FRQSC - Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z), fall 2022 (2023-2024)

FRQSC scholarship holders must meet the citizenship and residency requirements throughout the duration of their scholarship.

* The RAMQ card is issued by the Québec government and allows the holder to benefit from the services covered under the Québec health insurance plan. Private health insurance cards do not replace the RAMQ card and are not accepted.

3.4 Restrictions

Applicants may only submit an application to one of the following FRQSC scholarship programs in the same year:

• Master’s Research Scholarships (B1Z)
• Doctoral Research Scholarships (B2Z)
• Scholarships for re-entering the Research Community (A2Z)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z)
• Postdoctoral Research-Creation Fellowship (B5)

Applicants may only hold a scholarship from one of the Fonds (CGR, Section 3.1).

Applicants who receive or have received postdoctoral funding from a recognized agency in Québec or Canada (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, FRQSC, FRQNT, FRQS, etc.) are not eligible for this competition.

Applicants who hold a regular professorial position at a university are also ineligible for this program, as per Section 2.2 of the CGR.

3.5 Choice of host environment (supervision and co-supervision, if applicable)

The planned host environment(s) must enable applicants to join new scientific networks, enhance their research perspectives and develop collaborative relationships in a quality scientific environment. The applicant must plan to be present at the host environment throughout the duration of the fellowship, in accordance with the host environment integration objectives of this program. The postdoctoral research can be co-supervised, provided that the applicant spends a minimum of 6 months of the 2 years at the co-supervisory environment.

The Fonds encourages mobility outside Québec and internationally, when permitted by the program’s eligibility requirements. However, the research can be carried out in Québec if the project brings added value to the applicant’s research training AND the choice is clearly justified.
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Internship supervisor

The fellowship 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.

A fellowship holder cannot be supervised by his/her doctoral research supervisor.

Similarly, the supervisor cannot be affiliated with the institution where the applicant carried out his/her doctoral studies.

Internship co-supervisor (if applicable)

The fellowship may be co-supervised by a person whose expertise is considered relevant to the postdoctoral research, and who holds a regular university position or a full-time paid position in a public, parapublic, community, private, or practice sector organization, or other setting deemed appropriate.

A fellowship holder cannot be co-supervised by his/her doctoral research supervisor.

Similarly, the co-supervisor cannot be affiliated with the institution where the applicant carried out his/her doctoral studies.

Supervising institution

The supervised internship must take place at the supervisor’s home university.

The supervised postdoctoral fellowship must be carried out at an institution other than the awarding institution or the co-supervisory/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the doctoral degree.

IMPORTANT: Applicants who completed a joint doctoral program offered by multiple universities are encouraged to choose a host environment that is not at one of these associated universities. If not, this choice must be fully justified in the application.

Co-supervising institution (if applicable)

The co-supervising institution may be a university; a university-affiliated service centre; a public, parapublic, community, private or practice sector organization; or any other setting deemed appropriate.

A co-supervised postdoctoral fellowship must be carried out at an institution other than the awarding institution or the co-supervisory/cotutelle institution (if applicable) of the doctoral degree.

The restriction regarding host environments for applicants who completed a joint doctoral program also applies to the choice of co-supervisory environment, if applicable.
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An exception may be made in the case of major family obligations, a disability or for serious health reasons. Following analysis by the Fonds, an applicant may be authorized to propose a postdoctoral research project at the same institution that awarded their doctorate, but under a different supervisor. In order for the application to be considered admissible at the eligibility stage, it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the necessary explanations in an attachment in the “Host environment” section of the form and to upload relevant supporting documents (medical certificate, certificate of disability, proof of tax credit for caregivers, etc.) in the “Other documents” section. Note that these documents will be given to the scientific evaluation committee.

Applicants wishing to request such an exception are advised to verify the admissibility of the exception with the program manager before submitting their application form.

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Field research and data collection trips

Field research and data collection trips are permitted*. However, when these exceed a period of 6 months, a co-supervision agreement must be formalized in the application. A letter of acceptance must then be provided by the co-supervisor.

* Pursuant to Section 3.3 “Citizenship and residence”, in the case of applicants who are not eligible to use their fellowship outside Québec, all trips for field research or data collection must take place within Québec.

As indicated in Section 3.1 of the CGR , applicants are responsible for sending their application package to the appropriate Fonds by referring to the list of Research areas of the three Fonds .

