Postdoctoral Fellowships FRQ-Anticosti - 2024-2025

1. BACKGROUND

The Comité de mise en valeur d’Anticosti (hereinafter “the Committee”) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), as part of its research program to address major societal challenges, have joined forces to issue a new call for applications for their joint postdoctoral fellowship program. The program supports research on the Outstanding Universal Value of Anticosti, its geodiversity, its biodiversity and societal aspects related to its recent inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The funded research is in line with UNESCO’s action plan for the next 50 years, which aims to ensure the resilience of World Heritage properties in the face of climate change and the sustainable development of protected sites. The World Heritage Site is located within a network of protected areas on Anticosti Island made up of the proposed Anticosti biodiversity reserve, Anticosti National Park and two ecological reserves.

The Committee brings together representatives from the municipality of L’Île-d’Anticosti and the Minganie Regional County Municipality (RCM) as well as the Protected Areas branch of the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), the Innu communities of Ekuanitshit and Nutashkuan, and Nature-Québec, all of whom are potential stakeholders in research carried out in Anticosti. The Committee works to ensure the sharing of the knowledge produced, in particular by supporting research activities and the transfer of knowledge to the host community. Now that it has been inscribed on the World Heritage List, a non-profit organization, in partnership with the MELCCFP, will take over activities relating to education, development and scientific research in the protected areas.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Initially created by the FRQ and the Committee during the process of developing the nomination of Anticosti Island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this postdoctoral fellowship program was designed to cover the salaries of awardees and part of the costs to conduct field research. The program provides career opportunities in research related to the resilience and sustainable development of World Heritage. The advancement of knowledge stemming from the research will serve to enhance the unique and outstanding nature of the site as part of the world’s natural and cultural heritage and contribute to its conservation.

2.1 Specific mandate

The FRQ-Anticosti Postdoctoral Fellowships cover three main research themes:

• Theme 1: First mass extinction of life at the end of the Ordovician (stratigraphy and paleontology);
• Theme 2: Biodiversity and geodiversity within the network of protected areas on Anticosti Island;
• Theme 3: Societal aspects for communities concerned by the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Despite being of significant local value, no project on biodiversity has yet been funded. For this reason, projects focusing on biodiversity will be prioritized for 2024-2025. In addition, to encourage intersectoral research, projects proposing research avenues that integrate multiple themes will also be prioritized. Please note that this prioritization in no way excludes the possibility and appropriateness of submitting projects under the other two themes.

For Themes 1 and 2, applicants must propose a project with a strong field component within the network of protected areas on Anticosti Island.

In addition to their regular knowledge dissemination efforts, applicants must:

• make their research project accessible to the public through means including presentations, visibility on social media and media interviews in collaboration with the Committee.

Expected outcomes of the fellowship include but are not limited to:

• the publication of scientific papers;
• a conference for community members;
• a report containing a list of recommendations specific to each theme (see the descriptions below).

Theme 1: First mass extinction of life at the end of the Ordovician (stratigraphy and paleontology)

Anticosti has one of the most significant stratigraphic successions in terms of thickness and the most complete fossil record of the marine life of the period, covering nearly 10 million years of Earth’s history from the Upper Ordovician to the Lower Silurian, 447 to 437 million years ago. Anticosti’s fossiliferous outcrops make up part of the world’s most complete fossiliferous, stratigraphic and paleontological record of the Ordovician-Silurian (O-S) interval. Theme 1 is central to the development of Anticosti as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The applicant should have expertise related to:

• an integrated approach to stratigraphy, paleontology and geochemistry aimed at better understanding the impacts of the first mass extinction of life at the end of the Ordovician

The report for the Committee should include:

• a list of recommendations for preserving and promoting the biodiversity and geodiversity of Anticosti Island.

