National Competition for Young Researchers - Pediatric Research Foundation
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PRF National Competition for Young Researchers – 2025 edition

Value is not measured in number of years in the field“; in fact, there are young researchers at our research centres and universities who share a common vision with the Pediatric Research Foundation. Like us, they dream of helping sick children get better—and they have the tools and skills to make it happen.

The Pediatric Research Foundation aims to support new researchers in the early stages of their careers (10 years or less) by providing significant funding for innovative clinical or basic research projects ultimately aimed at improving the health of children and adolescents.

For this third edition, the Pediatric Research Foundation is proud to award 4 grants of excellence, including an INNOVATION GRANT of $60,000 and 3 PEDIATRIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION GRANTS of $30,000.
These awards will enable new researchers to develop a pilot project, helping them to qualify for major funding agencies.

The Pediatric Research Foundation believes in the importance of collaborative work and the decompartmentalization of pediatric research: it wants young researchers to surround themselves with collaborators from several pediatric research centers.

Eligibility rules

Principal investigator eligibility

  • Researcher supported by a research center (with a pediatric research mission) recognized by the FRQS (Fonds de recherche Québec – Santé)
  • 10 years or less of experience as an independent researcher
  • The researcher must agree to participate in the FRP’s promotional activities for his/her project.
  • Ensure 5-year reporting using the Pediatric Research Foundation form.
  • Early-career researchers who have not yet received a major grant from a granting agency will be given priority by external peers from their institution.
  • Commitment to knowledge transfer and advancement
  • Integrates a DEI culture (diversity, equity, inclusion)
  • Prioritizes vulnerable populations to reduce inequalities in child health (e.g. children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with disabilities, indigenous populations).

Co-investigators

  • Can be senior researchers
  • One of the researchers/collaborators must be attached to another university and come from a research center in Quebec other than that of the principal investigator.
  • Or two of the researchers/collaborators must come from a research center in Quebec other than that of the principal investigator, and at least one of them must be attached to another university.

The project (evaluation criteria)

  • 2-year period
  • Funding amount = $30,000 ($15,000 x 2 years)
  • Project originality (new project)
  • Structuring (leverage effect of the proposed project)
  • Innovative (must be in innovative fields)
  • Impact on children’s health
  • Clear plan for knowledge transfer
  • Must not be funded by an organization outside the research center.
  • Has the potential to lead to lead to wider research program

    The Innovation Grant of $60,000 ($30,000 x 2 years) will be awarded to the project that stands out most for its scientific quality and criteria of novelty and innovation.

Application

  • Complete a standardized application form for the competition via the FRP website (bottom of page).
  • Obtain a letter of support from the center director or an academic institution.
  • Curriculum Vitae of the FRQS principal investigator with the usual appendices.
  • The competition is open to all scientific fields, including the medical field and other pediatric research disciplines such as social sciences, psychology, education, nutrition, and many others.

Evaluation committee

  • Dr. Bruno Piedboeuf, Chairman of the PRF Scientific Committee and Director of the Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health Research Axis, CHU de Québec
  • The committee is made up of 2 evaluators from each of the following 4 research centers: CHU de Québec, CHU de Sherbrooke, CHU Sainte-Justine and McGill University Centre

Timeline

  • Competition – February 1st to April 12, 2025
  • Deadline for electronic submission – April 12 at 11:59 p.m.
  • Announcement of winners – June 2025 (date to come)
  • Award ceremony – with donors – Provincial mother-child research conference 2025 – Fall 2025 (date to come)

Contact:

  • For questions about the contest, eligibility rules and for receipt of forms before April 12, 2025 -11:59pm.
  • Contact Sylviane Chatel: schatel@fondationrecherchepediatrique.ca or Carole Lalande by phone at 514-595-5730 ext. 222.

2024 Awards winners
2023 Awards winners
  • POWER CORPORATION CANADA Grant
    Dr. Raoul Santiago, CHU de Laval – Centre mère-enfant Soleil, for his project “Provincial prospective registry on the use of exception drugs in pediatric oncology.”
  • Pediatric Research Foundation Grant
    Dr. Kenneth Myers, Montreal Children’s Hospital, for his project “Premature telomere shortening: a treatable disease mechanism in mitochondrial DNA depletion disorders?”
  • Pediatric Research Foundation Grant
    Dr. Alexandre Reynaud, Montreal General Hospital, for his project “Evaluation of the efficacy of a new binocular treatment for amblyopia by diacopic reading of electronic books.”
  • Pediatric Research Foundation Grant
    Dr. Mallory Downie, Montreal Children’s Hospital, for her project “Using genetics to understand phenotypic variability in childhood nephrotic syndrome for precision medicine.”

Application form for young researchers 2025

"*" indicates required fields

FULL NAME OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR*
EMAIL*
Summary of problematic, research hypothesis(es) and objectives, method and analyses, expected results. 5000 characters spaces included
The text must be popularized so that it can be understood by educated readers who are not necessarily scientists. 500 characters spaces included
Describe the project’s unique contribution and how it differs from other pediatric research projects. Describe how the project will contribute to the development of the researcher’s research program . 500 characters spaces included
Describe the immediate impact of your project and the long-term effects of your research program on children’s health. Specify the population targeted by this project (e.g.: number of children with the disease under study in Canada and/or the number of children who would be included in the study). How does your project contribute to the sustainable development of your community? Specify the positive social, economic and environmental impacts? 1000 characters spaces included
List research collaborators and their role(s) in the project, as well as clinical collaborators not involved in the research (must include at least one collaborator from a center with a pediatric research mission other than that of the principal investigator). Please enclose letters of confirmation for research collaborators only.
Specify the leverage effect this funding could have (e.g. positioning for major funding, development of collaborations, structuring effect for the long-term research program, etc..
Estimate the duration of the project (start and end dates) and the expected deadlines for project deliverables.
With justification
Describe knowledge mobilization plan
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 50 MB, Max. files: 3.
    For example: Curriculum vitae (CV CIHR Biosktech or NIH biosketch or FRQ CV,, last 5 years. ), appendices, etc. 3 documents maximum