Fonds de recherche du Québec Nature and technologies
The Next Generation of
Researchers,
Central to our Actions
Maryse Lassonde
Scientific Director
The Conference Board of Canada
November 5, 2013
Post-Secondary Education
Of crucial importance for a developed society
like Canada.
Knowledge transfer and training of individuals
will contribute to tomorrow’s society.
A competent and qualified skilled labour force, in
tune with the needs of society.
The importance of developing a scientific culture
→ the PNRI (Quebec National research and
innovation policy).
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The Fonds de recherche du Québec
(FRQ)
Quebec Chief
Scientist:
Rémi Quirion
FRQS- Health
Sciences
Scientific
Director:
Renaldo
Battista
FRQSC- Social
Sciences
Scientific
Director:
Normand Labrie
FRQNTNatural
Sciences and
Engineering
Scientific
Director:
Maryse
Lassonde
The FRQ Mission with a Focus on
New Researchers
To fund and promote university and
college research.
Programs aimed at new generations of
researchers.
Close to 4000 master’s and doctoral
students funded in 2012-2013.
New researchers: a priority for the
renewal of ideas, approaches and
expertise.
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FRQ Research Funding: A Global
Portrait
More thant 1,000 Research Projects
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
College’s Researchers
Partnership projects
Innovation networks
Team’s projects
Career Awards
Reviews
Etc…
The New Generation
• 3,659 Scholarships (Master’s, Ph.D.
and Post-doc
• 990 Start-up
funding for new
$76,6M researchers
$39M
20%
39%
$80,7M
41%
Infrastructure of Clusters
Budget : $196,3M
Research Funding Agencys’s Annual Reports 2012-2013
•
238 Research Centres, Networks,
Groups, Institutes, etc.
Future Generations of Researchers
As granting agencies, the three Fonds de
recherche du Québec are committed to
promoting discussion and debate around the
issue of the training of future generations of
Québec researchers.
April 30, 2013: A one-day symposium on
research training.
• 95 participants from universities and colleges.
• Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows,
representatives of student federations and
associations, government ministries and public
agencies.
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General Findings about
postgraduate studies
Stabilization of graduate enrolment of
Québec students → due to demographic
changes.
Average length of study at the master’s
level is particularly long.
Dropout rates for doctoral studies are
high.
Doctoral programs are long and intensive.
Necessity of acquiring cross-disciplinary
skills in addition to scientific expertise.
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Some Quebec Contextual Elements
Student enrolment
Graduation rates
Foreign students
Situation of women in NSE
Job market
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Student Enrolment: Perspectives
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Evolution of Student Enrolment in NSE in
Québec Universities
40,000
35,000
Full-time students - QC
Baccalauréat
30,000
25,000
20,000
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012p
14,000
Full-time students - QC
12,000
10,000
8,000
Maîtrise
6,000
4,000
Doctorat
2,000
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012p
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Graduation Rates
Slow-down in the growth of master’s and doctoral
graduation rates → R&D performance indicator.
The PhD graduation rate in Canada is lower than the
OECD average (Jenkins report (2008 data) and
Education at a Glance 2012 (2010 data)).
Wide disparity between different Canadian provinces:
Québec has the highest PhD graduation rate in
Canada. The Québec rate for 2010 is 1.5%, higher
than the Canadian rate (1.2%).
The PhD graduation rate in Québec (1.5%) is close to
the OECD average (1.6%) for 2010.
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Graduation Rates
Graduation rates for Québec students: 74.0%
at the master’s level and 61.4% at the doctoral
level. (2009-2010 data, Indicateurs de
l’éducation 2012, MESRST)
The proportion of university graduates in NSE
is around 30% at the undergraduate and
master’s levels, and between 50% and 60% at
the doctoral level. (OST 2010)
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Foreign Students
Foreign students represented 21.8% of full-time students
at the master’s level and 30.1% at the doctoral level in
2011-2012. The increase in the number of foreign students
over the next 10 years is estimated at 31% at the master’s
level (+1150 students) and 68 % at the doctoral level
(+1980 students). (Prévisions du MELS, June 2011)
The percentage of foreign students is higher in NSE
(43.7% at the doctoral level, 37.5% at the master’s level).