Theme 2: Biodiversity and geodiversity within the network of protected areas on Anticosti Island

The proposed Anticosti biodiversity reserve, whose permanent protection status is currently pending, will preserve 95% of the nominated UNESCO World Heritage site and buffer zone. The proposed reserve consists of a coastal strip of nearly 550 km around Anticosti Island, as well as the sectors of Pointe-Ouest and Pointe de l’Est and the Rivière Jupiter watershed. The reserve’s primary conservation objective is to protect ecosystems that are representative of the biodiversity and geodiversity of the island’s territory. The remainder of the site is covered by protected areas free of industrial activity, namely Anticosti National Park and the Pointe-Heath and Grand-Lac-Salé ecological reserves.

The applicant should have expertise related to:

• the biodiversity and/or geodiversity conservation objectives of the proposed Anticosti biodiversity reserve, which include, but are not limited to, the acquisition of knowledge to improve conservation, management, restoration and enhancement measures (biodiversity, Quaternary), and issues related to climate change (geodiversity).

The report for the Committee should include:

• a list of recommendations for preserving and promoting the biodiversity and geodiversity of Anticosti Island.

Theme 3: Societal aspects for communities concerned by the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Developed in conjunction with, and complementary to, Themes 1 and 2, Theme 3 aims to support research and development activities for communities concerned by the proposed site, and the promotion of its cultural and natural heritage through means including but not limited to local or island development, archaeology, tourism studies and social innovation, as well as agriculture, agroforestry or aquaculture to encourage self-sufficiency and innovation in agri-food.

The applicant should have the necessary expertise to:

• transfer the results of their work in a concrete manner to the communities concerned.

The report for the Committee should include:

• a list of recommendations for preserving and promoting the biodiversity and geodiversity of Anticosti Island.

3. ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements at the application deadline.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• have obtained a doctoral degree within the last 3 years. Applicants who have made their initial thesis submission prior to the start of the postdoctoral fellowship are also eligible;
• have made arrangements to be affiliated with a Québec university or research establishment.

4. APPLICATION

Required documents:

The e-form to be completed in the applicant’s FRQnet ePortfolio, which must include:

• A text of up to five pages with the following points:
  • a description of the research project (not including the bibliography, to be submitted in the appropriate section of the form);
  • a timeline;
  • a description of the applicant’s knowledge and skills as they relate to the specific mandate and required skills.
• A general public summary of the research project.
• Information about the applicant’s doctoral thesis and how it relates to the proposed project.
• The supervisor’s commitment form attesting to the affiliation arrangement with a Québec university or research institution (the supervisor identified in the Supervision section will receive an email to complete and submit the form).

Attachments to be included in the Other Documents section:

• The applicant’s abridged CV (maximum 2 pages), prepared according to the presentation template.
• A motivation letter in which the applicant explains how the fellowship fits into their university studies and career plan.
• A document attesting to the applicant’s thesis submission.

5. FELLOWSHIP PERIOD AND AMOUNT

The duration of the fellowship is one year, renewable once upon request and approval by the Committee. The award cannot be transferred from one year to the next. It is not retroactive, and months of research completed before the start of the fellowship period will not be funded.

Each awardee will receive an excellence award of $45,000/year and a supplement of $25,000/year to support the research project, both of which can be renewed once for one additional year. The supplement is intended to cover eligible expenses directly related to the research project (see the Common General Rules for more information on eligible expenses) and is administered by the managing institution of the fellowship supervisor identified in the application form.

Indirect costs equivalent to 27% of the supplement will be paid in addition to the $25,000 research supplement.

5.1 Payment of the fellowship

The FRQ are responsible for the fellowship payments, which must be claimed every four months in the Manage my funding section of the ePortfolio. The first instalment will only be paid out when the FRQ have received a copy of the original doctoral degree or an official attestation that the awardee has submitted their doctoral thesis.

5.2 Reporting

An activity report and a financial report in connection with the $25,000 supplement, the format of which will be communicated in due course, must be submitted to the FRQ at the end of the fellowship period. The activity report must detail the strategies and activities undertaken to make the research project accessible to the public beyond the usual means of academic knowledge dissemination (e.g., presentations, visibility on social media and media interviews), in collaboration with the Committee.

