Support for College Researchers (CHZ) 2023-2024

1. ELIGIBILITY

Notwithstanding the FRQ Common General Rules, any person who meets the following definition is considered eligible for any of the components of the FRQSC Support for College Researchers program:

Person who has a PhD and who is employed in the equivalent of a full-time position in the college-level institutions recognized by the FRQ to manage funding and/or in the Québec college centres for technology transfer (CCTT).   
This person must also possess the professional autonomy required to supervise research projects and hold: i) a position as a college-level institution professor, OR ii) a position as a CCTT researcher, OR iii) a position in a college-level institution in which at least 75% of their time is dedicated to research activities. 

However, under some FRQSC programs offering one or more of these components, individuals who do not have a PhD but have Status 3 as defined in the CGR (college researcher) are also eligible for this type of funding, when this is specified in the program rules.

2. FUNDING AVAILABLE

Three funding components are available under the FRQSC Support for College Researchers program.

2.1 Release from teaching duties 
The teaching release grant, up to a maximum of $40,000 per year, is paid directly to the managing institution.

Eligible individuals whose gross salary is less than $80,000 per year may claim no more than 50% of their salary in teaching release.

Participation in more than one program related to the FRQSC Support for College Researchers program in a single fiscal year may not result in more than $40,000 in teaching release.

2.2 Statutory supplement  
The $7,000 statutory supplement is granted to cover research-related costs that are not funded by the college.
This supplement may not be used to increase the amount obtained for a teaching release.
Participation in more than one program offering FRQSC Support for College Researchers in a single fiscal year can result in concurrent statutory supplements. Thus, a researcher may obtain several payments of $7,000 per year, if he or she participates in several teams or projects funded by programs offering this supplement.

2.3 Salary support for CCTT researchers 
Depending on the program and where allowed in the program rules, a portion of the grant at the discretion of the principal investigator may be used for salary support for Status 3 co-investigators working in a CCTT without teaching duties and who may or may not have a PhD. This amount must be included in the budget and may, if awarded, be transferred by the principal investigator’s institution directly to the college institution with which the CCTT researcher is affiliated.

3. PROCESS

3.1 Forms 
A college researcher eligible for one of the components of the FRQSC Support for College Researchers program is not required to fill out any forms at the time of application to the funding competition.
It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to identify, in the complete application submitted to a FRQSC program, all individuals eligible for the FRQSC Support for College Researchers program and, depending on the funding component(s) requested, indicate the amounts being requested in the Budget section or the Teaching Release – college section of the application form (see also the Teaching release – college for information section in the Toolbox of the present program).
If the principal investigator is a college researcher, he or she must also request a teaching release, statutory supplement or salary support for himself or herself, where applicable.

3.2 Evaluation  
Teaching releases, statutory supplements and salary support are awarded only in the context of a complete application involving the participation of college researchers that has been submitted to a FRQSC program and has been granted funding. It is the responsibility of the scientific committee that evaluates these applications to ensure that the expenditures planned in connection with the integration of college researchers in the submitted scientific program or project are appropriate and correspond to those mentioned in Section 8 of the CGR*.
*Other rules specific to the programs concerned may also apply. 

3.3 Acceptance of funding 
If funding is granted by the Fonds and accepted by the principal investigator, a second form will be made available in the FRQnet E-portfolio of the college researchers for whom a release from teaching duties and/or statutory supplement has been requested (see the Form for information section in the Toolbox of this program).
After receiving this form, the recipient college researcher must complete it and have it approved by his or her institution before it is submitted to the Fonds.

4. MANAGING INSTITUTION

It is recommended that college researchers seeking to participate in a project or program (as principal investigator or co-investigator) inform their institution in advance, without waiting for the teaching release grant, statutory supplement or salary support to be awarded, (i.e., as soon as the complete application is being prepared for the funding competition).
To help support the integration of their researchers in Fonds programs that allow this, college institutions are encouraged to complete the process of being recognized to manage FRQ funding before the submission of any funding applications. For more information, please refer to our website and Section 6 of the CGR.

5. EFFECTIVE DATE

These rules apply to the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
All grants are contingent on the availability of the necessary funding.
This version was updated on July 7, 2022, subject to the approval of the Ministre de l’Économie et de l’Innovation.