The Government of Canada supports French-language research with $900,000 in funding for Acfas

The Government of Canada continues its efforts to support research in French in official-language minority communities

MONTRÉAL, Nov. 20, 2025 /CNW/ - A strong and dynamic French-speaking research community is a major asset for Canada. The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting research and innovation in French, strengthening the place of Francophone communities in the country's scientific and economic ecosystem.

That is why, David Myles, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Nature), today announced an investment of $900,000 ($300,000 a year for 3 years) to support Acfas' Service d'aide à la recherche en français. He made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages.

This service is aimed primarily at researchers working in the country's minority Francophone communities, including professors, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, in collaboration with their post-secondary educational institutions.

Thanks to this funding, the Service d'aide à la recherche en français will be able to:

• support researchers in submitting funding applications;
• recruit and train a research advisor to strengthen the expertise and support offered to researchers;
• set up a support service for ethical certification of post-award research;
• actively promote the Service d'aide à la recherche en français to key players in Canadian university research; and
• organize at least one pan-Canadian event a year to mobilize Francophone minority scientific communities.

The Government of Canada is allocating these funds to Acfas as part of a measure under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration to improve French-language research in Canada.

Quotes

"Our two official languages are at the heart of our identity and are a cultural asset and economic strength for our country. Our government is proud to support research in French in Canada. Thanks to Acfas' Service d'aide à la recherche en français, researchers in Francophone minority communities will be able to access the necessary resources to realize innovative projects, overcome challenges and seize the opportunities of an evolving world, while strengthening research in French in our country."

--The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

"A French-language research ecosystem is essential for the vitality of our communities and the scientific prosperity of the country. By supporting Acfas' Service d'aide à la recherche en français, our government is reaffirming its commitment to providing Francophone researchers with the resources they need to innovate, collaborate and succeed. This investment will make it possible to strengthen expertise, increase the support offered, and boost opportunities for mobilization all across Canada. Together, we are helping build a future in which research in French is taking its place at the heart of Canadian science."

--David Myles, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Nature)

Quick Facts

Acfas' Service d'aide à la recherche en français was launched in 2023 with joint support from the governments of Quebec and Canada.

Founded in 1923 under the name Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences, Acfas has a mission is to promote research and innovation as well as scientific culture in the French-speaking world, by contributing to the dissemination and valorization of knowledge and the scientific approach, with a view to improving the quality of life in society.

The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration recognizes the important social, economic and cultural value of official languages. It also considers the current and future situation of official-language minority communities in Canada, that is, French-speaking minorities outside Quebec and English-speaking minorities in Quebec.

Associated Links

Acfas (French only)

Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Hermine Landry, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, [email protected]