6. APPLICATION EVALUATION PROCESS

Eligible applications will be submitted for scientific evaluation by committee members appointed according to current FRQ rules. To be recommended for funding, an application must receive an overall score of 70% or higher.

Evaluation criteria:

Academic record and background: 50%

• Knowledge production, awards and distinctions
• Professional experience, particularly in research project management, and expertise relevant to the submitted project
• Ability to share knowledge and engage in public dialogue
• Added value for the applicant’s career

Quality of the project and grasp of issues related to the specific mandate: 30%

• Clarity and relevance of the proposed project in light of the program objectives and the mandate presented in Section 2.1
• Strong field component for Themes 1 and 2
• Project feasibility and realistic timeline

Impacts: 20%

• Anticipated results with great potential for dissemination to the Anticosti community and the general public
• Research results that can be easily transferred into recommendations to promote the resilience and sustainable development of Anticosti as a World Heritage Site

7. IMPORTANT DATES, ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS AND START OF THE FELLOWSHIP PERIOD

February 6th, 2024 at 16:00 EST: application deadline

February-March 2024: Evaluation of applications

Mid-April 2024: announcement of results

May 2024: start of the fellowship period

The call for applications will be reopened if any of the postdoctoral fellowship positions have not been filled. These rules apply to the2024-2025 fiscal year.

8. TERMS OF THE FELLOWSHIP

To retain the fellowship, the awardee must:

• comply with the conditions related to domicile, be present in the host environment in accordance with the conditions set out with the fellowship supervisor for the duration of the fellowship period, and dedicate themself to the postdoctoral research on a full-time basis. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the fellowship. If, for exceptional reasons, these conditions cannot be met, the FRQ must be notified as soon as possible and will determine whether the fellowship should continue or be cancelled. An annual four-week holiday is allowed;
• comply with the rules related to concurrent funding (Section 8.1);
• comply with the rules related to paid employment (Section 8.2).

8.1 Concurrent funding

The fellowship may not be held concurrently with:

• merit-based scholarships from Canadian funding agencies (e.g., Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), etc.;
• merit-based scholarships from Québec funding agencies (e.g., Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S), Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQ-NT), Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQ-SC), the Conseil de recherches en pêche et agroalimentaire du Québec (CORPAQ), etc.;
• scholarships from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) or the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for the same project.

The fellowship may be held concurrently with:

• scholarships from departments and agencies of the Québec and Canadian governments other than those listed above; and
• scholarships from the private sector and universities.

8.2 Paid employment

The awardee may accept additional paid employment provided that:

• the position does not exceed 250 hours of work per four-month period;
• the fellowship supervisor has provided their approval; and
• the employment does not interfere with the research activities.

The FRQ consider that teaching a 45-hour course is equivalent to 150 hours of employment. Note that the same course given to two different groups during the same semester is considered equivalent to two teaching assignments. A salary paid for working exclusively on the research project is considered a scholarship.

8.3 Deferral and supplement during parental leave

For more information, please refer to Section 6.13 of the Common General Rules.

9. IMMEDIATE OPEN ACCESS FOR PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM THE FELLOWHIP

The peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research conducted as part of the fellowship must be released in immediate open access (without embargo) under an open license, in accordance with the FRQ Open Access Dissemination Policy. For more information, click here.

10. KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION

The FRQ and the Committee encourage awardees to lead and contribute to knowledge mobilization activities (transfer, sharing, development, outreach and dissemination) in practice settings and for the public whenever relevant. For more information, click here.

11. CONTACT

For the FRQ:

Émilie Rochette

Program Manager

Directorate of Major Societal Challenges

Office of the Chief Scientist of Quebec

Email: emilie.rochette@staging.frq.gouv.qc.ca

For the Committee:

André Desrochers

Scientific Director for the development of Anticosti as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Email: andre.desrochers@uottawa.ca