Tremplin Award - Internship in a Practice Setting 2023-2024

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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
  • Recent copies of official transcripts for every term of university studies (complete and incomplete)
  • 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

• Internship offer form from the practice setting (Formulaire pour le milieu d’accueil, 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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).

This program does not benefit from the amount paid out by the FRQS to cover the indirect research fees incurred by institutions.