Mitacs announces new postdoctoral fellowship to bring top global talent to Canada

December 12, 2025

Vancouver, BC – Mitacs is pleased to announce an important new postdoctoral fellowship award. The Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award will bring outstanding international research talent, including Canadians currently studying abroad, to Canada to participate in industrial fellowships in partnership with leading researchers. The new postdoctoral award is an important demonstration of Mitacs’ commitment to attracting top research talent to help strengthen the economy, improve productivity, and increase competitiveness.

The Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award complements the Government of Canada’s talent attraction commitments, highlighted in the 2025 federal budget and, most recently, in the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative. It will focus on commercialization of leading-edge science and technology in sectors such as AI, quantum, clean technology, advanced materials and manufacturing, defence, cybersecurity, agri-tech, and health and life sciences.

Jointly funded by Mitacs and industry partners, the Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award ensures strong collaboration and impact and will provide an enhanced funding package to support costs for research as well as relocation

Key Details and Eligibility

• Awards will be offered through a time-limited competitive call. 50 unique awards will be offered for 2026-27.
• Each two-year project will be valued at $170,000, broken down as follows:
  • $85,000 annual award, with $42,500 provided by the partner organization.
  • Minimum of $70,000 allocated to stipend and up to $15,000 available for research and  relocation expenses.

• Eligibility is aligned to Mitacs’s Accelerate program. Eligible applicants must be within five years of completing their PhD and currently reside outside Canada, including Canadians who did their PhD abroad and international students.
• Applicants must be willing to relocate to Canada. Partner organizations can be for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, hospitals, and municipalities.
• Awards will be offered through a competitive call, which will open in March 2026 and close in May 2026.

For researchers already residing in Canada, Mitacs has released a special offer to further support domestic research opportunities. The Mitacs Accelerate Industry Postdoc will award up to $75,000 per year for three years to postdoctoral fellows currently in Canada conducting applied research with a company, non-profit, municipality, or hospital. Applications are open until December 19, 2025.

Together, the Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award and Accelerate Industry Postdoc provide critical funding support for Canadian and international postdoctoral researchers to both attract and retain them in Canada.

Quotes

“Mitacs is driving solutions to support economic resilience and growth. In support of the federal government’s priority, the Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award will help attract and retain top research talent from Canada and globally, while connecting them with industry to fuel innovation and economic growth.”

Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs

“Canada’s future prosperity depends on our ability to attract and retain the world’s brightest researchers. The Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award will help bring top global talent to Canada, strengthen our research capacity, and drive the innovation that fuels economic growth. The Government of Canada is proud to support initiatives that connect exceptional researchers with industry and deliver real benefits for Canadians.”

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

For more information on the Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence award, visit Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award – Mitacs.

Mitacs: Talent and Research Powering Innovation 

For over 25 years, Mitacs has helped grow the economy and develop the workforce of tomorrow, connecting industry with academia and global partners to solve real-world challenges. We support business-academic research collaboration through internships, co-funded with businesses, for undergraduate to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

As a national innovation connector, Mitacs takes a talent-first approach to strengthen innovation capacity and drive global competitiveness. We serve as an essential research-commercialization bridge, accelerating market entry and growth for new products and services.  This is a critical time for Canada to think big and take bold action. Mitacs is ready to help build a strong and resilient Canadian economy, powered by ideas, talent and innovation.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.