Québec Government Merit scholarship program for foreign students (PBEEE) 2022-2023
Deadline (application) :
November 1st, 2021 at 16:00 (EST)
Announcement of results :
End of April 2022
1. Objectives
The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) is responsible for managing the program. It was commissioned by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec (MEES) which provides the funding. The program has a component open to students of all countries and six specific components reserved for students from Brazil, China, India, Israel, Mexico and Wallonia. These specific components arise from agreements concluded between Québec and foreign governments.
The objective of the Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE) is to support the internationalization of research activities in Québec’s institutions of higher education, to attract top foreign researchers and students, and to promote international recognition of Québec universities and College Centres for the Transfer of Technologies (CCTT).
The program covers higher education as a whole by giving to the CCTT researchers and administrators the opportunity to participate.
More generally, the awarding of scholarships for foreign students aims at creating cultural links and allowing the setting up of possible common scientific research projects.
The program also represents an instrument for the MEES to support the Government of Québec’s scientific policy.
2. Target group
These scholarships are intended for foreign students or researchers from all research sectors (health, humanities and social sciences, arts and letters, natural sciences, and engineering) preselected by a Québec university, Synchronex (a CCTT), the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (SRE) or the National Council on Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) who wish to begin or continue studies or research activities in Québec. No research sector is given preference.
3. Features of the scholarships
The Merit Scholarship Programs for Foreign Students has three components:
- Doctoral research scholarships (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1M, 1W)
- Postdoctoral scholarships (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I, 2M)
- Short-term research or professional development scholarships (V3, 3B, 3C, 3I, 3IS, 3M, 3W)
All-countries scholarships
Doctoral research scholarships (V1)
Postdoctoral scholarships (V2)
Short-term research or professional development scholarships (V3)
Québec-Brazil scholarships
Québec-Brazil Doctoral research scholarships (1B)
Québec-Brazil Postdoctoral scholarships (2B)
Québec-Brazil Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3B)
Québec-China scholarships
Québec-China Doctoral research scholarships (1C)
Québec-China Postdoctoral scholarships (2C)
Québec-China Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3C)
Québec-India scholarships
Québec-India Doctoral research scholarships (1I)
Québec-India Postdoctoral scholarships (2I)
Québec-India Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3I)
Québec-Israel scholarships
Québec-Israel Doctoral research scholarships (1IS)
Québec-Israel Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3IS)
Québec-Mexico scholarships
Québec-Mexico Doctoral research scholarships (1M)
Québec-Mexico Postdoctoral scholarships (2M)
Québec-Mexico Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3M)
Québec-Wallonia scholarships
Québec-Wallonia Doctoral research scholarships (1W)
Québec-Wallonia Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3W)
4. Value of scholarships
In addition to the scholarship, MEES offers all scholarship recipients an exemption from paying the higher tuition fees required for foreign students and the medical insurance coverage offered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).
Value of scholarships for each component:
Doctoral research scholarships (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1M, 1W): $25,000 a year. The maximum duration of the scholarship is three years (nine semesters) with a possible extension of up to 12 months (monthly allowance of $1,000).
Postdoctoral scholarships (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I, 2M): $35,000 for one year (cannot be renewed).
Short-term research or professional development scholarships (V3, 3B, 3C, 3I, 3IS, 3M, 3W): $3,000 a month for a period of up to four months.
5. Eligibility requirements, citizenship and residence
Candidates
- Must meet all eligibility requirements at the closing date of the competition (a different closing date to be confirmed for students preselected by CSC);
- Must have been preselected by a university or Synchronex (a CCTT);
- For the Québec-China scholarship, must be preselected by the CSC;
- Cannot have already received a Merit Scholarship for Foreign Students from MEES, FRQNT or the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC);
- Cannot be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
- Cannot have applied for permanent resident status under Canadian immigration law.
In addition to the requirements mentioned above, candidates must take note of the following restrictions and administrative requirements:
Restriction on programs of study
Québec-Wallonia scholarship candidates must have previously studied in a French-language university-level institution in Belgium at the time they are awarded their scholarship.
Doctoral research (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1M, 1W) scholarship recipients must:
- Have a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion du Québec and a study permit issued by the Canadian Consulate valid for the duration of their studies in Québec.
Postdoctoral scholarship (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I, 2M) recipients must:
- Have a work permit issued by the Canadian Consulate for the entire duration of their stay in Québec.
Short-term research or professional development scholarship (V3, 3B, 3C, 3I, 3IS, 3M, 3W) recipients must:
- Have a temporary resident visa or electronic travel authorization to come to Canada. More information about this is available at this website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-nopermit-result.asp?q1_options=24
Elegibility period
Doctoral research component (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1M, 1W)
- The doctoral research scholarships are intended for post-graduate students.
- Candidates are eligible for doctoral merit program scholarships from MEES in the first nine semesters of their doctoral studies. All doctoral semesters, funded or unfunded, completed before the scholarship takes effect, are subtracted from the eligibility period.
