Mitacs Awards 2023

Mitacs Awards

Now in its 13th year, the Mitacs Awards is one of Canada's premier innovation celebrations. The ceremony will broadcast live from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. Join us virtually on November 22 to celebrate outstanding Mitacs program participants whose groundbreaking research is fostering innovation and growth in our nation.

Tune in to:

Find out who won an award
Hear incredible stories and life-changing research breakthroughs about our winners
Connect with colleagues from the innovation community via the chat function
Watch our pre-show interview corner at 6:00 p.m. ET followed by the award ceremony at 6:30 p.m. ET

Nomination process

Students and postdoctoral fellows may be nominated for a Mitacs Award in one of the following ways:

By the academic supervisor who supervised their work during the Mitacs-funded project;
By the industry supervisor who supervised their work during the Mitacs-funded project (for Accelerate, or Elevate, or Business Strategy Internship program nominees).

Professors may be nominated for the Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership by :

The industrial or not-for-profit partner;
The academic co-investigators;
The interns involved in the Mitacs-funded project on which they worked together.

It is expected that several individuals may contribute to the preparation of a nomination submission for an academic supervisor. In this case, one person should act as the lead in the process so that a single nomination is submitted on behalf of the professor.

Evaluation procedure

An internal and external review committee will review all nominations and make recommendations for the best candidates for each award. Mitacs's CEO will review the recommendations and make the final decisions.

The call for nominations are now closed for the 2023 Mitacs Awards.

For questions regarding nominations, please contact events@mitacs.ca.

Award categories

Mitacs Award for Inclusive Innovation*

Given to a student or postdoctoral fellow who has demonstrated a commitment to fostering an inclusive innovation ecosystem, breaking down barriers, and creating opportunities for underrepresented and Indigenous groups in Canada. This award endeavours to recognize the achievements of equity-deserving groups within the innovation ecosystem as well as to celebrate research achievements that promote social inclusion, incorporate diverse perspectives, and prioritize accessibility in the design and execution of innovative projects, products, and services.

Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — International*

Given to a student or postdoctoral fellow who has made a significant achievement in research and innovation through international collaboration during their Mitacs-funded Globalink or Accelerate International project.

Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Master’s

Given to a master’s student who has made a significant achievement in research and innovation during their Mitacs-funded project.

Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — PhD

Given to a PhD student who has made a significant achievement in research and innovation during their Mitacs-funded project.

Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Postdoctoral*

Given to a postdoctoral fellow who has made a significant achievement in research and innovation during their Mitacs-funded project.

Mitacs Award for Commercialization*

Given to a student or postdoctoral fellow for an idea brought from research that is now available on the market (or has strong support that it is soon to be commercialized).

Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership — Professor*

Given to an academic supervisor with an exemplary record of developing collaborations with industry and other partners, providing valuable research and training experiences to their interns and initiating research projects with significant outcomes through their Mitacs funding.

Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership — Industry

Given to a Mitacs industry partner with an exemplary record of developing collaborations, providing valuable research and training experiences to their interns and initiating research projects with significant outcomes through their Mitacs funding.

Eligibility

Past or present students, postdoctoral fellows, and academic supervisors who have participated in the Mitacs Accelerate, Elevate, Globalink, or Business Strategy Internship programs are eligible for nomination. For the selection criteria pertaining to each specific award, please refer to the list of Mitacs Awards above.

Award recipients will be notified in October and announced publicly at an awards ceremony on November 22, 2023. Recipients will be presented with their awards at the ceremony.

*These award categories are open to nominations for both college, polytechnic, and university participants from eligible programs.

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Speakers

Awards

400 +

Nominations

“The Mitacs Awards celebrate the tremendous achievements of top innovation talent and recognize the infinite potential for research and development made possible when bold leaders work together. As we embark on our 25th anniversary year, now more than ever, Mitacs is committed to bringing innovation into reach. On behalf of Mitacs, I am pleased to honour and congratulate this year's recipients and to celebrate their significant contributions to innovation.”