An application consists of the following forms and documents:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship application form, available in the FRQnet E-portfolio (see 4.1);
• Canadian Common CV and “Detailed Contributions” attachment file (see 4.2);
• Form(s) and letter(s) from supervisor(s) (see 4.3);
• Required documents, attached to the application form (see 4.4).

4.1 Forms

The Postdoctoral Fellowship (B3Z) application form is available in the FRQnet portal no later than one month before the competition deadline.

Applicants must create an FRQnet user account on the Fonds website before applying, if they have not already done so. Individuals who already have a Fonds personal identification number (PIN) have direct access to a FRQnet account and must update their FRQnet E-portfolio profile. (Watch our video Premier accès à votre profil.)

In the application form, applicants must select the evaluation committee that corresponds the best to their research topic. A List of evaluation committees is available in the program Toolbox. As this choice has a significant impact on the evaluation of their application, applicants are encouraged to contact the program officer in case of doubt or difficulty in selecting the appropriate committee.

As indicated in the CGR   (Section 3.6), it is preferable that forms be filled out in French, but they can also be filled out in English. However, the title and abstract must imperatively be in French. This information will be used by the Fonds for promotional and dissemination purposes.

4.2 Canadian Common CV and Detailed Contributions

The Canadian Common CV and “Detailed Contributions” attachment file are available in the Toolbox section on the fellowship program page or directly in the “Activity details” box in the FRQnet E-portfolio. The Canadian Common CV –”Fonds Société et culture” version – must be updated within the 12 months prior to the competition deadline. The Detailed Contributions file must be completed in due form and attached to the application in the appropriate section of the FRQnet E-portfolio. To ensure that the attachment is properly transmitted to the Fonds, it must be saved in PDF format under “Canadian Common CV” in the FRQnet E-portfolio.

For more information, please refer to Preparing a CV for the Fonds in the program Toolbox.

4.3 Form(s) and letter(s) from supervisor(s)

Supervisors, and co-supervisors where applicable, must complete the form provided for that purpose in their own FRQnet E-portfolio and attach the required file (letter of acceptance). A supervisor and/or co-supervisor who has a Fonds personal identification number (PIN) has access to an FRQnet account and must update his/her FRQnet E-portfolio, if this has not already been done. A supervisor or co-supervisor who does not have an FRQnet account must first create a user account .

Once they have been transmitted electronically in accordance with the instructions provided in the form, the form and letter will be automatically attached to the applicant’s fellowship application.

The supervisors’ and co-supervisors’ (where applicable) letters must be completed in French or English and submitted electronically prior to the submission of the applicant’s application, no later than  the competition deadline. If any of these letters are not received by the Fonds, the application will be deemed ineligible. Only letters completed using the FRQSC form in the FRQnet portal will be accepted. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the persons concerned with instructions for creating an account and writing the letter, and to ensure that the letters and forms are submitted before the deadline.

These letters of acceptance support the application but should in no way serve to fill any gaps in the applicant’s demonstration of alignment with the “Host environment” criterion (see Section 5.1).

4.4 Required documents

All the required documents, detailed below, must be scanned in PDF format and inserted directly into the application in the appropriate sections of the form under “Activity details”. Do not include any documents that are not required.

To be accepted, scanned PDF copies must be legible and without read protection or special double tab configuration.

Any official document submitted in a language other than French or English must be accompanied by a professional translation certified as a true copy of the original document. Any other document submitted in a language other than French or English must include a basic translation.

Please refer to the FRQNet Application Presentation Standards document to properly format any documents to be attached to the application.

The number of pages required for each section may vary and is specified in the form.

The following documents are required:

– RAMQ CARD (if applicable):

Applicants who are resident in Québec within the meaning of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) must provide a copy of their RAMQ card, which must be valid at the competition deadline, or proof that a card has been requested from the RAMQ and that the new card will be valid at the competition deadline. Please note that proof of initial registration with the RAMQ is not sufficient for this purpose.

– DOCTORAL TRANSCRIPTS (mandatory):

Any doctoral transcripts that are missing, incomplete, unofficial, not certified as a true copy, or are out-of-date, as well as the absence of any other required document listed below, will render the application ineligible.

A copy of all transcripts is required, for all doctoral studies pursued by the applicant, whether completed or not. This includes transcripts from exchange programs or courses (equivalencies), where applicable.

