Competition year :
2022-2023
Deadline (application) :
November 1st, 2022 at 16:00 (EST)
Announcement of results :
December 2022
Amount :
Up to $1 870 per month
Duration :
Between 2 and 6 months
It is the applicant’s responsibility to read the Common General Rules (CGR) of the Fonds de recherche du Québec, which apply to all FRQS programs, in addition to these program rules. The particular conditions of the current program are detailed here and take precedence over the CGR.
Context and objectives
Graduate studies enable students to develop a range of essential skills for aspiring academics, but more and more graduates are earning degrees only to end up in a highly competitive job market. They could benefit from exploring options to transfer these skills to non-research positions. The Bourse Tremplin Internship Award was created with that in mind.
Through the pilot program, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé aims to:
- foster collaboration between the university research sector and public, parapublic and private organizations;
- spark interest in applying knowledge and acquiring work experience in practice settings;
- support practice settings in their efforts to enable students enrolled in a postgraduate research program to develop new skills;
- facilitate the employability of graduate students.
1. ELIGIBILITY
The eligibility criteria for applicants, possible practice settings, exceptions and restrictions are detailed in the following sections.
Applicants and eligibility period
- be enrolled in a PhD university research program on a full-time basis and have completed three terms on a full-time basis when submitting their application;
- have been enrolled in a Québec university for a minimum of two (2) terms on a full-time basis (or equivalent) in the three (3) terms prior to the competition deadline (the term of the current competition is excluded from the calculation) OR have a valid health insurance card issued by the Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) on the competition deadline or proof of RAMQ eligibility at the competition deadline (see Section 2.1 of the Common General Rules);
- carry out an internship in Québec in one of the areas covered by the Fonds de recherche du Québec –Santé in a non-research practice setting (e.g. an organization in the public, parapublic or private sector);
- have obtained approval from the individuals who will supervise the internship in the practice setting;
- not have completed more than 50% of the internship at the competition deadline. The award is not retroactive. Funding is only available for the months that remain in the internship at the competition deadline.
These requirements shall remain in effect for the tenure of the award.
When an applicant is living with a disability within the meaning of the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, schools and workplace integration (R.S.Q E-20.1), the requirements related to the eligibility period shall not apply.
Practice setting
Organizations in the public, parapublic, community and private sectors in Québec are eligible. The FRQS reserves the right to reject a practice setting that does not meet the program objectives. See Interested partners section if you have not found a practice setting.
Restrictions
- internships that constitute an integral part of the academic curriculum of a training program;
- individuals enrolled in certain psychology programs (see Eligibility of psychology programs for FRQS training awards);
- microprograms.
2. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
The following documents must be submitted by the applicant and/or supervisor.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to select the right program and application form. It will not be possible to transfer an application to another program following the eligibility review.
The required form and documents must be submitted via the e-Porfolio. Documents submitted by mail or email shall not be accepted.
Required documents that are incomplete or invalid shall not be requested and the application shall be deemed ineligible.
Documents that are submitted but not required shall be removed from the application prior to the evaluation (e.g. letter of recommendation, published article, etc.).
Documents received after the competition deadline shall not be considered. Applications shall not be updated.
Official documents submitted in a language other than French or English must include a certified translation. Other documents submitted in a language other than French or English must include a translation.
Documents required when submitting the application
- Tremplin Internship Award – Internship in a Practice Setting (Bourse Tremplin – Stage en milieu de pratique) e-form (PDF version for information purposes), including the following documents, which must be attached in the Other documents section:
- Copy of the valid health insurance card issued by the Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) at the competition deadline or proof of RAMQ eligibility at the competition deadline (official RAMQ document received prior to the card being issued) (essential for eligibility) OR proof of enrolment in a Québec university for a minimum of two (2) terms on a full-time basis (or equivalent) in the three (3) terms prior to the competition deadline. The term of the current competition is excluded from the calculation. The summer semester is calculated as a matter of course, even if the student is not registered. An official transcript or official document from the office of the registrar shall constitute proof of enrolment
- When the transcript does not consider the current session, the applicant must include proof of registration (i.e. an official transcript or official document from the office of the registrar)
- Written justification of the choice of internship and practice setting (maximum one page). Read the evaluation grid and use it to draft your letter. The text may be written in French or English
- Copies of official transcripts for every term of university studies (complete and incomplete)
- 2022 internship offer form from the practice setting (Formulaire pour le milieu d’accueil, available in the Toolbox) duly filled out by the individual who will supervise the internship
- Document (letter or email) supporting the internship project from the director of the Ph. D. research program
- Canadian Common CV (FRQS funding version) updated in the 12 months prior to the competition deadline
- Detailed contributions updated in the 12 months prior to the competition deadline (attach in the e-Portfolio of the FRQS on the Canadian Common CV page). You may consult the document: Instructions for the detailed contributions and the common canadian CV
- 2022 internship offer form from the practice setting (Offre de stage – 2022, available in the Toolbox) attached by the applicant to the application form
- Document (letter or email) supporting the internship project attached by the applicant to the application form
The elements that make up an official transcript vary from one academic institution to another. However, to be deemed official by the Fonds, the requirements are as follows:
- Transcript is issued by the university;
- Transcript includes elements indicating it is an official document issued by the university (e.g. university seal AND/OR signature of the registrar AND/OR the official transcript reference, etc.);
- A watermark does not make a transcript non-official, providing the requirements listed here are met;
- The transcript may be a scan of a transcript delivered by the registrar in a sealed envelope. Opening the envelope to scan the transcript does not make the document non-official for the Fonds.
