Mission and research fields

The mission of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) is as follows:

  • to promote and provide financial support for research in the fields of natural sciences, mathematical sciences and engineering;
  • to promote and provide financial support for the dissemination of scientific knowledge in fields of research relating to natural sciences, mathematical sciences and engineering;
  • to promote and provide financial support for the training of researchers through merit scholarships for graduate and postgraduate students and persons who engage in postdoctoral research, through professional development scholarships for persons who wish to re-enter the research community, and through grants that allow the teaching duties of college level professors engaging in research activities to be reduced;
  • to create any necessary partnerships, in particular with universities, colleges, and industry and the government departments and public and private bodies concerned.

Research areas

Energy
  • Biomass (energy)
  • Fossil fuels
  • Wind and solar energy
  • Hydro-electricity
  • Nuclear and fusion
Environment
  • Potable water
  • Fresh water
  • Groundwater and water tables
  • Waste
  • Ice and snow
  • Water / continent interfaces
  • Marine environment
  • Coastal sedimentation
Manufacturing and construction
  • Quality control
  • Material degradation
  • Industrial design
  • Human factors in manufacturing
  • Manufacturing impacts
  • Industrial logistics
  • Pilot scale prefeasibility
  • Preparation and processing
  • Product properties and testing
  • Prototyping
  • Robotics and automation
  • Health and security
Materials
  • Concrete and cement
  • Wood
  • Ceramics and glasses
  • Organic or synthetic materials
  • Metals and alloys
  • Stones and silicates
  • Textiles, fabrics, leather
Nature and interactions of matter
  • Electron and neutron
  • Radiation-matter interactions
  • Elementary particles
  • Plasmas
Living organisms (animal, monera, protist, plant)
  • Nucleic acids
  • Enzymes and proteins
  • Bioactive molecules
Living organisms (human beings)
  • Learning and memory
  • Cognition and language
  • Sensorimotor integration
  • Motivation, emotions and reward
  • Sensation and perception
  • Sleep, wakefulness and chronobiological modulation
Natural resources
  • Agricultural machinery and technologies
  • Nutrition
  • Parasites and diseases (animals and plants)
  • Fish farming
  • Animal production
  • Insect production and control
  • Vegetable production
  • Food processing products
  • Animal reproduction
  • Plant reproduction
Abstract structures
  • Complexity (IT)
  • Computer language
  • Computer Mathematics
  • Logic programming
  • Calculation theory
Techniques, measures and systems
  • Characterization of surfaces
  • Chemical composition
  • Degradation
  • Dimension and molecular shape
  • Imaging
  • Formatting
  • Rheological properties
  • Thermodynamic properties
  • Recycling
  • Macroscopic structure and characterization
  • Molecular structure and conformation
  • Molecular transport
Information and communications technology
  • Personal communications
  • Communication material
  • Telecommunication networks
  • Telecommunications systems
  • Printing systems
  • Telecommuting
  • Transmission and processing of digital signals