Official applications are due June 20, 2013 and must include:

• Complete proposal
• List of three suggested external referees & their contact information
• Applicant CV
• Proposed Supervisor CV
• Memorandum signed by all parties, including relevant university research office, and saved as a scanned .pdf document
• One (1) letter of support from proposed supervisor
• One (1) letter of support from a former supervisor or person familiar with your research
• One (1) letter of support from your (proposed) industrial partner
• Any supplementary documents, as applicable
• Ontario Applicants: completed Ontario Notice of Collection of Personal Information and Consent

Applications can be submitted via a Business Development Director or via email to elevate@mitacs.ca.

If references would like to send their letters confidentially, they may email them to elevatereferences@mitacs.ca. All letters must be received at Mitacs by the application due date.

All applicants will receive a confirmation email from Mitacs when a complete application has been received. When you have all the necessary documents ready, please submit them online here.

Guidelines: Recommendation from former/current supervisors
A former or current supervisor of the applicant who is providing a letter of recommendation may want to consider discussing the following points:

• When did you supervise the proposed fellow, and how many other students have you supervised at the same level?
• Relative to the other students you have supervised at the same level, how productive was the proposed fellow while under your supervision (e.g. publications, patents, etc.)?
• If possible, please comment on the productivity of the proposed fellow, relative to other researchers you have known at the same career stage.
• Are there any outstanding achievements (e.g. high-impact research results, awards, etc.) by the proposed fellow that you would like to further comment on?

Guidelines: Recommendation from companies
A current or potential industrial contributor who is providing a letter of recommendation may want to consider discussing the following points:

• To what extent have you interacted with the applicant and/or the proposed academic supervisor in the past?
• Based on the proposed research project and on the previous interactions you had with the applicant, how do you foresee that the applicant’s work might benefit your company?
• If you are not already collaborating with the applicant, how do you envision your role in an eventual partnership? For example, you may describe the expected level of implication of your enterprise in terms of project design, in-kind contributions and access to facilities.
• If applicable, please describe the location/site that the applicant will be working at, and how much time you expect the applicant to work directly with your company (i.e. 25% of the time, 1 day a week etc.).
• Please indicate your willingness to fund the applicant for the duration of the fellowship and in what amount. If you are unable to support the fellow for the entire two years, an explanation would be helpful.

All Mitacs Elevate PDF fellowship proposals undergo a two-stage review process: an administrative review to confirm program eligibility, followed by an external review based on peer assessment of the research project proposals.

Peer assessment criteria are grouped into three (3) broad categories: the technical merit of the proposed research project; the industrial relevance of the proposed project; and the excellence of the proposed fellow.  For these categories, Mitacs seeks arm’s length expert reviewers to answer the following questions:

A. Technical merit of the proposed project

• Does the project significantly contribute to the advancement of knowledge or the development of new applications, and is there an appreciable element of novelty?
• Are the objectives achievable, given the current state of the art and the expertise of the project team?
• Are the methods and techniques appropriate for the objectives?

B.  Industrial relevance of the proposed project

• Please describe to what extent this research project has the potential to raise interest from industry (short- vs. long-term)?
• Have any companies agreed to provide a scientific, in-kind, or financial contribution to the project at the time of application?

C.  Excellence of the proposed fellow

• Relative to other researchers at the same career stage, how productive has the proposed fellow been to date (e.g. publication record, patents, etc.)?
• Are there any outstanding achievements (e.g. high-impact research results, awards) by the proposed fellow on which you would like to further comment?

A Mitacs Elevate PDF Fellowship is a comprehensive program with a range of components designed to provide advanced training to enhance the professional skills & research independence required for the fellow’s chosen career. As such, during the tenure of the award, the fellow is expected to:

• Work with and receive mentorship from their academic supervisor at the university 
• Spend approximately 50% of the fellowship (exceptions with justification can be a minimum of 25%) working at the industry partner site on a research project of mutual interest
• Work with Mitacs personnel to develop and implement a personalized training program to enhance their future career
• Spend an average of two (2) days per month on training; coaching; and/or networking activities
• Attend mandatory professional skills training workshops facilitated by Mitacs
• Participate in the Mitacs Ambassador program as appropriate
• Submit all required documentation by Mitacs and its funding partners, including, but not limited to, mid-term reports, final reports, and surveys.

