7th joint call for proposals to foster cooperation between Quèbec and the Nordic countries in the areas of culture, society, and research and innovation

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 developed a call for proposals. The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Government of Québec, hereafter the parties, have been in close collaborative dialogue since the Letter of Intent of 2015 with the aim of developing concrete cooperation.              

The joint call for proposals between the parties seeks to:

• Promote sustainable development and a green transition in each region, taking into account the cultural, social, 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;
• Favour 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.

Please note that this call for proposals is open to all sectors. Projects will be chosen after a quality-based evaluation and in regard to the criteria mentioned below. Also, a special attention will be given to projects that set the focus on social innovation in the line of new ideas, approaches, interventions, services, products, laws or types of organization that responds more adequately and sustainably than existing solutions to a well-defined social need. 

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 Québec partner;

• Begin at the earliest in January 2024;
• 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);
• Respect the application submission deadline –applications received after November 20st 2023 at 23h59 will not be considered.

Specification for 2023-24 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 2025.

Co-operation project support must not substitute the support usually granted by other financing organisations. Please note that financial support per project per year granted by the Government of Québec cannot exceed $10,000 CAD or 50 000 DKK.

Please note that the Québec Ministries, governmental agencies or organisations and Québec government companies may apply in calls for projects under the responsibility of the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie. However, the funding granted cannot be used to cover expenses incurred by them and their staff. The funding may only be used to cover costs incurred by external partners from Québec. 

The Québec-Nordic Council of Ministers cooperation uses a separate financing method, meaning that each partner is responsible for the entirety of its expenses in foreign territory. Québec Financial support is provided by the Québec ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie (MRIF) and the ministère de la Culture et des Communications. The grant requested from the Quebec government must concern only the Quebec partner's expenses (including travel expenses to the Nordic countries as well as living expenses). Likewise, the grant requested from the Nordic Council of Ministers must concern only the expenditure of partners in Northern Europe (including travel expenses to Quebec and living expenses).

• Coherence of project submitted in relation with the objectives stated in the call for projects;
• 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.

Please note that all the projects must absolutely be submitted to both coordinating organisations (being the ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie for the Québec partner and the Nordic Council of Ministers for the Nordic partners).

Québec and Nordic countries partners must both fill out the relevant online documents (no other forms will be accepted):

Fill in the project description and the budget form found at Start up: How to start you Nordic Project, or follow the link underneath.

Submit the application before the deadline via e-mail to nordic-quebec@norden.org

The Government of Québec and the Nordic Council of Ministers are responsible for the final selection of the projects and determining the amount of the support granted. Results will be made available to the organisations at the beginning of 2024. Please note that decisions are not subject to any appeals.

A final report form will be filled by each organisation and submitted according to the terms connected to this in Québec and NCM respectively.