Call for Projects 2021-2022 for Cooperation between Québec and Nordic Countries

Deadline: 7-Dec-20

The Government of Québec and the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) invite you to submit an application for financial support to carry out a co-operation project in the fields of culture, society, and research and innovation between Québec and the Nordic countries.

As per Joint Statement on collaboration in northern sustainable development between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Government of Québec signed 1 February 2013 and the Letter of Intent between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Government of Québec signed 27 February 2015, but without being limited by the foregoing, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Government of Québec jointly develop a call for proposals.

The present call for proposals is open to all sectors in society, culture, and research and innovation. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the current global health emergency, international collaboration is more important than ever. The joint call for proposals between the parties seeks to respond and contribute to the recovery efforts from COVID-19. Priority will be given to projects seeking to respond and contribute to the recovery efforts from COVID-19.

Objectives

The joint call for proposals between the parties seeks to:

Promote the sustainable development of each society, taking into account the cultural, social, economic, environmental and/or territorial factors of the projects.
Encourage exchanges between the two regions by fostering knowledge to respective entity’s cultural presence;
Promote co-creation and co-dissemination of artworks and cultural products, namely through exchange programmes involving artists, directors and authors, the holding of public events and the development of partnerships between cultural institutions on both sides;
Favor a better mutual understanding through the consolidation of networks and sharing of expertise;
Promote cooperation between researchers in targeted fields of interest on both sides.

Priority Areas

CULTURE

Those fields will be prioritized:

Digital cultural development;
Performing arts (dance, music, circus, etc.);
Cinema;
Literature and publishing;
Visual and digital arts.

SOCIETY

Those fields will be prioritized:

Health;
Education;
Gender equality;
Youth.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Those fields will be prioritized:

Digital innovation;
Climate, environment and sustainability;
Sustainable cities solutions and mobility;
Life sciences;
Innovative manufacturing.

Funding Information

Financial support per project per year cannot exceed $10,000 CAD from the Québec government and 50.000 DKK from the Nordic Council of Ministers. One year project will also be considered.
The Québec government and the Nordic Council of Ministers have each allocated per year respectively $55,000 CAD and 300,000 DKK to support a number of cooperation projects.

Eligible Expenses

The following expenses are eligible:

Transportation costs for return travel between Québec and the Nordic countries (economic class);
Expenses for the organization of webinars, the production, translation and diffusion of video podcasts or online classes;
Others expenses related to travel (visa, insurance, fees for green gas emission, transport of instruments or artworks, etc.);
Per diems (hotel and rental costs, meals);
Purchase of material or equipment;
Publication, promotion and information dissemination fees associated with the project;
Venue or equipment.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be admissible for a grant from the Government of Québec, the projects must be submitted by Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Québec. Projects must:

Involve at least two institutions and/or stakeholders from two different Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and/or Åland Islands) and one Québécois partner.
Begin at the earliest on 1 APRIL, 2021.
Be submitted as a complete application file both at the Nordic Council of Ministers (for the Nordic partners) and the ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie du Québec (for the Québec partner);
Specification for 2021 call: The fields of culture, society, and research and innovation have been chosen as priority areas. The aim is to facilitate concrete cooperation in the areas of culture and innovation. A final report will have to be submitted no later than February 28th 2022.

Evaluation Criteria

Innovative nature of the project;
Creation of new partnerships;
Clarity of stated objectives;
Timeframe and work program feasibility;
Contribution to the sector’s development based on the projected benefits and results;
Rigour of financial arrangement and diversity of funding sources;
Balance between the objectives and projected results in view of the work schedule and funding structure;
Environmentally friendly aspect of the project;
Be carried out jointly according to the principle of reciprocity and mutual commitment, both in regards to financing and concrete impacts;
Foster long-term exchanges and cooperative bonds between Québec and the Nordic countries;
Result in tangible benefits for Québec and the Nordic countries;
Lead to the establishment of networks for cooperation.