FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program
(Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, France)

Lyse Bourbonnais
(514) 873-2114
Ext. 224

Eligible applicants

-Applicants with a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) or professional degree in health sciences

-Canadian citizens or permanent residents domiciled in Québec (as defined in the Common Rules and Regulations, art. 1.1), as of the date the award becomes effective or by latest June 30, 2011

Not eligible: Those who hold an academic position, unless they take unpaid leave for the duration of the training award. An official letter confirming their employment status for the period and stating that they will resume their position once the training is completed should be provided by the employer.

Terms and conditions

-Must pursue full-time postdoctoral training in health research

-Must be supervised by an independent investigator (as defined in the Common Rules and Regulations, art. 1.2)

-Applicants unable to submit their doctoral thesis at the time of applying must provide, no later than September 30, 2011, an attestation that the thesis has been submitted.

Basic training in research ethics

Basic training in research ethics is compulsory for all FRSQ awardees when their research project involves human subjects.

The term "research project involving human subjects" applies when the research project involves:

-living human subjects

-cadavers, human remains, tissues, biological fluids, gametes, embryos or fetuses, cells or genetic materials

-personal information on file. Personal information is defined as information that enables a person to be identified.

This basic training consists of successful completion of Levels 1 and 3 of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux On-line Tutorial in Research Ethics.

Awardees must complete this basic training within a year of receipt of a positive response concerning the FRSQ award.

FRSQ encourages awardees to obtain, when possible, one-credit research ethics training in addition to the compulsory basic training in research ethics.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

e-documents

Please make sure to transmit your e-documents to the FRSQ.

Applicant

-Canadian Common CV (full CV)

-Application form entitled Bourses de formation

Research supervisor (and co-supervisor, if applicable)

-Canadian Common CV (full CV)

-Form entitled Section du directeur ou codirecteur / Annexe aux bourses de formation

Paper documents

The post office stamp or fax transmission date is proof of the document filing date.

Mailing address

FRSQ
500, Sherbrooke St. West
Suite 800
Montreal (Québec)
H3A 3C6

Applicant

-Official academic transcripts from the registrar's office for all doctoral courses taken (except for renewal applications)

-Copies of all award notices received, including the FRSQ awards, during the past four years

-Confirmations from publishers regarding manuscripts submitted and agreement to publish

-Copy of permanent resident card, if applicable, submitted by June 30, 2011

Application update

The post office stamp or fax transmission date is proof of the document filing date.

Articles in journals with peer-review committees may be updated until November 30, 2010.

Confirmation

Applicant will receive e-mail confirmation of receipt of application in December.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Choice of training location

Inserm unit

Change of training location

Awardees wishing to change their training location must send the FRSQ a written request stating the reasons for the change and describing the new research project.

The new research supervisor must

-be an Inserm research investigator or the head of an Inserm unit

-provide the FRSQ with written agreement to supervise the awardee

-send the FRSQ a paper copy of his/her Canadian Common CV (full CV).

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Effective starting date

Between April 1 and September 30, 2011

Duration

2 years, with the possibility of renewal for a third year

Parental leave

Awardees are entitled to a maximum of 6 months of paid parental leave (maternity, paternity or adoption), in which case the duration of the award will be extended by a maximum of 6 months. If both parents are awardees, only one of them is entitled to paid parental leave.

An applicant who wishes to take parental leave must have held the award for at least 4 months, unless he or she is already receiving an award from the FRSQ.

Awardees must give the FRSQ written notice of their intention to take parental leave, accompanied by a statement from their research director confirming that their training is being suspended for parental leave.

The paternity leave cannot begin before the first week of the child’s birth. The awardee must attach a copy of the birth certificate to his application.

Sick leave

The awardee may defer the award in case of serious illness (his or her own or the illness of a close family member) upon presentation of a medical certificate that includes the precise length of leave prescribed by the physician. Payments will be suspended during that period.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Amount

$ 30 000 $/year

Administration

The awards are paid by Inserm.

Income Tax

The awardee is responsible for paying the income tax due on amounts received from the FRSQ. No taxes are withheld at source by the FRSQ on amounts disbursed during the tax year in question.

The date the amount is granted determines the year in which the awardee must declare the amounts received as income for personal tax calculations.

Revenue Canada's T4A form and Revenue Québec's form 1 are sent to the awardee's mailing address (the one shown in the candidate’s module /module du candidat) in February of the following year of taxation.

The details provided in this form are for information purposes only. The FRSQ is not responsible for the validity of the information given about income tax.

Parental leave

See Duration of award

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Instituion or supervisor

The awardee may accept additional funding from the institution or his/her research supervisor.

Concurrent funding

See Common Rules and Regulations, art. 6.13

Travel expenses

The researcher may be entitled to reimbursement of travel costs – one return ticket in economy class – upon presentation of supporting documents.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Process

All applications are reviewed by committees of experts representing various health disciplines and methodologies.

Criteria

First application

Academic record

-Awards

-Honours

-Distinctions

Aptitudes and experience

-Lectures and presentations

-Publications

-Internships abroad

Research project

-Clear, concise background for research problem

-Clarity and agreement between hypotheses and objectives

-Relevant methods and analysis

-Feasibility

-Originality of project and contribution to the advancement of knowledge

Training environment

-Justification of the choice of the candidate

-Quality of supervisor's publication record related to student training record

Criteria

Renewal application

Research project’s state of advancement since the start of postdoctoral training

-Advancement with respect to methodology and discipline

-Justification for renewal and potential for successful outcome

-Research supervisor's evaluation

Achievements since the start of postdoctoral training

-Lectures and presentations

-Publications

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

In accepting this award, the awardee agrees to observe the Common Rules and Regulations, the Policy regarding open access to published research outputs as well as the terms and conditions stipulated in this Program Description.

The award will be revoked if the awardee fails to observe these rules.

The awardee must notify the FRSQ of his/her acceptance of the award within 30 days of receiving the offer.

Failure to give notice of acceptance will be regarded as refusal of the award.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

The research supervisor agrees to oversee the awardee's work and to provide the material and financial resources required for the research project.

FRSQ-Inserm Postdoctoral Exchange Program

Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm, France)