Innovation begins with ideas — and great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) ensures that equity-deserving groups are able to access the funding and support needed to bring their creativity, ingenuity, and ideas to life. Mitacs is committed to advancing EDI in all our actions and decisions to build a shared, equitable future.
“Mitacs recognizes the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation to solve Canada’s most pressing challenges. One of our key commitments with the Strategic Plan 2021 was to advance EDI and Indigenous reconciliation in all our actions and decisions to build a shared, equitable future, but the complex structures of our ecosystem required a coordinated effort to foster change. With IIAP, we’re bringing concrete steps to propel Mitacs and our partners forward in our journey towards inclusive innovation.”
— John Hepburn, Chief Executive Officer, Mitacs
“The inaugural IIAP gives Mitacs a roadmap to address inequities and remove barriers for Indigenous Peoples and other equity-deserving members of our community. It brings a systemic approach to our commitment to inclusive innovation, with clear accountability measures and timelines. I’m confident that this initiative will help Mitacs ensure that research and innovation can be done for the good of everyone, by everyone.”
— Angelin Soosaipillai, Vice-President, EDI, Mitacs
“Our government knows that a diverse, inclusive, and equitable research community better fosters scientific discoveries. The Mitacs's Inclusive Innovation Action Plan will greatly benefit our research ecosystems by creating an equitable research community where everyone can participate.”
— The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Mitacs’s Inclusive Innovation Action Plan (IIAP) 2023–26 aims to build an inclusive innovation ecosystem in Canada.
Download the IIAP: English > | Français >
The IIAP strives to empower the social, cultural, and economic well-being of Indigenous Peoples and all individuals in Canada, through three core streams.
Stream 1: Equitable systems and processes
Focuses on Indigenization and incorporating EDI principles across Mitacs’s internal systems, policies, and practices
Stream 2: Access and support for equity-deserving students
Addresses gaps and inequities in Mitacs’s external programming to increase access and opportunities to diverse research talent
Stream 3: Networks and partnerships
Integrates Mitacs’s reconciliation and EDI efforts across our network to build an inclusive innovation ecosystem
Read our full action plan: English > | Français >
Methodology
- Partnered with Canadian Equality Consulting for the EDI audit/assessment, November 2021 - July 2022
- Mapped out Mitacs interns demographic representation with the launch of the National EDI Survey, July 2022
- Conducted an environmental scan to identify EDI and Indigenization trends and best practices, August 2022
- Partnered with Diversio to launch an Internal Survey to collect demographic data and inclusion experiences of Mitacs employees, November 2022
- Internal consultations with 48 individuals across Mitacs, January - March 2023
- Consultation with Full Partner Advisory Council (FPAC) members to collect insights from post-secondary institutions, May 2023
