As leaders of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), we must be attentive to the letter “The setting in step of research »co-signed by four researchers and published on November 18 in The Press. We welcome it with openness, but we would like to make a few clarifications.
The financing granted by the FRQ comes from public funds. The research thus supported must benefit the greatest number of our fellow citizens. It is in this spirit that the FRQ have for several years developed a series of initiatives to promote the link between science and society, including the integration of the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and the objectives of sustainable development (SDGs) in its excellence scholarship programs. The benefits of taking EDI into account in research protocols are widely documented. Funding organizations in Canada and Europe are also promoting it.
What do the FRQ ask candidates for an excellence scholarship? “If applicable, specify the consideration of EDI principles within the framework of the project and/or its potential contribution to societal issues, in particular those set out in the SDGs. If this does not apply to the project, briefly justify it. »
What is asked of candidates is to reflect on the principles of EDI, in order to prevent possible biases or blind spots in the research process, and thus improve their projects.
This is the added value that we see in taking EDI into account in the methodological reflection of a research project. For example, consider the more severe injuries suffered by women and the elderly or obese in car crashes, due to impact dummies designed around the average male body. It goes without saying that the evaluation committees take this into account insofar as the project lends itself to it.
Similarly, the FRQ want to make students aware of societal issues, including the SDGs, in connection with their studies. The exercise here is to get the candidate to think about what the contribution of their work could be in relation to such and such a social issue, insofar as the project lends itself to it. The next generation wants to demonstrate the scientific and social impact of its work, whether or not it is related to the SDGs. Via the FRQ’s Intersectorial Student Committee (CIE), the students were the very first to make the members of the three boards of directors aware of these issues.
Criteria that adapt
In 2021, we had included EDI and the SDGs as sub-criteria, and social mobilization as an evaluation criterion in pilot mode in the scholarship programs. Based on feedback from the judging panels, we have eliminated the criterion on social mobilization and clarified the sub-criteria on EDI and the SDGs in this year’s rules.
At the end of each cycle of our competitions, we review the evaluation criteria in light of the comments of the hundreds of researchers who make up our committees and we do not hesitate to make the necessary corrections.
At the end of the next evaluation cycle, and in light of the feedback from the evaluators, and the comments we receive elsewhere, we will adjust as we always have. Is it the role of the FRQ to generate reflections on EDI or the SDGs, as we do for ethics and responsible conduct in research and for environmental responsibility, and what place should they take? These questions will arise in the context of this process.
Regarding the exercise of academic freedom, it is essential to remember that students are free to choose their research subject, whether or not it is linked to the principles of EDI or the SDGs, as evidenced by the titles of the hundreds of student research projects funded by the FRQ following the latest competitions. There is something for all tastes and in all sectors.
No data leads us to believe that students have been penalized by this reflection exercise during the 2021 competitions. However, we remain sensitive to the fact that candidates may have questions about the EDI and ODD sub-criteria. This is why we will make arrangements with our evaluation committees so that these sub-criteria cannot in any way penalize a scholarship application.
We also remain open to continuing the dialogue with the scientific and student community, and to making the necessary corrections to the rules of scholarship programs.
* Co-signatories: Janice Baley, Scientific Director of the Quebec Research Fund – Nature and Technology (FRQNT); Carole Jabet, Scientific Director of the Quebec Research Fund – Health (FRQS); Louise Poissant, Scientific Director of the Quebec Research Fund – Society and Culture (FRQSC)