The next deadline for applications is April 30. Guidelines for applications QCBS seed grants are intended to catalyze new research initiatives by providing funding for researchers to design or further develop research projects and seek larger funding from other sources. Emphasis is given to projects across research themes within axes or between two research axes. Preferably, seed grant proposals involve collaboration between researchers from at least two different QCBS themes.

Desirable outcomes Seed grant funding may be used to facilitate new funding opportunities in several ways. Some examples include:

  • Obtain preliminary data that demonstrates the feasibility or rationale of a larger grant proposal.
  • Writing new publications that demonstrate to granting agencies the functionality of a newly formed team of researchers.
  • Organizing team meetings to develop larger grant proposals.

 

Call for applications

Application deadline: April 30

Purpose: QCBS seed grants are intended to catalyze new research initiatives by providing funding for researchers to design or further develop research projects and seek larger funding from other sources. Emphasis is given to projects across research themes within axes or between two research axes. Preferably, seed grant proposals involve collaboration between researchers from at least two different QCBS themes.

Desirable outcomes: Seed grant funding may be used to facilitate new funding opportunities in several ways. Some examples include:

  •  Obtain preliminary data that demonstrates the feasibility or rationale of a larger grant proposal.
  • Writing new publications that demonstrate to granting agencies the functionality of a newly formed team of researchers.
  • Organizing team meetings to develop larger grant proposals.

Examples of eligible use of funds include: establishment of pilot lab experiments, field surveys or genetic analyses, gathering of preliminary data from the literature for a meta-analysis.

Examples of ineligible uses include: gathering additional data for existing funded projects, topping up student salaries, edition and copy charges, participation at conferences.

Amount of funding available: Up to $5,000 per project

Eligibility requirements: Collaborations must involve at least two members of QCBS. A member can apply for only one seed grant within an application round. To facilitate an equitable division of funds among QCBS members, priority will be given to teams that have not previously receive a seed grant funding. Further priority will be given to teams that have not previously obtained joint grants and would benefit most from this opportunity to demonstrate the potential of their collaboration.

Application process: Funding for seed grant is subject to an annual call for applications, each April 30th, The call for applications is announced in the QCBS Newsletter, and is always accessible on the QCBS website. Members may still submit applications to the QCBS if opportunities arise. Please contact info@qcbs.ca for any question.

  • Application Deadline: April 30th, each year
  • Decision Date: May 30th, each year

Expected contributions of award recipients

Events organization: Organizing public events is strongly encouraged. Those public events will then be announced through the QCBS media (Monthly Bulletin, website).
Activities and results communication: For each major activity of the working group (meetings, workshops, seminars), the principal investigator should send a short description (two sentences) and the list of participants to info@qcbs.ca. This information will be posted on the working group page of the QCBS website, and will be used to monitor the Working Group activities. Presenting the research results at QCSB Annual Symposium is also highly recommended.

Report: A summary report (10 pages maximum) shall be sent to QCBS at most a year following termination of the seed grant project. The report will be released on the QCBS website after revision by the QCBS office. The report shall contain the following sections:

  • A short narrative section (maximum of 2 pages) recalling the context and initial objectives, and explaining how the stated goals of the project have been achieved;
  • The list of the major activities (including participant’s list);
  • The list of products and deliverables produced through the project: grant proposal, publications (papers, literature review, book chapter…) major events;
  • A breakdown of how the funds were allocated and spent.

Original receipts shall remain filed for appropriate period with the researchers’ university administrations.

 

Guidelines for application

The next application deadline is April 30. Please apply using the online application form! The following paragraphs describe guidelines on information to be provided when applying for a QCBS seed grant. Following the guidelines will greatly facilitate the evaluation process. Thank you for sending to the QCBS a single .pdf document containing all the requested sections. Seed grants applications must contain the following items.

Cover letter (maximum 1 page)

The cover letter must include the following information: Name the Principal Investigator and all applicants, details on their academic institution or affiliation, ID, FRQNT NIP and email address. The cover letter should be brief and summarize the proposal content, elaborated in the following sections.

Justification and description of proposed activity (maximum 2 pages)

  • Project title
  • Overview of the proposed area of collaboration
  • Statement explaining how the proposed activity will support a new collaboration and cannot be accomplished with existing funds
  • Brief explanation of the proposed use of funds, including budget of estimated expenses

CVs from each non-member

A 2 to 3 pages CV for each member of the team that are not QCBS members, should be included with the seed grant application.

Estimated budget (maximum 1 page)

The budget consists in a table describing all the expenses planned under the activities of the seed grant project. Please use the following table as a template:

Item Cost per unit Number of units Total amount
       

 

Other funding received from the QCBS

The application must include a list of QCBS grants and awards received since 2009 by the seed grant applicants, listed by date awarded and including information on the type, amount, and the title of grants and awards. This list will not include QCBS excellence awards or QCBS prizes received by students supervised or co-supervised by the applicants.