Student international mobility support for team research projects 2020-2021

1. Objective

The objective of this Fonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et technologies (hereinafter FRQNT) student mobility funding program is to promote international mobility for graduate students whose research activities are part of a Team Research Project funded by the FRQNT. This financial support is an additional tool available to these research teams (hereinafter Teams) to develop or strengthen their position at the international level.

2. Applicants

The program is intended for graduate students registered full-time at a Québec university who want to carry out an internship outside the province of Québec and who meet the requirements of their program of study.

3. Eligibility requirements

All Teams funded by the FRQNT under the Team Research Project and whose funding will be in progress at the time the results are announced may apply. More specifically, this applies to Teams awarded funding in 2018-2019 and 2017-2018.

The graduate student proposed by a Team must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. He or she must also be a resident of Québec within the meaning of the Health Insurance Act (CQLR, c A-29).

Place of tenure

The internship must take place outside the province of Québec.

Length of internship and maximum amount

The internship must be for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 4 months. The amount requested cannot exceed the monthly prorated amount of $2,000. The maximum value of the scholarship is $4,000.

Start and end of internship

The internship cannot begin before the results are announced by the FRQNT and must end no later than March 31, 2021.

Limitations

Students registered in a cotutelle program with a foreign university cannot benefit from this international mobility program to visit or stay at one of their home universities.

4. Submitting an application

The Team selects a student and the Team’s principal investigator submits the application for this selected student to the FRQNT.

Important: Graduate students interested in this international mobility program must apply to a principal investigator whose project is funded by the FRQNT Team Research Projects program. 

The principal investigator of a Team that recommends a student must complete the appropriate form on FRQnet.

This form includes the following information and documents:

The student’s complete contact information;

• A letter signed by the student’s immediate internship supervisor. This letter must specify the start and end dates of the internship;
• A brief description of the nature of the internship;
• A report explaining the selection process based on the three criteria in effect (see Evaluation criteria). This report must also indicate the efforts made by the Team to ensure an equitable and inclusive selection process that fosters support for diverse students1.

All internship applications must be submitted and approved by the FRQNT before the student’s departure.

¹ The FRQNT strongly recommends using an evaluation committee that includes all co-investigators of the Team.

5. Value of the scholarship

The amount requested cannot exceed the monthly prorated amount of $2,000. The maximum value of the scholarship is $4,000.

6. Evaluation criteria

Applicants are evaluated by the Team according to the following criteria:

7. Awarding of mobility scholarships and announcement of results

A student is selected by the Team and recommended to the FRQNT by the Team’s principal investigator. The FRQNT makes the final decision on the mobility scholarships to be awarded under this program. Mobility scholarships are allocated according to the order of receipt of applications and the funds available for this program. The award is paid to the institution of the Team’s principal investigator in the form of a grant. The Team then announces the results to the student, clearly indicating that the mobility scholarship is provided by the FRQNT.

The FRQNT reserves the right to refuse the application of a student who does not meet eligibility requirements or for whom the selection committee report is not sufficiently detailed.

8. Internship expenses

The Team must be able to provide the FRQNT with supporting documents for the expenses incurred during the internship (e.g. airline ticket, room rental agreement, etc.), if required.

9. Internship report

than one month after the end of the internship. A report template will be provided at a later date.

Principal investigators whose students fail to produce an internship report will be ineligible for subsequent competitions in this program and for all other mobility programs.

10. Research ethics and conformity

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

11. Integrity of the evaluation process

At no time may applicants or their institutional authorities contact evaluation committee members, unless such contact is specified as part of the evaluation process. Similarly, evaluation committee members must not contact 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 de recherche du Québec 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.

12. Liability of the Fonds

The Fonds de recherche du Québec 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 FRQ.

13. False or misleading information

The Fonds de recherche du Québec 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 de recherche du Québec 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. General considerations

The FRQNT reserves the right to modify, without notice, the program rules. Furthermore, the FRQNT may terminate the program at any time once available funding has been exhausted.