The supervising professor is expected to:   

• Provide ongoing mentorship and research support to the fellow
• Meet with and provide research expertise to the industry partner, as appropriate
• Assume fiduciary responsibility for the fellowship research grant, including ensuring expenditures consistent with program objectives & guidelines
• Support the fellow’s professional training by allowing them to attend the mandatory Mitacs Elevate PDF leadership & management training sessions
• Attend relevant Mitacs Elevate PDF program events
• Provide appropriate financial reporting and program feedback to Mitacs, as required by its funding partners, including a mandatory online feedback survey within one month of project completion.

A primary contact at the industry partner must be identified and is expected to: 

• Assist the fellow with identifying appropriate research issues and developing a research plan
• Ensure that the company provides in-kind support, including hosting the fellow
  on-site for approximately 50% of the research project (exceptions with justification can be a minimum of 25%); providing supervision and guidance on the project; and helping the fellow make connections within the company and/or industry
• Support the fellow’s professional training by allowing them to attend the mandatory leadership & management training sessions
• Attend relevant Mitacs Elevate PDF program events
• Ensure the company’s annual financial contribution is forwarded to Mitacs in a timely manner
• Provide program feedback on the program to Mitacs, as required by its funding partners, including telephone or email surveys
• Provide feedback on the fellow’s final report.

All parties involved with the Mitacs Elevate PDF program are bound by the intellectual property terms of the university where the fellow is appointed. Please see the links below to the intellectual property terms for the following universities:

• Simon Fraser University
• University of British Columbia
• University of Victoria
• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• McGill University

For all other institutions, the Mitacs Elevate PDF program’s policy is to take no position regarding the intellectual property created by the projects and fellowships that are funded.

Intellectual property is left to be shared between the university, its researchers, and the industry partner, according to the intellectual property rules of the host university, unless a separate agreement is negotiated between the university, its researchers, and the industry partner. Mitacs strongly recommends that any discussions pertaining to intellectual property and confidentiality – where relevant – be resolved prior to submitting the Mitacs Elevate PDF proposal.

The Mitacs Conflict of Interest Policy is in place to assist Mitacs program participants to recognize and disclose situations that may be open to question and to ensure that such situations are resolved appropriately.

Individuals involved with Mitacs and its programs, including members of the Board of Directors; members of the Mitacs Research Council; officers; employees; researchers; and interns are required to disclose any financial interest or position of influence, as described in Section 2.0 of the Conflict of Interest Policy, in any business in the same area of interest as Mitacs, other than that of their main employer.

Where there is an ownership or operational relationship between an investigator and an industry partner, Mitacs may request details on the investigator’s involvement with the industry partner, evidence that the organization is under the effective day-to-day management control of someone other than the investigator, and evidence that the academic interests of students and postdoctoral fellows are protected. This request may come at the beginning or during the course of the project. Mitacs deals with each case individually.

Mitacs works to ensure that the research it supports promotes sustainable development and is conducted in a way that respects and protects the environment. Mitacs is committed to paying careful attention to environmental considerations in its decision to fund any research project. Ultimate responsibility for environmental considerations rests with the Mitacs Board of Directors which may, at its discretion, assign this duty to a subcommittee.

Fellows must submit a mid-term report upon request, prior to the end of the first year of research.  A template will be sent to all fellows no later than one (1) month prior to the report due date.

Please note that failure to submit a satisfactory report may result in a reduction or withdrawal of funding.

A final report must be submitted by the intern no later than one (1) month after the conclusion of the fellowship. The report must be written on a prepared template that will be sent to all fellows and should:

• Be no more than three (3) pages in length
• Summarize research goals, research techniques used, and research outcomes
• Identify benefits for the partner organization
• Identify future research plans.

An exit survey must be completed by all three fellowship participants: the fellow, the supervising professor, and the designated contact at the industry partner site.

Note: NSERC Form 300 must be completed by the fellow’s university and signed by the academic supervisor who received the internship grant.