- A candidate admitted into a doctoral program from a bachelor’s program and one who fast-tracks into a doctoral program without writing a thesis must apply to the doctoral scholarships competition (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1M, 1W) to obtain the scholarship during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th years of his/her graduate studies (semesters 7 to 15).
- The maximum duration of the scholarship is three years (nine semesters), with a possible extension of up to 12 months.
Postdoctoral component (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I, 2M)
- Postdoctoral scholarships are intended for researchers who have obtained their PhD no more than two years before the competition deadline or who submitted their doctoral dissertation by January 15, 2023.
- The postdoctoral research must be conducted in an institution other than the one that granted the PhD degree. The candidate’s doctoral supervisors and co-supervisors may not act as his/her postdoctoral supervisor, even if they have changed institutions.
- The maximum duration of this scholarship is one year. This scholarship is not renewable.
- A scholarship of lesser duration can be granted if the duration of the research is less than 12 months.
Short-term research or professional development component (V3, 3B, 3C, 3I, 3IS, 3M, 3W)
- Short-term research or professional development scholarships are intended for technical and university students (option A) or researchers who have completed a doctorate no more than five years before the deadline for the competition (option B).
- The short-term research or professional development must be conducted in an institution other than the one at which the student was enrolled when he or she applied.
- The duration of this scholarship is four months. The scholarship is not renewable. A scholarship of lesser duration can be granted if the duration of the research is less than four months.
Exceptions in calculating the eligibility period
The only exception to the rules governing the eligibility period concerns circumstances beyond the candidate’s control.
Candidates who suspend their studies due to maternity or parental leave can request an extension of their eligibility period for a maximum of 12 months. The FRQNT reserves the right to refuse any request that is not sufficiently justified.
6. Preselection of candidates
Only candidates preselected by a Québec university or Synchronex as of September 30, 2021 can be part of this competition. Candidates for the Québec-China scholarship must be preselected by the CSC as of March 31, 2022.
The universities, Synchronex, the SRE or the CONACYT and the CSC assume full responsibility for candidate preselection. You can consult the various deadlines for the preselection competition of each Québec university and Synchronex on the FRQNT website.
Those in charge of candidate preselection must refer to the instructions for candidate preselection available on the program web page.
Those in charge of candidate preselection in a Québec university or in Synchronex must complete the form for nominating candidates for the Merit Scholarship Programs for Foreign Students available through the FRQnet system of the FRQNT. It must be transmitted electronically by 4 p.m. on September 30, 2021.
Candidates must meet all the eligibility requirements of this program. Candidates proposed by a Québec university, Synchronex, the CSC, the SRE or CONACYT may be declared ineligible by the FRQNT if these criteria are not met.
Candidates preselected to the general program components (V1, V2, V3) can also be preselected for the Québec-Brazil-China-India-Israel-Mexico-Wallonia program components.
All-countries scholarships (V1, V2, V3)
Universities can recommend four candidates per year for each of these three components.
Synchronex can recommend four candidates for Postdoctoral scholarships (V2) and Short-term research or professional development scholarships (V3).
There are no quotas per country.
Québec-Brazil scholarships (1B, 2B, 3B)
Universities can recommend one candidate per year for each of these three components.
Synchronex can recommend one candidate for Postdoctoral scholarships (2B) and Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3 B).
Québec-China scholarships (1C, 2C, 3C)
The CSC will recommend at least 10 candidates for each of the competition’s three components. The CSC must take into account Québec’s linguistic specificities.
Québec-India scholarships (1I, 2I, 3I)
Universities can recommend one candidate per year for each of these three components.
Synchronex can recommend one candidate for Postdoctoral scholarships (2I) and Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3I).
Québec-Israel scholarships (1IS, 3IS)
Universities can recommend one candidate per year for each of these two components.
Synchronex can recommend one candidate for Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3IS).
Québec-Mexico scholarships (1M, 2M, 3M)
The SRE or the CONACYT will recommend at least 10 candidates for each of the competition’s three components. They must take into account Québec’s linguistic specificities.
Québec-Wallonia scholarships (1W, 3W)
Universities can recommend one candidate per year for each of these two components.
Synchronex can recommend one candidate for Short-term research or professional development scholarships (3W).
7. Submitting applications
Once preselected, the candidate must create his account in the FRQnet system. The FRQNT will then contact all preselected candidates to complete an electronic form to which the required documents will be attached. Candidates can refer to the “Instructions for writing an application” document in the Toolbox.
Only the 2022-2023 competition electronic forms and other required documents will be accepted. No documents other than those requested will be transmitted to the evaluation committee.
E-forms are available only in the secure zone of the FRQnet system of the FRQNT. They must be completed and sent electronically.
Files cannot be updated after the application deadline. It is suggested you keep a printed copy of your form for your records.
The form may be completed in French or English. Candidates who apply in English must provide a French title for their project.