RSN Scholarship Funding for the Creation of Digital Health Knowledge Dissemination Content

Program Overview

The Digital Health Research Network (RSN) offers its members financial support for the production and dissemination of knowledge mobilization content based on digital health research findings. The program takes the form of reimbursement of expenses upon submission of supporting documentation.

The program aims to support the transformation of research findings into accessible formats (infographics, audiovisual capsules, podcasts, plain-language summaries, etc.) intended for end-user settings, decision-makers, the clinical community and the general public, in a perspective of French-language dissemination and knowledge transfer to practice settings.

Categories of Individuals Eligible for Funding

The program is structured into two streams to ensure support is adapted to both emerging researchers (student trainees) and to researcher members of the network.

• Stream 1 - Student Trainees: $1,000 to $2,500 per project

• Stream 2 - RSN Researchers: $3,000 to $5,000 per project

The RSN may fund up to 100% of the project's budget. Projects co-led by a researcher and a student are valued and are submitted under the stream corresponding to the principal applicant.

Funding Timeline

• Application deadline: August 7, 2026 at 11:59pm

• Evaluation and announcement of results: end of August 2026

• Project completion period: from September 1, 2026, to February 15, 2027. All expenses must be incurred and invoiced to the RSN before this date.

Eligibility Criteria

Stream 1 - Student Trainees

• Be enrolled in a Master’s program (thesis stream), Doctoral program, or postdoctoral fellowship at a Québec university

• Be an RSN Student member and be supervised by a research director who is also an RSN member

• Propose a mobilization project stemming from the student’s research work in digital health (completed or in progress)

Stream 2 - Researchers

• Be a Regular RSN member

• Propose a mobilization project based on digital health research conducted by the applicant or their team

Criteria Common to Both Streams

• One application per person per year

• The project must produce at least one concrete knowledge mobilization deliverable intended for a non-strictly academic audience

• Dissemination in French is mandatory; French and English are encouraged

• The applicant must not receive other funding covering the same expenses for the same project

Eligible Expenses

Financial support may be used to cover expenses directly related to the production and dissemination of deliverables, including:

• Graphic design: graphic designers fees for infographics, summary sheets, and visuals

• Audiovisual production: videographers and editors fees, equipment rental, filming and recording

• Audio production: podcast production fees and audio mixing

• Writing and revision: editor and scientific writer fees

• Translation and linguistic adaptation

• Dissemination: printing and hosting of project-dedicated platforms, launch event costs (venue rental, catering for a public event)

• Compensation for partners (end users, communities) participating in the co-construction of deliverables

Non-Eligible Expenses

• Salary or scholarship for the student or research staff

• Subscriptions to creation software or platforms (Canva Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.). The RSN provides a shared Canva Pro account that awardees may request for the duration of their project.

• Purchase of computer or recording equipment (computers, cameras, microphones, etc.)

• Open access publication fees (APCS)

• Conference registration fees

• Dissemination activities intended primarily for scientific audiences (symposiums, conferences, peer-reviewed conferences)

• Expenses incurred before the date of the funding decision

Financial Terms and Conditions

External providers (graphic designers, videographers, editors, translators, etc.) invoice the RSN directly.

Awardees do not advance funds: they forward the quotes and invoices from service providers to the RSN, which pays them directly up to the awarded amount.

1. Payment to providers is made upon receipt of original invoices addressed to the RSN.

2. The total amount paid by the RSN may under no circumstances exceed the amount awarded, regardless of the actual project costs.

3. All expenses must be incurred between the funding decision date and February 15, 2027.

4. Unused funds at the end of the project must return to the program envelope.

5. The support may not be combined with another RSN funding program covering the same expenses.

RSN Acknowledgement Policy

By accepting the financial support, the awardee agrees to acknowledge the RSN's support in all deliverables produced under the project.

1. Mention of RSN Affiliation

One of the following three statements must appear in the credits or acknowledgements of the deliverable:

• “Réseau santé numérique (RSN), Fonds de recherche du Québec, Santé”

• “RSN, FRQS, Québec, Canada”

• “With the support of the Digital Health Network (FRQS)”

2. RSN Logo

The official RSN logo must appear on all visual deliverables (infographics, video capsules, summary sheets, podcast page). The logo and usage guidelines are provided to awardees upon award notification.

3. Submission of Deliverables to the RSN

All deliverables produced must be submitted to the RSN before public dissemination for verification of the affiliation statement and logo usage. The RSN reserves the right to disseminate deliverables on its website and in its reporting activities.

4. Declaration of Generative AI Use

If generative AI tools were used in the production of the deliverable, the awardee must clearly indicate: the name of the tool, the type of prompt used, and the stage of the project during which the tool was used.

Beneficiary's Commitments

• Acknowledge the RSN's support in all deliverables (statement and logo)

• Submit deliverables to the RSN for promotion and dissemination through the network’s channels

• Declare any use of generative AI according to the prescribed conditions

• Participate, upon request, in dissemination activities organized by the RSN

• Submit, within 30 days of project completion, a short report (1 to 2 pages) describing the activities carried out, the deliverables produced, and the observed outcomes

• Use the funds in accordance with the rules of the Fonds de recherche du Québec

Evaluation Criteria

• Strategic relevance of the project: alignment with the RSN themes and priorities in digital health, including cross-cutting initiatives

• Consistency between strategy, target audiences, and format: alignment between the proposed format, the target audiences, and proposed dissemination channels

• Clarity of the dissemination strategy: precision and feasibility of the dissemination plan, and their appropriateness for the target audiences

• Impact Potential: usefulness for knowledge users, accessibility of content and anticipated reach

• Project feasibility: feasibility of the timeline and budget, as well as clarity and consistency of the proposed deliverables