His other responsibilities include fostering science-society dialogue, science culture and participatory science; helping position Qu\u00e9bec in Canada and abroad; developing international research partnerships; promoting science advice at local, regional, national and international levels; and advancing science diplomacy.<\/p>\n
On this last point, it is worth noting the agreement signed in October 2024 between Sorbonne Universit\u00e9 and Universit\u00e9 Laval for the creation of a research chair in science diplomacy, the first in a series of future research chairs in this field. R\u00e9mi Quirion is also the president and CEO of the FRQ.<\/p>\n
Supporting and promoting scientific research and the next generation of scientists<\/h3>\n
For decades, the FRQ has been dedicated to supporting the strategic and coherent development of scientific research in Qu\u00e9bec and providing financial support for this research. The agency promotes research training and knowledge mobilisation and establishes the partnerships needed to achieve its mission.<\/p>\n
Since June 2024, the three former FRQ funding agencies (Nature and Technologies, Health, Society and Culture) have been merged into a single entity with the aim of maximising synergies between research sectors. The FRQ has set up three scientific advisory committees, each chaired by the vice-president (research) of the corresponding sector.<\/p>\n
The Science and Culture sector covers 13 broad research areas, including education studies and the circular economy; the Health sector covers 12 areas, with a particular focus on sustainable health and life sciences; and the Nature and Technology sector supports cutting-edge research in 11 areas ranging from green technologies to artificial intelligence and quantum sciences.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Qu\u00e9bec is at the forefront of quantum research, thanks in part to the work of Universit\u00e9 de Sherbrooke Professor Alexandre Blais, who holds a research chair in quantum computer architectures funded by the FRQ.<\/p>\n
The next generation of researchers is a priority for the FRQ. Each year, the agency awards excellence scholarships at the master\u2019s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels and research grants for young researchers and new academics. In addition, an intersectoral student committee has been advising the Chief Scientist and the FRQ\u2019s board of directors for a decade on matters relating to student researchers.<\/p>\n
The power of an intersectoral approach<\/h3>\n
Sustainable development, including the impacts of climate change and digital technologies; demographic change and an ageing population; entrepreneurship and creativity; science-society dialogue: while free and fundamental research in each sector remains essential, the major challenges facing society must be met with strong collaboration and intersectoral research that leverages expertise from different disciplines and sectors.<\/p>\n
To tackle these challenges that transcend disciplinary boundaries, the FRQ promotes and supports intersectoral scientific research groups. The International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies (OBVIA), for example, is studying the societal issues raised by disruptive technologies, placing living beings at the centre of the solutions. The Qu\u00e9bec Intersectoral Flood Network (R\u00e9seau Inondations InterSectoriel du Qu\u00e9bec, RIISQ), meanwhile, is looking for innovative, concrete solutions to manage flood risk, a major consequence of climate change.<\/p>\n
Shining at home and abroad<\/h3>\n
Thanks to the support for fundamental research provided by the FRQ and other funding bodies, top talent is emerging in Qu\u00e9bec in cutting-edge fields. The FRQ\u2019s AUDACE programme funds high-risk, high-potential projects that encourage the scientific community to pursue intersectoral research and to develop unusual collaborations. Urgences rurales 360<\/a>, led by Richard Fleet, a professor at Universit\u00e9 Laval\u2019s Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, is a good example of this. Using the circus arts as a tool to mobilise and raise awareness around the challenges of healthcare access in rural areas, the project is being carried out in collaboration with the performing arts troupe The 7 Fingers. The circus show stimulates discussion and the search for local solutions during creative mini-summits. The multidisciplinary team hopes to raise awareness of the issues among organisations involved in rural healthcare and to adapt the show for public and scientific conferences.<\/p>\n ENGAGEMENT, a participatory science programme, encourages equal participation of citizens and researchers. Research projects are initiated by a citizen, co-directed by a citizen-researcher duo, and recognise the legitimacy of experiential knowledge. Recently funded duos include Sergio Rossi (Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Chicoutimi) and Francis Faucher, who are seeking to optimise tapping techniques for harvesting maple sap, the raw material for Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s famous maple syrup, and Maryse Bouchard (Institut national de la recherche scientifique) and Isabelle Fortin-Rondeau, who will be conducting a citizen study on polluting emissions from the Horne Smelter and the indoor contamination of homes in the Rouyn-Noranda urban area.<\/p>\n Other efforts are being made by the FRQ to support the dissemination of research results, thereby encouraging dialogue with the public and promoting a better understanding of the scientific process. The DIALOGUE programme offers grants to researchers and scholarships to doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who wish to engage with the public, either virtually or in person, about their work. Funding recipients have been able to develop innovative projects on a variety of subjects, such as human rights, education, nutrition, palliative care, and more.<\/p>\n Up-and-coming scientists are encouraged to fight disinformation via the REGARDS\u2013SDG programme. Students can propose science communication projects that use digital tools to facilitate exchanges with young people aged 18 to 30 about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n Partnerships have also been established with other communication organisations, such as Agence Science-Presse and its Rumour Detector<\/a>, to help combat disinformation and encourage critical thinking. Centre D\u00e9clic\u2019s conferences bring together scientists and the public in places such as municipal libraries or other more unusual venues (e.g., public festivals).<\/p>\n Science must serve to inform public policy, supporting decision-making through evidence and scientific expertise. To this end, the FRQ encourages the scientific community to get involved in parliamentary and government affairs. A training course on public policy (L\u2019interface) was designed to support scientists in this, and a guide on information disorders (including disinformation) for public officials is currently being developed.