Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards
Application period March 13 to April 18, 2018, at 23:59 PT

The Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards celebrate Mitacs alumni who have ventured into entrepreneurship and turned their research into an innovative business or business idea.

Selected by a panel of esteemed judges, five exemplary researchers-turned-entrepreneurs will be honoured at our awards ceremony in June and presented with a total of $25,000 to support their businesses.

Why are we doing this? Supporting our alumni in their entrepreneurial quests is important to us, and by helping them succeed as entrepreneurs, we are strengthening Canada’s economy and improving the lives of Canadians.

What do winners receive?

  • $5,000 towards their start-up
  • Travel and accommodation to attend the awards ceremony on June 5, 5-8 p.m., in Montreal*
  • Inclusion in national marketing and media promotions

 

Apply now

 

*Only recipients outside of the Montreal area will receive travel and accommodations to attend the award ceremony. Attendance at the awards ceremony is mandatory. 

 

Award categories
Outstanding entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant with an outstanding business or business idea that is feasible and sustainable 

Social entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up works to address or solve social, cultural, or humanitarian issues

Global impact entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up demonstrates the potential to scale their business to international markets or have a global impact

Environmental entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up has a positive impact on the environment or addresses a challenge related to climate change

Change agent entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose innovation demonstrates the potential to significantly affect an industry, process, mindset, or to create a culture-shift within an industry  

Who is eligible?

To apply, you must have participated in one or more of the following Mitacs programs as an undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral researcher:

  • Accelerate, Elevate, Converge, Globalink: any participant of these programs is eligible
  • Step/Training: participants must have completed at least two Step/Training workshops and demonstrate how your participation inspired your entrepreneurship

Company eligibility

Through your application, you are declaring that you represent the company for which you are applying. To be eligible, your company must have commercialized its product or service, or be in the pre-commercialization stage, and are welcome to apply given the following criteria:

  • The business is incorporated as a for-profit or not-for-profit corporation within Canada
  • The operations of the business will benefit Canadians or the Canadian economy
  • The business cannot be owned by, or a subsidiary of, a parent corporation
  • The business is not a sole proprietorship

To be eligible to win the award, you must be a founder or member of the senior leadership team (e.g. Chief Technology Officer, etc.) of the company for which you are applying.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Montreal in early June and winners will be invited to participate in marketing and media relations activities. Recipients outside of the Montreal area will receive travel and accommodation to attend the event. 

How to apply

To be considered for a Mitacs Entrepreneur Award, your application must include all of the following:

  • A personal profile that details your entrepreneurial journey and how your participation in a Mitacs program played a role in your success (max. 750 words).
  • An applicant statement that explains why you should win a Mitacs entrepreneur award for the category(ies) to which you are applying (max. 500 words per category)
  • A business overview or proposal summarizing your product or service, market analysis, financial planning to date, and projected growth milestones (max. 2000 words)

The deadline for all applications to be completed and submitted to the online form is Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at 23:59 PT.

How you’ll be evaluated

Your application will be judged based on the extent to which it demonstrates:

  • Soundness of business planning
  • Your commitment to continued excellence in research, development, and business innovation
  • The values and ideals of the award category(ies) to which you are applying
  • A connection to, or influence from, your Mitacs experience

An esteemed panel of experts from business and academia will judge the applications, and successful applicants will be notified by May 18, 2018.

 

Apply now

 

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lindsay Ringuette at lringuette[at]mitacs.ca or 647-478-5675.

target-