shortfall.
• When the duration of the Fonds scholarship is longer than that of the other scholarship, the Fonds will extend the term of the scholarship to make up for the shortfall when the other scholarship ends, unless the total value of the other scholarship is equal to or higher than the total value of the Fonds scholarship.
• If the requirements governing the start date of the federal scholarship do not allow the first instalment to be paid as soon as the thesis is submitted, the awardee may receive one instalment of the Fonds scholarship while waiting to meet the conditions for obtaining the first instalment of the federal scholarship. However, the federal scholarship cannot be delayed in order to benefit from this first payment from the Fonds.
• All the financial benefits associated with the Fonds scholarship will also be available to the awardee.
It is not possible to defer a payment or the start of a scholarship in order to receive another scholarship with which concurrent funding is prohibited.
Awardees who receive payments in a situation in which concurrent funding is prohibited will be required to reimburse the sums paid.
8.3.2. Paid employment and internships
Paid employment or internships undertaken alongside the postdoctoral internship and that do not interfere with research activities are permitted, without time restrictions, provided they are approved by the postdoctoral supervisor.
In addition, awardees may be paid a salary by their postdoctoral supervisor or co-supervisor to work on the research project funded by the Fonds while holding the scholarship. Excellence awards paid by the Fonds do not constitute a salary.

8.4.1. Payment schedule
The annual scholarship amount is paid to the awardee in three instalments. Each instalment covers a four-month period.
The first payment must be claimed between May 1 of the year of the offer and March 1 of the following year, failing which the scholarship will be immediately cancelled (see Section 8.4.3). Within this period, the postdoctoral internship may begin at any time. The payment schedule allows payments to be made on the 15th or 30th of each month, with the exception of July 30 and December 30. A detailed schedule of payments, including the periods for claiming them, can be found in the scholarship user guide. Once the scholarship has been awarded, awardees will be able to consult the payment schedule in their FRQnet ePortfolio.
8.4.2. Payment conditions
Awardees must comply with all the conditions associated with their payments. In particular, they must make their initial doctoral thesis submission before claiming the first payment and must meet all requirements for obtaining the doctoral degree before claiming the third payment. All payment conditions are described in the scholarship user guide and in the FRQnet ePortfolio.
In addition, the postdoctoral supervisor must provide an attendance certificate each year. A PDF version of this document is available in the Toolbox.
8.4.3. Cancellation of a payment or scholarship
The first scholarship payment must be claimed no later than March 1 following the year in which it is awarded, failing which the scholarship will be immediately cancelled. Starting with the second payment, a payment will be cancelled, after prior notice, if it is not claimed or deferred or if required documents are not received within two months of the scheduled date of the payment concerned.
The Fonds will cancel a scholarship, after prior notice, if the awardee has not taken any action in the FRQnet ePortfolio for two consecutive payment periods.
The Fonds will cancel a scholarship, after prior notice, if two consecutive payments must be cancelled due to non-compliance with the eligibility requirements or failure to submit required documents in the two months following the start of the periods concerned.
In addition, the Fonds reserves the right to cancel any payment or scholarship in accordance with the Policy for the responsible conduct of research.

8.5.1. Gaining relevant experience
The Fonds may authorize the suspension of the postdoctoral internship for the acquisition of relevant experience (experience within a research team, teaching experience related to the field of research, language stay, etc.), for a period of four months for each full year of funding granted. The scholarship payment for this period is then deferred until the end of the funding period. The Fonds reserves the right to deny any request that is insufficiently justified or inappropriate.
The deferral periods authorized for the entire duration of the postdoctoral scholarship may be taken consecutively if this is approved by the supervisor.
Awardees cannot use this provision for their first payment, to accept another scholarship with which concurrent funding is prohibited, or to accept paid employment.
8.5.2. Sick leave or family obligations
In accordance with Section 6.14 of the CGR, awardees may obtain a deferment of payment if their postdoctoral internship is suspended due to illness or family obligations, for as long as the university permits.
8.5.3. Parental leave
In accordance with Section 6.13 of the CGR, awardees may obtain a deferment of payment for the birth or adoption of a child for a maximum period of 12 months.

In accordance with Section 6.13 of the CGR, during the authorized suspension of postdoctoral research for parental leave (see Section 8.5.3), awardees may apply for a scholarship supplement for a continuous period of eight months (i.e., for a maximum of two payments).
To be eligible for this supplement, awardees must have already received their first scholarship payment and have suspended their postdoctoral internship. In addition, the awardee must not hold paid employment for the duration of the leave.
In the case of partial concurrent funding with an award received from a federal agency, the awardee must take the parental leave allowance offered by the federal program.

