Mitacs-Accelerate Travel Subsidies Program

Purpose:

Travel subsidies are available when extended travel is required in order for a Mitacs-Accelerate intern to spend time on site in Canada with the partner for the purpose of accomplishing their research. Specifically, a travel subsidy may be requested to help offset a portion of the travel and accommodation costs required by Mitacs-Accelerate interns to interact with the partner organization when:

• The university and the partner organization are in geographically distant locations; or

• Field work is required and involves the participation of both the intern and the partner supervisor.

   

Rules:

• Travel must be budgeted in the standard internship award before applying for a subsidy.

• Travel subsidies are not guaranteed, and are awarded at the discretion of Mitacs

• Travel subsidies will not be awarded to internships with budgets that include expenses deemed by Mitacs to be nonessential, such as conference travel.

• The travel subsidy is not intended to cover all potential travel expenses; interns should seek other sources of funds such as support from their supervisor or home university.

Value:

After including a minimum of $2,000 in eligible travel expenses in the research budget for the internship, interns may apply to the MITACS Accelerate Internship Travel Subsidy Program for a subsidy of up to an additional $3,000.

Eligible Expenses:

Travel subsidies can be used to cover:

• Airplane ticket and travel to and from the airport;

• Bus or train travel;

• Car expenses (either rental car and gas, or personal vehicle mileage at $0.51 per km for the first 200km and $0.31 per km thereafter);

• Per diem for accommodation and meals (maximum of $75/ day).

The following expenses will normally not be eligible for a subsidy, but may be budgeted in the standard internship award:

• Commuting;
• More than two trips per 4-month internship unless required to successfully accomplish the research (Mitacs encourages an extended stay at the partner site instead of periodic return trips);
• Travel expenses for the academic supervisor;
• Rental of specialized vehicles and equipment necessary for field work (these should be covered by the partner and/or the internship award);
• Conference attendance costs.

Application Procedure:

Your application for a travel subsidy must be clearly indicated in the budget section of the internship proposal and will be considered by Mitacs at the same time as the proposed research.

Reimbursement:

If awarded, the travel subsidy is not part of the Mitacs-Accelerate internship grant. To receive reimbursement from Mitacs upon completion of the travel, the intern must submit an invoice from the supervisor’s department in the amount of the awarded subsidy (or actual cost of travel, if less), including copies of any relevant receipts. Receipts are not required for mileage or per diem. Original receipts, including boarding passes for air travel, are required for all other travel expenses.