A transcript that does not meet the requirements listed here or does not include official elements shall be considered NON-OFFICIAL, and the application shall therefore be deemed ineligible.
Final Report
The final report document (Rapport final – Bourse Tremplin, available in the Toolbox) must be submitted to the Fonds no later than one month following the end of the internship. The document must provide an overview of the activities and indicate whether the objectives were attained. The report must be signed by the internship supervisor. The awarding of subsequent funding under another FRQS program is conditional upon the submission of a duly completed report.
3. DURATION OF THE INTERNSHIP
This section details the minimum and maximum duration of the internship, as well as the number of hours per week the awardee may dedicate to the internship.
Duration and maximum number of hours
- The internship period is 2 to 6 months or up to 225 hours. In exceptional cases, it may be carried out in several phases, subject to prior approval from the FRQS.
- The internship must begin in the six months following the competition deadline*.
*The start and end dates of the internship may be modified, subject to the Fonds’ approval of a request for changes. The request for changes, including supporting documents, must be sent to the program manager by email. The proposed changes must comply with all eligibility conditions and must not alter the nature of the internship evaluated by the Fonds.
The awardee may dedicate one to three days per week to the internship, as needed.
The FRQS considers a full work day to be seven hours.
4. AMOUNT OF THE AWARD
The maximum amount granted for an internship and award management rules are detailed here.
Amount and award management
Up to $5,000 (up to $1,870 per month)
The amount will be adjusted based on the duration of the internship and hours dedicated by the awardee. For example:
21 hours per week = $1,870 per month for up to 10.5 weeks or 225 hours
14 hours per week = $1,250 per month for up to 16 weeks or 225 hours
7 hours per week = $625 per month for up to 24 weeks or 168 hours
Funding is awarded for one internship per awardee.
The award is paid out directly to the awardee in monthly instalments.
If the internship is interrupted, the awardee must advise the FRQS as soon as possible. The payments will be suspended.
This program does not benefit from the amount paid out by the FRQS to cover the indirect research fees incurred by institutions.
From the practice setting
The individual who holds a Tremplin Internship Award to carry out an internship in a practice setting shall not be employed and/or paid by the practice setting at any time during the internship period.
Important: It is the responsibility of the individuals carrying out the internships to ensure they have insurance coverage for the entire internship period. When the institution or practice setting does not provide coverage, the awardee must take out private insurance.
Concurrent awards
If a Tremplin Internship Award is awarded, it cannot be combined with another scholarship supporting the same internship project.
However, it can be held currently with doctoral training awards from the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Awardees may undertake up to 225 hours of paid work per semester (45 hours per semester for a course assignment). One semester is equivalent to four months.
The employment must be approved by the research supervisor, and the work must not have a negative impact on the awardee’s internship.
5. EVALUATION
Process
Applications will be evaluated by a review committee whose members will be chosen by the FRQS in accordance with applicable rules.
To be recommended for funding, the application must receive a minimum overall score of 70%.
Quality of the applicant’s academic record | 35 |
---|---|
Academic record: score, progress, continuation | 15 |
Experiences: publications, conferences, internships and involvements | 10 |
Awards, honours, distinctions | 10 |
Internship proposal | 45 |
Quality of the letter justifying the choice of internship and practice setting | 20 |
Objectives of the internship: potential to learn and acquire skills | 10 |
Complementarity of the internship project taking into account the study program | 10 |
Perspectives once the internship has ended | 5 |
Practice setting | 20 |
Relevance of the setting’s activities | 5 |
Description of tasks assigned to the student | 5 |
Integration level of the student in the setting’s activities | 5 |
Human resources available to supervise the student | 5 |
6. UNDERTAKING
All applications submitted to the program must comply with the requirements set out in the FRQnet portals and e-forms.
7. OPEN ACCESS
In accordance with the FRQ’s open access policy (Politique de diffusion en libre accès des Fonds de recherche du Québec), all awardees will make their scientific publications available in open access in the twelve months after they are published. Go to the FRQ’s Open science page for more information.
8. KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION
The FRQS encourages awardees to lead and contribute to knowledge mobilization activities (transfer, sharing, development, outreach and dissemination) with practice settings and the public. For more information, see the Knowledge mobilization page.
9. EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
The Fonds de recherche du Québec seek to support a research ecosystem based on equity, diversity and inclusion. Measures have therefore been implemented to ensure greater account of these principles is taken. The individuals who receive funding are also encouraged to prioritize these principles within the context of their research activities. Further details are available in the FRQS’s statements on equity, diversity and inclusion.