8.7.1. Eligible expenses
Awardees who are eligible for the $10,000 supplement for a host environment outside Québec (see Section 2.2) are also entitled to reimbursement of the following travel expenses, provided that they are not already reimbursed by another organization:
• travel expenses for the applicant for one round trip between Québec and the supervising or co-supervising institution outside Québec at the beginning and end of the postdoctoral internship
• travel expenses for the applicant’s spouse and children, for the same round trip
The Fonds will reimburse the cost of one additional round trip if the awardee’s thesis defense takes place during the postdoctoral internship.
Air travel
The Fonds will purchase airline tickets for the awardee as well as the awardee’s spouse and children.
If the airline tickets were purchased prior to the award, the maximum reimbursement amount is equivalent to the price of a round-trip economy ticket. The awardee is responsible for providing proof that the airline tickets purchased correspond to the average price of a round-trip economy ticket.
Road or train travel
Awardees who travel by car receive a per-kilometre allowance, up to the cost of a one-way economy airfare. Awardees who travel by bus or train, in economy class, are entitled to reimbursement of the cost of their ticket.
8.7.2. Non-eligible expenses
The following expenses are not reimbursed by the Fonds:
• Airline tickets purchased directly by the awardee after the scholarship is awarded
• Moving costs for personal effects
• Transportation of research materials
• Any additional baggage fees imposed by airlines
• Vehicle rental
• Parking fees
• Urban public transportation/commuter train fees
• Taxi fare
• Meals and accommodation
transport.

8.8.1. Request for changes
Any change in the awardee’s situation must be communicated to the Fonds. In accordance with Section 6.5 of the CGR, the Fonds will ensure the requested change does not impact the outcome of the application’s initial evaluation and remains in compliance with the eligibility requirements and program rules. The Fonds will assess the requested change and may decide to continue, reduce, suspend or terminate the payments. The Fonds may also require that the awardee reimburse the sums paid.
The decision to accept or refuse the requested changes is sent by email.
8.8.2. Change in scholarship start date
The duration of funding is based on the information provided in the application form.
If a change in the start date of the internship is required, the awardee must request this before the first payment is made. It is strongly recommended that the change be requested at the time of accepting the scholarship. Increases in the duration of funding are not permitted.
8.8.3. Change in host environment
The new host environment must comply with the relevant program rules (see Section 3.5). The awardee must justify the suitability of the new host environment and demonstrate that this choice is equivalent to the initial proposal.
The Fonds will take into account the evaluation criteria used to assess the initial choice of host environment when analysing the request.
8.8.4. Change in supervisor
The new supervisor must comply with the relevant program rules (see Section 3.6). The awardee must justify the relevance of the new supervisor’s expertise and demonstrate that this choice is equivalent to the initial proposal.
The new supervisor must also attach a letter of acceptance. The Fonds will take into account the evaluation criteria used to assess the initial choice of supervisor when analysing the request.
8.8.5. Addition of a co-supervising institution
The addition of a co-supervising institution and a co-supervisor must comply with the relevant program rules (see Sections 3.5 and 3.6). The awardee must justify the added value of this co-supervising institution.
The co-supervisor must also attach a letter of acceptance.
8.8.6. Change in research project
To change research project, the awardee must:
• demonstrate that the new project remains in the same field of research, i.e., that it would be evaluated by the same review committee as the one that evaluated the initial project
• demonstrate that the new project is of the same scientific quality as the initial project.
It must also be indicated whether the awardee intends to stay with the same research supervisor, at the same host environment and in the same department.
In addition, the project supervisor must agree to and justify the proposed change.
The Fonds will take into account the evaluation criteria used to assess the initial project when analysing the request.
8.8.7. Withdrawal or part-time postdoctoral internship
An awardee who withdraws from the postdoctoral internship during the course of funding, or who decides to pursue it on a part-time basis, with the exception of the cases described in Sections 8.2, is no longer eligible for the scholarship and must notify the Fonds to terminate it. The awardee may be required to reimburse the last payment received.

In accordance with Section 7.2 of the CGR, a final report is required three months after the last payment. The final report allows the Fonds to document the impact of the scholarship and the value of the postdoctoral internship. Future funding under a different program is contingent upon receipt of this final report.

Part of the postdoctoral scholarship (up to $15,000) can be used as a starting grant by an awardee who is offered a position as a regular professor in a Québec university. The awardee must have completed a full year (12 months) of funding under the postdoctoral scholarship or received 3 full scholarship payments before requesting conversion of the scholarship. The effective date of the starting grant is the awardee’s employment start date.
A copy of the letter of employment must be sent to the Fonds via the awardee’s FRQnet ePortfolio. It is not necessary to provide salary information.
The starting grant is subject to the same rules as those for the Research Support for New Academics program. Awardees who benefit from this conversion remain eligible to apply for this support program.
A recipient of a postdoctoral award from a federal granting agency who also received and accepted a funding offer from the Fonds under this program may benefit from this conversion, if applicable.