Transcripts must be up-to-date and include all completed semesters and grading scales (back of transcript).

Transcripts sent to the Fonds must be official. What makes a transcript official may differ from one academic institution to another. Nonetheless, to be deemed official by the Fonds, each transcript must:

1) be issued by the institution in question;

2) include elements indicating that it is an official transcript for that academic institution. This may be the seal or stamp of the issuing institution AND/OR the registrar’s signature AND/OR the notation “Official Transcript”, etc.

THE PRESENCE OF A WATERMARK will not render a transcript unofficial, as long as it meets the requirements specified above.

If there is any doubt about the authenticity of a transcript, the Fonds reserves the right to verify with the applicant or the institution concerned.

A transcript delivered in a sealed envelope by the registrar’s office can be opened and its contents scanned. Opening the envelope to scan the transcript will not render it unofficial for the purposes of the Fonds.

PLEASE NOTE: For a current program of study, the transcript must include the last semester completed before the competition deadline, including the summer session, if applicable. In this context, the Fonds will validate this document based on the date of issue indicated on the transcript. This date must be after the last session completed before the competition deadline.

Other documents to be included in the transcripts file, where applicable:

• If the institution where the applicant’s studies took place does not provide a transcript, the applicant must attach a letter of explanation from this institution (registrar’s office or equivalent administrative body) stating the reasons for the missing transcripts.
• If such a letter from the institution is not available, a letter of explanation written by the applicant, justifying the absence of a transcript and endorsed by the department director at the host institution, must be attached to the application.

Either of these two documents should allow the Fonds to verify the eligibility of the application, and then allow the evaluation committee to understand the situation and take it into consideration. The absence of either of these two letters, when required under the circumstances described above, will automatically render the application ineligible.

• For transcripts from institutions outside North America, the applicant must include a document (short letter) explaining the institution’s grading system, in order to allow a clear understanding of the transcripts.

– RESEARCH PROJECT DESCRIPTION (mandatory):

Refer to the evaluation criteria for the research project (5.1) to be sure of including all necessary elements.

– BIBLIOGRAPHY (mandatory):

List the full references of the works used in the project description. Links to web pages may be included as bibliographic references where relevant.

– JUSTIFICATION OF HOST ENVIRONMENT (mandatory):

Refer to the evaluation criteria for the host environment (5.1) to be sure of including all necessary elements. The benefits of co-supervision must also be demonstrated, if applicable.

More specifically, the following documents must be attached in the “Other documents” section of the form:

– DOCTORAL DIPLOMA OR OTHER OFFICIAL DOCUMENT (if applicable):

If the doctoral program has been completed, a copy of the applicant’s original doctoral diploma issued by the registrar’s office is required.

If the doctoral diploma has not yet been obtained, the applicant must include proof that the thesis has been successfully defended and proof of the final thesis submission.

If the thesis has not been defended, proof of the initial thesis submission* must be provided.

If the thesis has not been submitted at the time of application, no document is required.

* The document attesting to the initial thesis submission must be provided before the beginning of the fellowship.

– STUDY PERMIT OR WORK PERMIT (if applicable):

A copy of a valid study permit or work permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada must be attached to the application if the applicant is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

– SUPPORTING DOCUMENT FOR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD EXCEPTION (if applicable):

Applicants seeking eligibility period exceptions in accordance with Section 3.2 above must provide an official document for each birth since the thesis submission or a medical certificate attesting to serious health reasons or disability.

Similarly, applicants seeking an exception to the host environment rule (see Section 3.5 above) must include the required supporting documents (medical certificate, certificate of disability, proof of tax credit for caregivers, etc.).

4.5 Submitting the application

An incomplete application that does not contain the information necessary to establish eligibility or which cannot be evaluated will be deemed ineligible by the Fonds. Applicants will not be notified of any information or documents missing from the application. No documents received after the competition deadline of 4 p.m. on October 13, 2022 will be considered and applications cannot be updated after this deadline. No documents other than those required will be submitted to the evaluation committee.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all required documents have been included and transmitted. Any missing document will render the application ineligible.

THE APPLICANT MUST NOT FORGET TO TRANSMIT THE APPLICATION AFTER COMPLETING AND VALIDATING IT, BY CLICKING THE “TRANSMETTRE” BUTTON IN THE FORM.

