Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Comprised of 19 members (10 women / 9 men), the Executive Board (EB) exercises INRS rights and jurisdiction, according to its patent letters and applicable laws and regulation. Two thirds of its administrator members are external to INRS, coming from governments, scientific, cultural, or socio-economic fields. Eight instances are under the jurisdiction of the Executive Board, including the Study and research commission: the main instance dedicated to decisions related to education and teaching, research, and professorial cases.

STUDENTS
In each of the four INRS research centres, at least one student association supports its members along their academic experience and promotes their research activities. Five student associations (AECETE, CEISME, AEINRST, AESBI, AEUCS) are merged into the INRS student federation (FEINRS). Associations and the federation each have their own specific governance in addition to a general assembly, executive members, committees, etc. Associations and the federation are called upon to contribute to the appointment of students to serve on the governing bodies and participate to the various INRS institutional committees.
A student is appointed to the Executive Board by the INRS students’ federation, for a two-year term. There is also a graduated student sitting to the EB.
Moreover, four students are sitting on the Study and research commission.

ACADEMIC STAFF
All the members of the professorial body are represented by the same association: the INRS professorial union (SPINRS). Within each of the four research centres, there is a professorial assembly aiming to promote professorial body members to participate to the assembly activities and introducing them the operating rules.
The professorial assembly assumes an important function regarding to the centre’s activities, especially for research and teaching planning, scientific program and research project approbation, and budgetary procedures.
There are 3 professors sitting to the Executive Board:
- 2 members are appointed by the government for a 3-year term, under the recommendation of the Quebec Minister responsible of higher education (MES, in French); and
- 1 member from the centre "Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie", appointed after the centres’ professorial body consultation by the government, under the MES recommendation for a 3-year term.
Four members of the professorial body, 1 for each centre, are appointed by their own professorial assembly to sit to the Study and research commission.

NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
INRS staff, besides corporates and non-union staff, are represented by 3 different employee associations:
- Union for researchers of Quebec University (le Syndicat des chercheurs de l’Université du Québec SCUQ)
- Union for employee support of the INRS Armand-Frappier institute (le Syndicat des employés.es de soutien de l’INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier SESIAF)
- Metallos’ union, local section 9599 (le Syndicat des Métallos, section locale 9599)
SCUQ and SESIAF appoint 2 people to sit to the Study and research commission.
Unions also appoint 1 member for each working field (technical, office, services) to take part of the member assembly which aims to promote members participation in the centre’s activities.

INRS does not have a campus-community council, but it has six committees involving external stakeholders: the First Peoples Collaboration Committee (FPCC) and the Scientific Commission (SC), and the four Liaison Committees (one per research centre).

A First Peoples Collaboration Committee (FPCC) was put in place in 2021 to help develop and support harmonious and constructive relations between society and First Peoples. It reflects the determination of INRS to place its research and teaching mission in the context of reconciliation, and in line with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Members are appointed for a two-year term, and the committee has equal representation of aboriginal and non-aboriginal members. It consists of four external members and four INRS members and presided by INRS general manager. The committee is consultative on institutional decisions concerning issues affecting First Peoples and guides INRS in the right approaches to adopt. For example, the FPCC helped INRS to adopt the right posture when INRS announced a new institutional holiday for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The INRS Scientific Commission (SC) is a consultative body for research. It formulates to the Executive Board any recommendation it deems useful on research orientations, considering the expectations expressed by public authorities.
The Scientific Commission makes recommendations to the Executive Board for the 4 different INRS centres on their policy, research orientations and various initiatives. It analyzes the prevailing scientific situation, studies the preferable research program development, and recommend scientific programs for the four INRS centres. The Scientific Commission can name the expert subcommittees to examine specific aspects of the scientific programming. Besides the scientific director, it includes 8 extern members nominated by the Executive Board for a 3-year term, renewable only once. The members keep their function despite the expiry of their mandate until the Executive Board renews their mandate or nominate their successor. External members are recognized for their proficiency and represent academic institutions, administrative bodies, scientific or industrial organization operating into fields in which INRS carries out research activities.

Each research centre has a Liaison Committee constituted with external individuals coming from the most representative groups of governmental, scientific, cultural, and socio-economic circles interested in research. This advisory research and course committee ensures maintaining links and exchanges between INRS and external organizations and ministries that share INRS’s mission. It also contributes to maintain cohesion between Centres’ scientific training and activities, and the needs of society. The Liaison Committee is consulted within the framework of the centre Scientific Programming. It is also called upon to formulate recommendations to the Scientific Board regarding the centre’s annual report. The scientific Commission may, if necessary, consult a Liaison Committee.

As for the number of underrepresented individuals serving on the institution's highest governing body: the figures were gathered based on the administrators' governmental CV, which asks for people to self-identify as part of a visible minority (one of two also declared to be a member of the Indigenous people of Canada).