The purpose of the Relève étoile awards, established some 10 years ago by the chief scientist, is to promote the publications and careers of the next generation of researchers. Each award is assigned on the basis of a single publication. The competition has been functioning extremely well, and three awards are granted each month. We have noted, however, that more publications submitted to our evaluation committees are written in English than in French. This is indicative of a shift towards English.
In connection with publications in French, the chief scientist last year introduced an award for researchers who publish in French. This year, the competition was extended to include students in order to encourage them to write and publish in French. It is open not only to students, but also researchers within the francophonie across Canada .