Grant program  
Collaborative Research

The Collaborative Research Grant Program covers work that may include studies, analyses, conception or development carried out according to a scientific process and likely to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. This work is defined in collaboration with the IRSST and falls within the priority themes.

Collaborative Research grant proposals are drafted by the researchers in consultation with the leader of the research field in question.

Submissions
Application for funding is a two-step process.

• Submission of the Letter of Intent, for a prior recommendation on relevance and priority.  
  • Letter of Intent Writing Guide (Microsoft Word)
  • Letter of Intent Form (Microsoft Word)
• Submission of a Research Protocol Form, which is the basis for the evaluation of the project's scientific merit and the decision to award funding.
  • Research Protocol Writing Guide (Microsoft Word)
  • Research Protocol form (Microsoft Word)
  • Evaluation Criteria for Research Protocols (pdf)
    

Approval Procedures

• Submission of the “Letter of Intent” form. Letters of intent can be submitted on the deadlines announced periodically by the IRSST. Send the form to the research management advisor for the research field for which you are submitting an application.
• Verification of compliance. The Letter of Intent is first checked to establish its compliance with the eligibility conditions and the form’s guidelines. A preliminary analysis is then done.
• Verification of correspondence to the Institute’s research fields and orientations. The Letter of Intent is submitted to the Institute’ Scientific Division in order to determine whether the proposed subject corresponds to one of its fields of research and to its orientations. It is strongly recommended that researchers who wish to apply for collaborative research grants contact the leader of the research field in question or the scientific director during preparation of their application.
• Decision on relevance and priority. The Letter of Intent is forwarded to the IRSST's governing bodies, which evaluates the project's relevance and priority based on conformity to the IRSST's mandate and guiding principles
• Submission of the “Research Protocol” form on invitation. Based on a positive recommendation on relevance and priority, the IRSST invites the researchers to prepare and submit a detailed research protocol. The relevance and priority recommendation is communicated by e-mail. The researchers have 2 (two) months from this date to submit the protocol.
• Evaluation of the protocol. The protocol’s scientific merit is evaluated through peer review (see “Evaluation Criteria for Research Protocols.
• Decision on project funding. The Scientific Advisory Board then issues a recommendation on the submitted protocol, taking into account the evaluations done in the previous steps. The Executive Office makes the final decision on funding for applications under $100,000. Beyond this amount, the Executive Office makes a recommendation for a final decision by the Administrative Committee for applications under $300,000, or by the Board of Directors for any application for $300,000 or more.
   
• Announcement of the decision. An award letter, accompanied by the Timetable and Instalment Procedures form, is sent to all grant recipients.