The Quebec Sleep Research Network (Sleep Network) is launching its second general call for projects, with the aim of supporting innovative research initiatives related to the major themes of sleep. This initiative is in line with the Sleep Network's mission: to propel sleep science as a highly innovative, cross-sectoral field rooted in the needs of the Quebec population, throughout life.

The program aims to stimulate the emergence of promising projects, based on solid scientific foundations, while promoting the next generation of researchers and the adoption of the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). It is also a strategic lever for broader funding, particularly with large granting agencies (e.g., Canadian Institutes of Health Research, CIHR).

Projects will be evaluated according to a binary Pass/Fail system, designed to reduce selection bias. Projects that pass all evaluation criteria will then be entered into a random draw.

Goals

This funding opportunity aims to:

• Support innovative, cross-sector research projects related to sleep, with a potential impact on the physical, psychological and social well-being of individuals ;
• Foster the development of the next generation of scientists, giving priority to projects led by new researchers ;
• Promote best practices in EDIboth in terms of team composition and the research topics addressed (discover EDI issues in sleep here) ;
• Serve as a springboard for large-scale funding applications, in particular by supporting the generation of preliminary data relevant to competitive applications (e.g. CIHR).

In the spirit of transparency and collaboration, the sharing of data, code and protocols is strongly encouraged, but does not constitute a formal evaluation criterion.

Available budget

A budget of $150,000 is available for this funding opportunity, which will support at least 5 pilot projects (up to $30,000 per project). Please note that at least three projects from early-career researchers, as well as one project addressing one of the needs identified by the Care Partner Committee, will be selected under this funding opportunity.

Priorities for the Call for Pilot Projects

As mentioned earlier, projects by early-career researchers will be given priority during the random draw. Early-career researchers are defined as individuals who have held their first independent research position for five years or less, corresponding to the CIHR definition of early-career researchers.

Priority will also be given during the random draw to projects addressing one of the needs identified by the Sleep Network’s Care Partner Committee:

• Document the barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders among individuals on the neurodiverse spectrum (e.g., ASD, ADHD, high intellectual potential individuals) and/or develop solutions to reduce these barriers (e.g., training for physicians, healthcare professionals, and affected individuals; new diagnostic markers, etc.);
• Document the attitudes and behaviors of people living with a central hypersomnia disorder (e.g., narcolepsy and hypersomnia) in response to their experiences and challenges, as well as the coping strategies they develop;
• Understand the bidirectional relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and mood disorders and/or develop intervention approaches tailored to this patient population;
• Document an individual’s journey toward a sleep disorder diagnosis and the impact of that journey (before, during, and after diagnosis) on the person living with a sleep disorder and their loved ones, given the frequent delays in diagnosis;
• Understand the impact of multidisciplinary approaches on the time to diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatments for sleep disorders;
• Document the progression of central hypersomnia disorders (e.g., narcolepsy and hypersomnia) with aging (including changes in diagnosis) and the long-term impact of these sleep disorders, as well as their treatments, on physical, cognitive (risk of dementia), and mental health;
• Understand the bidirectional impact of diet and/or the microbiome on the regulation of wakefulness and sleep in people living with a sleep disorder;
• Document lifestyle interventions for the management of sleep disorders;
• Document the strategies used by people living with a sleep disorder to manage their symptoms on a daily basis;
• Better understand the mechanisms underlying physicians’ decisions to prescribe one medication over another, including the evaluation of therapeutic and adverse effects, as well as the influence of patient preferences and values on these choices in the context of sleep disorders.

Eligibility criteria

The person submitting the application (principal investigator) must be affiliated with a managing institution in Quebec (according to the rules of the Fonds de recherche du Québec), be a regular member of the Sleep Network, and meet the criteria for status 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the general common rules of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). Projects submitted by postdoctoral fellows are eligible only if the fellow provides confirmation of appointment as a researcher or professor—which would allow them to manage the funds from this call for pilot projects—by December 31, 2026. Co-researchers and collaborators may be included in the application without being members of the Sleep Network.

Only one project per principal investigator may be submitted for this funding opportunity. Applications that are incomplete or do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be evaluated.

Eligible Expenses

This program allows expenses for :

• Compensation (salary and benefits):
  • research professionals;
  • undergraduate and graduate students;
  • postdoctoral fellows.
• Purchase of hardware, software and small research equipment costing less than $10,000;
• The cost of access to computing resources ;
• Acquisition of and access to databases and biobanks ;
• Platform access costs (computing, microscopy, etc.).

We invite you to consult the FRQ common general rules and the Network Management and Governance Guidelines for full details on eligible expenses.

Funding conditions

Funds will be forwarded to the research office of the principal investigator's home institution (managing institution). The managing institution will administer the funds according to their policies while respecting the FRQ's common general rules and the Network Management and Governance Guidelines . Please note that funds transferred to the researcher's institution cannot subsequently be transferred to another institution. Eligible expenses are those recognized by the FRQ (see section above for details).

For projects requiring ethical approval, the managing institution must commit, in a transfer agreement, to ensuring that an appropriate ethics committee approves any research project before activities requiring such approval take place. The transfer agreement allows the managing institution to use a portion of the funds prior to ethical approval to carry out preliminary work that does not require ethical approval. The managing institution is responsible for ensuring compliance with this commitment.

