The FRQS (Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé) is a non-profit funding agency created under the Act Respecting the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation (L.R.Q., c. M-30.01).

We report to the Minister in charge of Québec's department for economic development, innovation and export trade (ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation) and our mandate is to implement government strategy with respect to human health research as presented in the Québec Research and Innovation Strategy.

The FRQS was established in 1964 by Québec's health department under the name Conseil de recherches médicales. A pioneer in both Québec and Canada, the FRQS advised the health minister in matters of medical research. Forty years later, the FRQS plays a leading role in planning and coordinating the development of health research in Québec.

The FRQS allocates $100 million annually in awards and grants for public-sector research into human health carried out today in universities and hospital-based research centres. We fund projects using any of the recognized methodologies (basic, clinical, epidemiological, public health, health services and the social determinants of health). To fulfil our mission and maximize the economic and health benefits of scientific investigation, we invest in:

In order to ensure the responsible, efficient use of public funds while providing the best possible service to our clients, the FRQS has opted for a lean governance structure. Our professional, flexible and cost-efficient organization has become a model throughout Canada. Our small management team oversees the work of two departments – Administrative Affairs and Scientific Affairs– staffed with competent, courteous employees. Ad hoc and standing committees also contribute as required.

The FRQS Board of Directors takes all policy and program decisions. The Board is chaired by the president of the FRQS and is composed of 13 members and two observers, all appointed by the Québec government.

Mindful of the importance of rigour, efficiency and accountability, the FRQS Board of Directors has created three standing committees:

Executive Committee

Finance Committee

Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity Committee

As required, the Board’s chairman-executive director and vice-president create ad hoc committees to advise on priority issues:

Student Committee

Clinical Research Committee

All award and grant applications submitted to the FRQS are evaluated by peer review committees comprised of scientific experts who are representative of their fields. This proven review system ensures excellence on a national and international scale. We are grateful to the 500 volunteer members of our numerous peer review committees for their thorough and outstanding work.

These are important times for health research, and our diverse responsibilities in this area require that our managers develop and maintain a broad vision based on FRQS policy.

In view of the significant changes that have occurred in the health research sector in the recent past, we have chosen to focus our efforts on strengthening our core activities. In so doing, we work to create the necessary conditions for productive research and knowledge transfer, and to eliminate some of the obstacles hampering the development of health research in Québec.

In its 2007-2010 strategic plan, the FRQS has established three main stakes each comprising two to three streams of intervention:

Although the primary purpose of health research is to improve public health and welfare, not every type of research can be justified, no matter how great the benefits to individuals and societies. Because of this basic principle, the conditions for the proper practice of scientific investigation are based on research ethics and values, including respect for human dignity. Known as "best practices", these conditions take the form of rules that are acceptable to legislators and research stakeholders alike.

The FRQS is a pioneer and leader in ethics, scientific integrity and best practices. Working closely with the Québec government’s health department (Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux), we have established a quality assurance system complete with standards and monitoring procedures.

Another important component of best practices is the respect for intellectual property (IP). Several different parties bear joint responsibility for IP management activities, which include the generation, identification, protection, marketing, licensing, and exploitation of intellectual property arising from research. These parties, including research investigators working in research centres, groups or networks, as well as private and public partners, naturally, have varying interests. To address this challenge, the FRQS, together with its sister funding agencies (Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies and Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture), worked closely with the Québec government’s department for economic and innovation and exportation (Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation) to establish an action plan for IP management in Québec universities and all health and social services institutions where research is conducted.

To be eligible for funding, all research stakeholders in the fields of biomedical and social research – investigators, institutions belonging to Québec’s public health care system, granting agencies, professional corporations and teaching hospitals– must respect these best practices which are essential if Quebec intends to maintain the highest possible standards of scientific integrity.

The internationalization of exchange is here to stay in all spheres of endeavour, and health research is no exception. This is why FRQS has an external relations policy aimed at fostering the development of collaborative research on the Canadian scene and internationally. FRQS is the first provincial health research granting agency with such a policy.

The policy's approach is based on three principles that govern FRQS's action on the external relations front: researchers' dynamism and leadership; FRQS's role as a facilitator; and the policy's consistency with government aims and objectives. In it, FRQS also identifies priority geographical zones for collaboration

The policy will be implemented by means of an action plan containing 22 measures subsumed under four broad areas of intervention:

Health research today is based on a broad notion of the concept of health. It requires a good understanding of clinical practices, health services and policies. It requires a critical mass of scientists working in various disciplines and environments. Today’s organized, dynamic approach to research requires the existence of specialized infrastructures and costly cutting-edge technologies.

Partnerships proliferate in this stimulating environment, and all partners are striving to fully develop research capabilities in targeted fields. The FRQS has made partnerships a key component; we develop and support numerous alliances with:

Research development in targeted fields

FRQS participation in research granting programs supported by other private and public sources

Support for international exchange programs

Scientific review of proposals outsourced by other organizations