<\/p>\n Other scientists work directly at the city, provincial, and even international levels. Responding to a call from Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s Chief Scientist to build science advice capacity, an increasing number of municipalities are recruiting science advisors to help with local issues. The cities of Laval and Sherbrooke have partnered with the FRQ to host a scientist-in-residence to work on questions relating to climate resilience and eco-finance.<\/p>\n Internationally, the scientific residency programme in Qu\u00e9bec offices and delegations abroad continues to grow, with doctoral graduates posted in Seoul (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Rabat (Morocco), Dakar (Senegal), Los Angeles (USA), Paris (France), and Brussels (Belgium). These scientists-in-residence help Qu\u00e9bec to forge international scientific collaborations and contribute to science diplomacy. Finally, as president of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA), the Chief Scientist created the International Francophone Network for Science Advice (RFICS) in 2022.<\/p>\n Every year, the FRQ awards prizes to outstanding personalities and rising stars in Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s scientific and research community.<\/p>\n Launched in 2023, the Grands Sages awards build bridges between up-and-coming researchers and key figures in the history of science in Qu\u00e9bec and society in general, by awarding three scholarships to doctoral students working on subjects related to the expertise of the Grands Sages.<\/p>\n We also promote up-and-coming researchers through the Rel\u00e8ve \u00c9toile Award, established by the Chief Scientist on his arrival in 2011, which recognises the excellence of work by graduate students in any discipline, through scientific publication. Several of these young scientists have been featured in Curium, a popular science magazine aimed at young people, once again strengthening the link between science and society.<\/p>\n We should also mention the Publication en fran\u00e7ais award, whose objectives are to promote and raise the profile of French-language research publications in Qu\u00e9bec and the French-speaking world, to encourage open access to French-language research publications, and to recognise the social relevance and spin-offs of Qu\u00e9bec research.<\/p>\n To meet society\u2019s major challenges, Qu\u00e9bec needs innovative companies with expertise in cutting-edge fields. One of the FRQ\u2019s priorities is to support emerging researchers who choose to pursue this type of unconventional career.<\/p>\n The FRQ has set up and supports several initiatives to foster scientific entrepreneurship and creativity and to help young researchers explore careers outside the walls of academia. For example, the FRQ has joined forces with Esplanade<\/a>, a programme that helps young Qu\u00e9bec startups to initiate or improve new collaborative projects with Qu\u00e9bec researchers, and OSEntreprendre<\/a>, which awards grants to young entrepreneurs at college and university levels.<\/p>\n The FRQ worked with Concordia University\u2019s District 3<\/a> Innovation Centre to set up the Qu\u00e9bec Scientific Entrepreneurship Programme (QcES), a free online training programme. It also funds the Innovator in Residence programme, which supports, trains and brings together up-and-coming entrepreneurs and graduate students. This helps stimulate the integration of innovations into the healthcare system to the benefit of the public.<\/p>\n These programmes have helped many young people, like Simon Lafontaine. While at university, he co-founded \u00c9coboeuf<\/a> with his partner, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique Lavall\u00e9e. The company, which focuses on carbon-neutral production of grass-fed meat, won the \u2018Favourite Student Business Creator\u2019 award, presented by Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s Chief Scientist as part of the OSEntreprendre Challenge. It also received support and a grant from Esplanade.<\/p>\n Lafontaine then became involved in a research project on the biomethanation of bovine, agricultural and forestry waste. The project, funded under the FRQ\u2019s scientific entrepreneurship support programme, includes co-investigators from two universities and one college.<\/p>\n To ensure that innovation gets into the hands of users and consumers, Qu\u00e9bec has put in place a powerful chain of support, from free and fundamental research to the commercialisation of innovation.<\/p>\n While it may be a leader in research, in recent years, Qu\u00e9bec has been faced with productivity and innovation challenges. Like the science strategies and policies that preceded it, the 2022-2027 Qu\u00e9bec Research and Innovation Investment Strategy (QRIIS\u00b2) tackles barriers to innovation.<\/p>\n The QRIIS\u00b2, the Qu\u00e9bec government\u2019s flagship research and innovation strategy, was developed at the initiative of the then Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and stems from sweeping mobilisation and consultation efforts among the research and innovation community, led by the trio of R\u00e9mi Quirion, Chief Scientist of Qu\u00e9bec, Luc Sirois, Chief Innovator of Qu\u00e9bec, and Bicha Ngo, President and CEO of Investissement Qu\u00e9bec, with the objective of defining the priorities of Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s research and innovation ecosystem. The members of the trio play an integral role in supporting key players to put in place the structures and guidance needed to bring about a real change in culture.<\/p>\n Achieving greater innovation down the line means continuing to support and promote free and fundamental research and developing the talent and scientific culture needed to nurture the next generation of innovators.<\/p>\n The QRIIS\u00b2 reaffirms the importance of supporting research from its earliest stages by funding the initiatives of the FRQ. It also looks to Axelys<\/a>, a public research development corporation established in 2021, to help ensure that ideas and work emerging from the university sector find their way into innovation, particularly in the private sector.<\/p>\n Finally, companies are guided and financed by Investissement Qu\u00e9bec at every stage of their development. The return on investment generated by the commercialisation of innovation creates a virtuous circle, providing funding for further free and fundamental research.<\/p>\nCommunicating research results and scientific expertise<\/h3>\n
Science-backed decision-making<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nPromoting research and the people behind it<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nScience and entrepreneurship working hand in hand<\/h3>\n
The trio behind Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s innovation chain<\/h3>\n