At any time, applicants may verify in their FRQnet E-portfolio that the most recent version of their application has been successfully submitted. The application file in “My forms” should be flagged as “Transmis au Fonds” before the competition deadline. This indicates that the application has been received by the Fonds.

All applications received by the Fonds are assessed for eligibility. A notice will be sent via email no later than December following the competition deadline, informing the applicant of the status of his/her application and, where applicable, its transmission to the evaluation committee. Applicants whose application package is deemed incomplete or invalid will be notified by email that their application has not been transmitted to the evaluation committee.

NOTE: Any anticipated changes in host environment, research supervisor, project, etc. between submission of the application and the funding announcement must be reported to the Fonds. After analysis, the Fonds may deem the application to be ineligible.

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria, sub-criteria and weighting:

Academic record and career (35 points)

• Transcripts and honours (awards, distinctions and scholarships)
• Relevant achievements (scientific, professional, social, etc.) and experience (related to the project or career)
• Capacity for engagement and leadership (within and outside the academic community)
• Ability to facilitate dialogue between science and society

Research project (50 points)

• Originality of the project and its potential to contribute to the advancement of knowledge
• Clarity and coherence of the research problem
• Relevance of the methodology and consideration of the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), if applicable
• Feasibility of the project and realism of the time frame
• Potential of the project to contribute to societal issues, including those set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), if applicable

Host environment (15 points)

• Justification and relevance of the chosen host environment, including the environment available to the applicant for his or her development and the realization of the project
• Added value for the development of the applicant’s career plan

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The conditions governing funding decisions are specified in Section 4.5 of the CGR .

To retain the fellowship, fellowship holders must meet the following basic conditions throughout the duration of funding:

• Respect the conditions relating to citizenship and place of residence.
• Have made an initial thesis submission before starting the fellowship and meet all requirements for the doctoral degree at the time of the third instalment.
• Be present at the host environment for the duration of the fellowship and devote himself/herself full-time to the postdoctoral research.
• Respect the rules relating to concurrent funding.
• Respect the rules relating to paid employment.
• Respect the terms of the fellowship.

Fellowship holders who were not Canadian citizens at the time of application must live in Québec on a regular and daily basis throughout the entire duration of funding. The conditions and privileges attached to the fellowship in relation to citizenship status at the time of application will continue to apply throughout the fellowship, even if citizenship status changes during the funding period.

Fellowship holders are required to inform the Fonds immediately if they cease to satisfy any of these conditions. Should any of these basic conditions no longer be met, the Fonds will be obliged to withdraw the fellowship and could request reimbursement.

7.1 Fellowship start date

The fellowship must start between May 1, 2023 and March 1, 2024.

More specifically, the first payment may be made as of one of the following dates:

• May 30 following the award (summer term)
• September 30 following the award (fall term)
• January 30 following the award (winter term)

The fellowship is non-transferrable from one year to the next.

The fellowship is not retroactive and any work conducted in the months prior to May 2023 will not be funded.

7.2 Fellowship payments

Each fellowship instalment covers a period of 4 months (the equivalent of one university term). Instalments must be requested each term in the “Manage my funding” section of the FRQnet E-portfolio.

The first payment will only be made once the Fonds has received a certified copy of the fellowship holder’s doctoral diploma, certified by the Registrar’s office, or an official attestation of the initial doctoral thesis submission. A copy of the doctoral diploma or proof that all requirements have been met for the doctoral degree is required for payment of the third instalment.

Triannual instalment payments are made for the duration of the fellowship eligibility period, subject to the production of a satisfactory progress report along with the request for the fourth instalment.

With the exception of the first instalment, which must be claimed no later than March 1 of the year following the awarding of the fellowship under penalty of immediate cancellation of the fellowship, any unclaimed payment can be cancelled at the end of the period it covers, without advance notice.

7.3 Presence at the host environment

To retain the fellowship, the fellowship holder must be present at the host environment for the duration of the fellowship and devote himself/herself full-time to carrying out the research activities. Failure to respect this rule could result in the withdrawal of the fellowship. If, under exceptional circumstances, these conditions cannot be respected, the Fonds must be advised as soon as possible and will determine whether the fellowship should be maintained or cancelled.

A 4-week annual vacation period is permitted.

