A professor at the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Suleman has been participating in the program since its inception, with more than 15 internships supervised so far.

“Because each project has an industry partner that is a for-profit company, there is a commercial element to it, so the research is more focused on industry needs and we get results much more quickly than if it was just academic research.  We can then identify other research issues and expand the project – we can go big.”

GABAE Industries, a subsidiary of GABAE Development, is a startup technology development company that must be on the cutting edge of research in order to supply their clients with novel technologies for their products.  GABAE’s current focus is on a method of making novel nanoporous filtration media, which will perform better than any other purification product available in the filtration industry today.  In order to pursue this complex scientific initiative, GABAE engaged with Mitacs-Accelerate intern Shanshan Bian at UWaterloo who has experience synthesizing and characterizing nanomateria

But one of the biggest costs greenhouse operators face is for the energy required to run their lighting systems.  Many greenhouses use inefficient electric lights to compliment light from the sun, particularly in winter.

GE Lighting Solutions, based in Lachine, Québec, sought to develop a new range of LED lighting applications for the greenhouse industry which not only cut down on energy use but also increase plant growth and yields.

His joint industry-academia Mitacs Elevate research project with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc, a leading global semiconductor design innovator, and the University of Toronto proved to be a winning experience.

Aydin developed a novel methodology to predict thermal transport in AMD’s high-end electronic devices – giving the company a competitive edge in product development and time to market – by studying how heat transfers in various electronic systems. Upon completion of his fellowship, he was hired on as a full-time employee at AMD Markham.

While much research exists to study large commercial airliners, micro-air vehicles remain under-studied by comparison. As Director of the Turbulence Research Lab at UofT, Dr. Sullivan is studying aerodynamic control of these aircraft flying at low speeds, with the goal of developing methods to improve their performance at minimal cost to manufacturers.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Halsall Inc, a consulting engineering firm in Toronto that specializes in vertical building construction, recognized this incredible risk to its clients and reached out to the Mitacs-Accelerate program to find the expertise it needed to resolve it.  “Not a lot of people in structural engineering actually devote their careers to fire research,” reported Michael Buckley, Vice President at Halsall, which is why he jumped on the opportunity to engage with a graduate student at Queen’s University through Mitacs-Accelerate.

Acculogic, an Ontario-based robotics testing company, saw the potential to advance its theoretical base originally through a Mitacs-Accelerate internship in collaboration with Mario Morfin, a mathematics post-doctoral fellow from York University’s School of Information Technology.  When the algorithms for the new optimization process were completed, the company was faced with the challenge of continuing to build upon the advancements that Mario had developed. The company turned to Mitacs Enterprise to provide the necessary funding to be able to maintain their relationship Mario while afford

Since the introduction of mass-production in the automobile industry, efficiency and innovation have been of upmost importance for companies wishing to be on the cutting-edge in this highly competitive business.  Aurora, Ontario-based automotive parts supplier Van-Rob Kirchhoff Automotive has found their competitive advantage in the Mitacs-Accelerate program.

Virtual Marine Technology (VMT) is an SME that develops simulators for survival craft, fast response craft and high speed electronic navigation training.  Its goal is to improve the safety of personnel at sea by allowing trainees to practice in high risk emergency situations using a safe and effective simulation.  As a spin-off company from Memorial University of Newfoundland, VMT is grounded in research and constantly seeking ways to innovate. VMT currently employs 24 full time staff and is part of a growing simulation community in Newfoundland and Labrador.

For Qiquan Shi, coming to Canada from a tiny village in Guizhou Province in China was the opportunity of a lifetime.  A 2011 Globalink student had told him about the program and he recognized it as his chance to explore the world, despite coming from an impoverished farming family.  Overcoming all obstacles, he achieved outstanding academic success at Wuhan University in China, which gained him the recognition he needed to be selected for the highly-competitive Globalink program.  It enabled him to come to Canada to do advanced research at l’École de technologie supérieure in Montreal.