(MESRST, GDEU September 2013 for autumn 2012)
Attracting foreign students is a priority for Québec and
Canadian universities.
Higher graduation rates are increasingly dependent on
attracting foreign students.
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Underrepresentation of women in
NSE
⅓ of registrations.
Economic impact: low retention of female
students leads to annual losses of 3
billion dollars (United Kingdom).
Proportion of women at different
academic levels in Canada.
Source: Council of Canadian Academies, 2012
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Labour Market
Need for workers with the knowledge and expertise
to fill jobs requiring scientific and technological
skills.
Demands versatility and adaptability → acquired
through a collaborative and multidisciplinary
research training environment.
⅓ of doctoral graduates pursue an academic
career; ⅔ work in industrial and public R&D or other
professions.
The unemployment rate for PhD graduates was
lower than that of Québec’s active population, at
5.5% compared with 9.3%, in 2012. Men had a
higher unemployment rate than women (6.8% vs.
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4.4%).
Labour Market
Employers are unaware of the skills
acquired by students through research
training; companies do not recognize the
benefits of investing in research and
innovation.
Industry could play a greater role in the
definition of training needs.
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A new generation of researchers
Once fully trained, the new generation of
researchers will take its place within
colleges, universities, government
ministries and businesses.
In its next strategic plan, the FRQNT
intends to address the issue of attracting
a new generation of researchers.
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A new generation of researchers
Begin the introduction to research at the
college and undergraduate levels.
→ Acquire skills and experience
Pay particular attention to encouraging female
researchers
Boost the development of a new generation in
all NSE fields.
Increase support for internships in the
workplace to facilitate the integration of new
researchers into the workforce.
Foster the mobility of NSE students.
Sustain efforts to attract the best foreign
students.
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Industrial Innovation Scholarship
BMP Innovation
Program offered jointly by FRQNT and NSERC; provides an alternative to traditional
university education.
Objectives: To foster the development of companies' innovation capacity and to improve
employment prospects for recent graduates of master's and doctoral programs through
university-industry partnerships:
by enabling students to acquire experience, as well as personal and employment skills;
by developing innovative training initiatives;
by building networks of collaboration and knowledge-transfer;
by encouraging companies to invest in training and R&D; and
by contributing to increased innovation in key sectors of the various regions in Quebec.
Value:
Master’s: NSERC: $7,000 + FQRNT: $7,000 + Private: minimum $7,000 = $21,000 or more per year
Doctoral: NSERC: $9,000 + FQRNT: $9,000 + Private: minimum $9,000 = $27,000 or more per year
New scholarships awarded in 2012-2013
SME
Large companies
Non-profit organizations
Government agencies
Total
Master’s
25
26
9
2
62
Doctoral
15
6
4
4
29
Total
40
32
13
6
91
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Accelerate Québec – FRQNTMITACS
Program administered by Mitacs (Mathematics of Information Technology and
Complex Systems).
Objective
To provide an opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply
their specialized expertise to business research challenges.
Value
Each 4-month internship project receives $15,000 in direct funding, with the partner
organization and Mitacs each providing $7,500. Renewable.
It is required that the intern receive a stipend of a minimum of $10,000 of the total
grant per 4-month internship; any remaining funds will be used to support research
related to the internship.
In 2012-2013:
Nature and
technology
Society and
culture
Health
Total
Master’s
134
9
11
154
Doctoral
136
4
9
149
Postdoctoral
158
0
65
223
428 internships
13 internships
85 internships
526 internships
258 students
Number of internships
Total
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In addition, with the PNRI...
Increase the number of internships:
At the college level
At the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral
levels → with NSERC
Build new programs with Mitacs.
Establish an industrial research fellowship
program.
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Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary
Education
Great initiative of the Conference Board
of Canada in the current context.
Importance of tracking PSE with studies.
Importance of building a national strategy
for PSE.
The participation of Québec universities
and agencies should increase in the
future.
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Thank you for your attention!
maryse.lassonde@frq.gouv.qc.ca
www.frqnt.gouv.qc.ca
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