7.4 Paid employment

Paid work carried out while pursuing the Postdoctoral Fellowship program is permitted with no time limit per semester. This employment must be approved by the fellowship supervisor and must not interfere with the fellowship holder’s research activities.

In addition to the paid work permitted per semester, a fellowship holder may accept remuneration to work exclusively on the research project funded by the Fonds. For the sole purpose of interpreting the rules for concurrent funding (see 7.10), this remuneration is considered a scholarship for which concurrent funding is permitted when confirmed by the fellowship supervisor.

7.5 Instalment deferral or suspension of fellowship

Note that the postdoctoral fellowship cannot be suspended during the funding period. However, in the event of force majeure that prevents all or part of the postdoctoral fellowship from continuing on a full-time basis (e.g. major family obligations, serious illness, etc.), the fellowship holder must contact the Fonds, which will analyze the situation on reception of the required supporting documents and approve or refuse the requested suspension. If a suspension is granted, the payment(s) covering this period may be carried forward to the end of the funding period.

For more information on the conditions surrounding medical leave or other types of leave provided for by the Act respecting labour standards, please refer to Article 6.14 of the CGR.

7.6 Parental leave

In addition to the suspension and deferral of funding due to force majeure, a postdoctoral fellowship holder may also suspend his or her research for an unpaid parental leave of up to one year.

During this leave, it is possible to receive an additional instalment for parental leave for a maximum of 8 continuous months, if the research is interrupted in the 6 months following the birth or adoption of a child and the first instalment of the fellowship has already been paid. If the fellowship holder receives this additional 8-month instalment, the unpaid leave is reduced to 4 months for a total of one year.

This supplement cannot be divided. In case of a parental leave of a shorter duration, the supplement will be adjusted. To receive the supplement for parental leave, the fellowship holder must suspend his/her postdoctoral research and not hold paid employment for the duration of the leave. Pursuant to the rules for concurrent funding (see 7.10), in the context of double funding with a Canadian granting agency, the fellowship supplement cannot be granted when a parental leave allowance is received from the federal agency. In such a case, the fellowship holder must accept the paid leave offered by the federal agency.

For more information about conditions regarding parental leave, refer to Section 6.13 of the CGR.

7.7 Modifying the research project, host environment or (co)supervisor

As indicated in Section 6.5 of the CGR , any modification to the research project, environment or (co)supervisor requires prior authorization from the Fonds. The fellowship holder must submit a change request in his/her FRQnet E-portfolio in the “Manage my funding” section. The program officer will analyze the request and ensure that it does not affect the outcome of the initial application evaluation or its eligibility for the award program. The decision to accept or refuse the request will be communicated via email.

7.8 Reimbursement of travel expenses

Travel expenses to and from the host environment outside Québec at the start and end of the postdoctoral program are reimbursed when supported by receipts, provided they were not reimbursed by another agency. The maximum travel allowance is equivalent to the price of one economy airline ticket.

Fellowship holders who have not yet defended their thesis may be reimbursed for an additional round trip.

In addition, at the beginning and end of the postdoctoral fellowship, travel expenses outside Québec for the spouse and children of the fellowship holder may also be covered by the Fonds, provided they are not reimbursed by any other agency.

7.9 Convertibility of the fellowship

A fellowship can be used as a start-up grant by a fellowship holder who is offered a position as a regular professor in a Québec university. The fellowship holder must have completed a full year of funding under the postdoctoral fellowship (12 months) or received 3 full fellowship instalments before requesting to convert part of the fellowship (up to $15,000) into a start-up grant for the new position. The effective date of the start-up grant is the fellowship holder’s employment start date.

This grant is subject to the same rules as those of the Research Support for New Academics program. A person who benefits from this conversion remains eligible to apply for this program.

A SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship holder who has also received a FRQSC funding offer under this program and accepted it, may benefit from this conversion, if applicable.

7.10 Concurrent awards

The fellowship may not be held concurrently with:

• A fellowship or scholarship from a Canadian granting agency such as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), etc;
• A fellowship or scholarship from a Québec granting agency such as the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), the Conseil de recherches en pêche et agro-alimentaire du Québec (CORPAQ), etc;
• A scholarship from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) or the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) awarded for the same project.

The fellowship may be held concurrently with:

• Scholarships and fellowships from ministries and agencies of the Québec and Canadian governments, other than those mentioned above;
• Private sector and university scholarships and fellowships.