NOTICE – The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) was established on June 1, 2024, in accordance with the Act to amend the Act respecting the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation with respect to research. The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) have since been regrouped into the new FRQ, which continues their existence. The rights and obligations of the FRQNT, FRQS and FRQSC have become those of the FRQ; activities continue as usual.

Please note that if you come across an old name or logo of one of the Fonds de recherche du Québec in the program rules or on the website, it should now read as follows:

  • The FRQNT becomes the Nature et technologies sector;
  • The FRQS becomes the Santé sector;
  • The FRQSC becomes the Société et culture sector.

Thank you for your understanding.

Competition year : 
2024-2025

Deadline (application) : 
March 14th, 2024 at 16:00 (EST)

Announcement of results : 
June 2024

Amount : 
3 prizes : $ 2,500; $ 1,500; $ 1,000

Duration : 
One payment

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Note: In the event of a discrepancy between the English and French versions of this program, the French version prevails.

IMPORTANT: The link to the FRQnet E-portfolio and the forms associated with this competition are available under Portal Access on the website. Further details are available in the About FRQnet section.

This program refers to the Common General Rules (CGR), which are applicable to all Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) programs. Only the special conditions applicable to the Prix d’excellence des professionnels et professionnelles de recherche program are indicated in this document, and these prevail over the CGR .

AT THE COMPETITION DEADLINE OF 4 P.M. ON MARCH 14, 2024, THE STATUS OF THE APPLICATION IN THE FRQnet SYSTEM MUST BE “SUBMITTED TO THE FONDS”. AN APPLICATION WITH ANY OTHER STATUS WILL BE CONSIDERED INADMISSIBLE.

This version was updated on December 14, 2023, subject to the approval of the Ministre de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie.

The Research Professionals Excellence Awards are presented by each of the three Fonds de recherche du Québec.

Table of contents

  1. Objectives
  2. Award
  3. Frequency of Competition
  4. Eligibility
  5. Assessment
  6. Application Process
  7. Announcement of Results

1. Objectives

  • To recognize the contribution of research professionals to research, knowledge mobilization, training for new generations of researchers or supporting groups of researchers in all areas covered by the three Fonds de recherche du Québec, namely the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC);
  • To promote research professionals’ careers in Québec;
  • To develop ties between the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the province’s community of research professionals.

2. Award

An amount of $5,000 is awarded by each Fonds as follows:

  • 1st prize: $2,500
  • 2nd prize: $1,500
  • 3rd prize: $1,000

The awarding of the Prix d’excellence des professionnels et professionnelles de recherche is accompanied by an overview of each recipient’s experience and achievements, along with a photo, will be featured on the website and social media of the FRQ.

3. Frequency of Competition

One competition per year, following which the names of the recipients from each Fonds will be announced.

4. Eligibility

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements on the competition deadline of March 14ht 2024 at 4 p.m.

The application can only be submitted by the research professional.. For the purpose of this competition, the term “research professional” is used to describe any contract salaried professional, regardless of his or her research job title, whose remuneration comes from research grants or the regular budget of the institution in which he or she works.

The candidate:

  • must work as a research professional for a minimum of 21 hours per week at a Québec university or research organization affiliated with a Québec university;
  • must have a minimum of 5 years of experience as a research professional in Québec (research assistantship experience during academic training cannot be taken into account);
  • may not be a full-time student or postdoctoral fellow;
  • must not be a faculty member (regular or “sous octroi” – with an externally-funded academic appointment) of a university.

Note that a candidate:

  • may not simultaneously apply to more than one Fonds for the Research Professionals Excellence Awards.
  • may not receive the award more than once.

5. Assessment

Applications must be submitted to the Fonds according to the research area identified by the candidate. They are assessed by a selection committee set up by each Fonds, based on the evaluation criteria.

The candidate must demonstrate his or her contribution to one or more of the following types of activities:

  • Training of new researchers (students, interns or other highly qualified staff);
  • Support for groups, networks or teams of researchers;
  • Mobilization, transfer or valorization of knowledge;
  • Advancement of knowledge.

The quality and diversity of the contributions, as described in the applications, constitute the criteria on which the candidates are evaluated. The quality of the written language and the presentation of the application will also be taken into consideration.

6. Application Process

IMPORTANT: Applicants are advised to prepare their application well in advance to ensure that it is submitted before the deadline, given the large number of applications and requests received by the Fonds at the end of the competition.

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. In the event of an error in any of these respects, the Fonds will not transfer the application and the application will be deemed ineligible.

Before completing a scholarship application, the applicant must create a user account on the Fonds website, if this has not already been done. Individuals who already have a personal identification number (PIN) have direct access to a FRQnet account and must update their profile in the E-portfolio.

The online application form is accessible from the FRQnet portal, in the section “Available competitions”, under the category “Prize, ad-hoc support and others”.

In addition to completing the various sections of the form, the following documents are required and must be transmitted from the “Autres documents’” section – from the scrolling menu:

1) A cover letter of no more than 2 pages bearing the candidate signature.

2) A CV (maximum 5 pages) providing full details of their education, training and research career.

Note: The cover letter and CV should contain all the information required for the evaluation of the application according to the evaluation criteria listed above.

3) A letter from their employer attesting that, as of March 14th, 2024 (application deadline), the candidate holds a research professional position in a Québec university or a research organization or institute affiliated with a Québec university. This letter must clearly state that the contract is for at least 21 hours per week of remunerated work.

4) A letter of recommendation from the respondant (maximum 2 pages).

With regard to the language of submitted forms and documents, please refer to Section 3.6 of the CGR.Please refer to the FRQnet Application Presentation Standards document to properly format any document to be attached to the application.

In order to be receivable, copies of documents in a .PDF format must be legible and must not be read protected in any way. Once the application form has been submitted, it will not be possible to resubmit or modify the application in any way regardless of the transmission date, even if it is before the competition deadline.

Any application that is incomplete or does not contain sufficient information to establish its eligibility or to evaluate its scientific quality will be declared ineligible by the Fonds. No document that is not required will be submitted to the evaluation committee. Elements missing from the application will not be requested. No documents received after the application deadline date will be considered and applications cannot be updated.

7. Announcement of Results

The conditions regarding the announcement are set out in the CGR (Section 5).

Award recipients will be asked to provide the following documents:

  • A recent photograph;
  • A summary of their research experience and accomplishments;
  • Administrative information.

By submitting an application, the recipients agree that these pieces will be shared with the award partners.