The INRS Foundation and the Service des partenariats stratégiques et du soutien à l'innovation (SePSSI) announce the creation of the FISES (Fondation de l'INRS et du SePSSI pour l'entrepreneuriat scientifique) scholarships. This new $10,000 scholarship program aims to recognize and support the efforts of aspiring entrepreneurs from the INRS student community by, among other things, enabling them to begin validating their business idea and its potential.
With the FISES scholarships, the Foundation and the Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Support Department are giving concrete expression to their commitment to fostering innovation and scientific entrepreneurship, in line with the vision of the Quebec Entrepreneurship Plan 2022-2025. From developing an idea to bringing it to market, scholarships are available at every stage of a business project. Their aim is to create conditions conducive to the emergence and growth of start-ups that add value to the research accomplished during scientific training at INRS.
For this first competition, six $1,000 scholarships and two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded, four this fall and four next spring. The members of the selection committee are:
- Élise Comtois, Executive Director of the INRS Foundation
- Caroline Montminy, Vice-President of Burgundy Asset Management and member of the Foundation's Board of Directors
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Karine Souffez, Director, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Support Department
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Marc-André St-Yves, INRS 2022 graduate and Lead Research and Innovation at Espace inc.
The first competition is now open! Members of the student community have until noon on November 7, 2024 to submit their applications. The online application form is available here and should be sent to sepssi@inrs.ca.
Through its participation in this initiative, the Foundation is offering an additional source of support to INRS students to enrich their training at INRS and help them realize their entrepreneurial ambitions.