The principal investigator must be listed as a co-investigator on the Sleep Network grant, if they are not already, in order for the funding to be awarded. This requires consent to be added as a co-investigator as well as the presence of a FRQ CV in their FRQnet file, in order to receive the funding.

How to submit an application

To submit an application for this funding opportunity, you will need to complete the application form here.

You must also attach a project description to the application form in the following format:

• Maximum two pages, including 5 free references and budget ;
• Times 11pt with 2cm margins ;
• PDF file ;
• Figures and tables are accepted within the limits of available pages and document margins.

Please note that projects that received a “Fail” rating during the first edition of this call for pilot projects may be resubmitted. You will need to complete the application form and attach the project description as outlined above.

For projects that were not selected during the random draw but received a “Pass” rating in the first round of the first edition of the call for pilot projects, you may request that your project be entered directly into the random draw of this second edition. To be submitted directly to the random draw, no changes must have been made to the project since the first edition of the call for pilot projects, and the submission request must be sent to info@reseausommeil.ca. If changes have been made, you must complete the application form and attach the new project description, following the format specified above.

Candidates who were not selected during the first edition of the call for pilot projects may request a brief summary of the evaluators’ comments by writing to info@reseausommeil.ca.

Evaluation criteria

Projects will be evaluated according to a binary Pass/Fail system, followed by a random draw to reduce selection bias. A project must achieve a “Pass” on each of the following three criteria to be eligible for the draw:

1) Scientific relevance

The project must demonstrate strong scientific merit, including :

• Innovative character (hypotheses, methodological approaches, technologies);
• Significant potential impact;
• A clear commitment to making data and other scientific output accessible to the scientific community in the medium term, wherever possible.

2) Feasibility

The team must demonstrate that the project is feasible on time and within budget, taking into account :

• Team composition and expertise;
• Access to the necessary resources (equipment, infrastructure);
• A realistic timetable.

3) Leverage potential

The project must clearly outline its potential to contribute to a subsequent major funding application, identifying in particular the preliminary data targeted and their usefulness in the context of a specific objective.

Each criterion must integrate the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), where relevant, in particular by:

• Promoting the inclusion of regional researchers;
• Reflecting diversity in the populations studied and/or the issues addressed;
• Integrating diversity into the research team, including the principal investigator.

Finally, it will be possible for each evaluator to designate one “must-see” project. If a project receives this rating from all the evaluators, it will be eligible for direct funding, without going through the draw.

Timeline of the competition

• April 21, 2026 : Launch of the call for pilot projects
• June 22, 2026, at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) : Submission deadline
• July 2026 to September 2026 : Evaluation of submissions
• September 25, 2026 : Announcement of the winners

Principal investigator's commitment

No later than 6 months after the end of the project, a scientific report (maximum 1 page) presenting the spin-offs of the project must be sent to info@reseausommeil.ca. This report enables the Sleep Network to document the impact of its activities.

A financial report must be produced at the end of each fiscal year by the principal investigator's managing institution.

Finally, any publication or communication resulting from the project must mention the support of the Sleep Network, and a copy must be sent to info@reseausommeil.ca.

Frequently asked questions

How to become a member of the Sleep Network?
To become a member, please fill out the application form.

Are students eligible for this call for pilot projects?
Although a student may be part of the team for a project submitted under this call for pilot projects, a researcher (principal investigator) must be in charge of the project. Please note that only projects in which the principal investigator is a new researcher will be considered as a project for a new researcher. Students are not considered new researchers.

How should the project, team and budget be described in the application?
There are no rules as to how to describe the project, the team or the budget. You are free to decide the level of detail you wish to provide for the various aspects of your project, while ensuring that you meet the evaluation criteria and respect the form of the application (maximum two pages, Times 11pt and 2cm margins).

How long is the funding for?
Although funding may straddle two fiscal years, it will be for a one-year period.

How many evaluators will assess each project?
Each project submitted will be evaluated by three evaluators.

Why is it requested that EDI principles be integrated into each evaluation criterion, instead of having a specific evaluation criterion for them?
The aim of incorporating EDI principles into the evaluation criteria is to encourage their integration, when possible, into the organization and planning of the project, while taking into account the particularities of each project submitted. The integration of EDI principles should be naturally reflected in the project.

How will the three projects submitted by early-career researchers and the project addressing one of the needs identified by the Care Partner Committee be selected?
A random draw will be held among all projects submitted by early-career researchers that received a “Pass” rating on all three evaluation criteria to select the three early-career projects that will receive funding. Subsequently, a random draw will be held among all projects that address one of the needs identified by the Care Partner Committee and received a “Pass” rating on all three evaluation criteria to select the project to be funded. Once the project addressing one of the needs of the Care Partner Committee and the three early-career projects have been selected, the projects that were not selected will be added to the pool of other projects that received a final “Pass” rating, and a final random draw will then be held among all these projects. It is therefore possible that more than one project addressing the needs identified by the Care Partner Committee, as well as three early-career projects, will be selected for this funding opportunity.