The objective of the program is to support innovative bilateral team research projects involving Quebec and Chinese scientists and focusing on two priority research areas:

• Geology and climate change
  • Knowledge of the past, the present and the future of climate and its influence on the water   circuit
  • Knowledge of climate regimes, terrestrial hydrosystems and cryosystems
  • The influence of human beings on natural resources in a context of climate change
  • The influence of climate on terrestrial disturbance regimes, e.g.: fires, landslides, etc.
• Optics and photonics

The program aims to foster knowledge translation and to encourage major scientific breakthroughs in the short and medium terms by combining and potentiating the strengths and sources of structural leverage of the team members.

Eligibility criteria

For Quebec applicants, the program is open to researchers who:

• are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (holding a permanent resident card);
• are resident of the province of Quebec;
• are working in the research areas targeted in the program in a Quebec college or university.
• hold one of the following status: university researchers (CHU, CHUN), college researchers (CHC) or institutional researchers (CE). Affiliated researchers (CHA), researchers with no recognized institutional affiliation (CHS), researchers from outside Quebec (CHH), government researchers (CHG), industrial researchers (CHI), collaborating researchers (COL) and guest researchers (VIS) may be included in the team but cannot receive funding. For a definition of each status, consult the FRQ Common General Rules.

For Chinese applicants, the program is open to researchers who:

• are Chinese citizens holding a faculty position in a university or affiliated research institute that has been registered by NSFC as eligible;
• are working in the research areas targeted in the program.
• are current or former grantees of an NSFC research project.

Each proposed team must include at least two (2) Chinese researchers and two (2) Quebec researchers.

Submission of application

Each side of the team (Quebec and China) must nominate one Principal Investigator who will be responsible to submit the application and the CV of each member of the research team (PDF format). The Quebec's Principal Investigator responsible for submitting the application must upload the documents on a secured website provided by the FRQNT. The Principal Investigator in China must upload the Chinese proposal to the NSFC application system (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/publish/portal0/tab434/info68685.htm) with the English application form submitted to FRQNT by the Quebec partner.

The form

The form (PDF format) is available on the FRQNT website in the Toolbox.

The CVs

Each Quebec team member has to include a complete Canadian Common CV (FRQNT style) to the application form. They must also complete the "Detailed Contributions" file and add it to their CV. All the documents must be joined into a single PDF document and deposited by this link: https://cloud.frq.gouv.qc.ca/u/d/a86fb336fe/.

Each Chinese team member has to upload an English CV using the provided CV template in the Toolbox.

Eligible expenses

The Quebec part of the project budget can only be used for one or more of the following cost categories as described in the FRQ Common General Rules:

• Compensation, training and professional fees
• Travel and subsistence costs for Quebec researchers going to China
• Materials, supplies and equipment
• Computer supplies, telecommunications and data banks
• Dissemination of research outcomes, reproduction, publishing, reprography or translation.

The Chinese part of the project budget should comply with NSFC's regulations on budget use (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/publish/portal0/tab229/info48335.htm).

Application timeline

Evaluation procedure

The procedure is divided in two steps:

STEP 1

The FRQNT and the NSFC will have each of the applications peer-reviewed by external experts.

STEP 2

The FRQNT and the NSFC will nominate a joint scientific evaluation committee. This committee will compare the applications and establish a ranking separating them in three categories:

• Proposal with the highest score: to be funded with the highest priority to the extent that the budget allows it
• Proposals with a score above the scientific excellence cut-off point: to be funded if the budget allows it (reserve list)
• Proposals with a score below the scientific excellence cut-off point: not to be funded

Evaluation criteria

The following selection criteria will be used for the evaluation process:

• Quality of research track record of Quebec and Chinese scientists
• Complementarities of the scientist's methodologies, subject-specific competencies and collaboration
• Project added-value in terms of collaboration
• Scientific merit of the project and potential benefits
• Realism of the duration of the project

Integrity of the evaluation process

The FRQNT and NSFC Board of directors are not involved in the scientific evaluation of funding applications, and at no time may researchers, students or institutional authorities make contact with the evaluation committee chairperson or members. The agencies have the right to withdraw an application from competition if there is any attempt to lobby the committee or sway the evaluation process.

Every person recruited to sit on an evaluation committee must comply with standard rules of confidentiality regarding the application packages, committee makeup, deliberations and recommendations. The evaluation committee chairperson, members and outside experts are required to disclose any conflicts of interest and must sign a written statement in this regard. For Quebec reviewers, refer to the FRQ Common General Rules.

The applicants shall address the intellectual property rights resulting from research conducted under the FRQNT-NSFC Bilateral Team Research Program, on a case by case basis, by taking into account the intellectual contribution of each participant to the research. For Quebec applicants, the management of their intellectual property rights shall be conducted in accordance with the FRQ Common General Rules and in accordance with the affiliated institutions' internal policy on intellectual property. For Chinese applicants, the management of their intellectual property rights shall be conducted in accordance with the NSFC Regulations on International (regional) Joint Research Program and in accordance with the affiliated institutions' internal policy on intellectual property.

The program offers financial support for two (2) years. A maximum of four (4) projects will be supported in this call. It is foreseen that the FRQNT will provide a total of CAD $80,000 annually to the program (up to CAD $20,000 per project/year for two (2) years) and the NSFC will provide 3,000,000 RMB annually (up to 750,000 RMB per project/year for two (2) years).

• The Quebec side of the team can receive a maximum of CAD $20,000/year for two years.
• The Chinese side of the team can receive a maximum of 750,000 RMB/year for two years.

The NSFC will fund the Chinese part of the research projects either completely or partially depending on the number of approved projects and the funds available. The FRQNT will fund the Quebec part of the research projects either completely or partially, depending on the number of approved projects and the funds available. The funding will be based on an equivalent contribution from both Parties.

In accepting the grant, applicants agree to comply with all the terms and conditions stipulated in the call and the general regulation of funding agencies that support them. It is the responsibility of the candidate to be aware of these terms and conditions.

Besides the clauses specific to their funding organization, in accepting the grant, the team will:

• submit to FRQNT and NSFC a final research report. FRQNT and NSFC will contact their respective awardees to inform them on the form it has to take.
• mention in any report, article or communication the funding organization supporting the project (FRQNT and NSFC).

For the NSFC

ZHANG Jiawei
Program Manager
Division of American and Oceanian Programs
Bureau of International Cooperation
National Natural Science Foundation of China
83 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China
Phone: 86-10-6232-9053
zhangjiawei@nsfc.gov.cn

For the FRQNT

Laurence Martin Gosselin
Program Manager and International Partnerships
FRQNT
140, Grande Allée Est, office 450
Québec (Québec), Canada, G1R 5M8
Phone:  (418) 643-8560 extension 3455
laurence.martingosselin@frq.gouv.qc.ca