Administrative Aspects

• As soon as it receives a response to its application for financial assistance, the school must communicate with the science organization. If the project is accepted, the school and the organization must sign a contract. If the application is refused, the school administration or a person designated by it must notify the science organization so that it can cancel the dates reserved for the science workshops at the school and/or the field trips.
• The school board or private educational institution must sign a service contract with the service provider. All questions pertaining to contract management must be directed to the contract management advisor at the school board or educational institution.
• The contract must respect the terms and conditions of the Science Culture component and specify the points on which both parties have agreed. For example:
  • project dates
  • number of workshops or field trips
  • number of days
  • fees and related expenses
  • means of payment
  • obligations and responsibilities of the school board and the cultural partner
  • materials required and the terms and conditions associated with their purchase, which must take into consideration what the cultural partner needs to carry out the project
  • copyright, if applicable
  • clauses relating to contract cancellation or termination
• If the workshop is to be held by videoconference, the parties must agree on the following points before carrying out the project:
  • the necessary equipment: computer, camera, microphone, speakers, whiteboard, etc. Certain tools can be used to optimize the meeting (e.g. 180-degree camera or swivel camera, microconference, headset or headphones)
  • an optimum Internet connection. A high-speed wired connection with broad bandwidth is recommended
  • the digital platform to be used
• Payment for activities must be made on the same day or within a 30-day period.
• The school must find out if the school board requires a single invoice listing all the eligible expenses in order to make the payment at the end of the project.
• The school should also check to see if the school board has other administrative requirements to facilitate payment.
• The school or school board may request that the judicial records of the representative of the science organization be verified before allowing the representative to carry out a project in a school setting. The procedures for this verification are specific to each school board or private school and the costs are the responsibility of the science organization.
• Science organizations that have been the subject of a complaint for a justifiable reason after a workshop held in a school may be required to provide explanations and suggest changes to the suggested workshop in order to remain on the List of complementary organizations – Science Culture component. If further complaints occur, the organization may be removed from the list.

School boards

School boards that receive financial assistance under this program are required to complete, no later than June 30 of the current school year, the accountability report questionnaire available on the CollecteInfo  website.

Private schools

Private schools are not required to submit a report on the use made of the funds they received. However, as the Direction de l'enseignement privé may audit applications for which financial assistance was granted, schools must keep any supporting documents related to such applications on file for three years.