Adjudication Criteria

External reviewers for internship proposals receive the following questions to guide their assessment of the proposal:

1. Does the proposed project qualify as research in its discipline? Please comment on the potential to make new contributions to the current state-of-the-art/body of knowledge, or to solve an existing problem using novel techniques.
2. Are the proposed objectives well-defined and reasonable? Please comment on their appropriateness to address the research problems or questions.
3. Is the methodology well-defined, sufficiently detailed and appropriate to achieve the objectives? Please comment.
4. Is the work plan feasible? Please comment based on the proposed timeline and available resources.
5. Does the internship represent an appropriate learning and development opportunity for the intern(s)? Please comment considering the degree level of the intern(s) and the proposed activities in both academic and non-academic environments.
6. If you have any further comments and suggestions for the applicants, please provide them here.
7. Confidential comments for Mitacs:
8. Will the research work potentially have adverse effects on the environment? Do you recommend that an additional environmental impact review be conducted?

In addition to reviewing the technical merit of the project, Mitacs proposals are also assessed to ensure:

1. Alignment with the intent of the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan) and that proposals for research collaborations, especially those involving intellectual property (IP) development and/or assignments to non-academic host organizations (see: Mitacs Intellectual Property Policy) demonstrate adequate benefits to Canada to qualify for Mitacs funding (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan).
2. The ability of the partner organization to successfully participate in a Mitacs project, i.e. the ability of the partner organization to provide a valuable internship experience and to advance project outcomes.
3. Actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest among project participants are recognized, disclosed, and appropriately managed (see: Mitacs’s Conflict of Interest Policy for Program Participants).
4. Indigenous research and innovation projects meet the expectations set forth in Mitacs’s Indigenous Research and Innovation Policy.

Proposals for large and long-term projects may sometimes involve significant technical or scientific uncertainties, complex project management plans, or highly structured intern recruitment, supervision, and training plans. In these situations, Mitacs reserves the right to hold a review meeting between applicants and reviewers to support the assessment of such proposals before arriving at a final funding decision. The need for such a review meeting will be determined as part of the review process, and applicants will be notified as soon as possible if a review meeting needs to be scheduled.

Mitacs Globalink Research applications will undergo review by an interdisciplinary team. Proposals will be adjudicated based on the following criteria:

1.    Quality of the research proposal
2.    Benefits to industry, society, and Canada
3.    Opportunities and benefits to the intern(s)

In addition to reviewing the technical merit of the project, Mitacs proposals are also assessed to ensure:

1. Alignment with the intent of the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan) and that proposals for research collaborations, especially those involving intellectual property (IP) development and/or assignments to non-academic host organizations (see: Mitacs Intellectual Property Policy) demonstrate adequate benefits to Canada to qualify for Mitacs funding (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan).
2. Actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest among project participants are recognized, disclosed, and appropriately managed (see: Mitacs’s Conflict of Interest Policy for Program Participants).
3. Indigenous research and innovation projects meet the expectations set forth in Mitacs’s Indigenous Research and Innovation Policy.

Reviewers for internship proposals receive the following questions to guide their assessment of the proposal:

1) Do the described activities of the internship(s) show potential to deliver innovative outcomes for the partner organization(s)? Please consider the following questions when determining whether the outcomes of the project are “innovative”:

a. Is the project novel?
b. Does the project go above and beyond the day-to-day operations of the partner?
c. Is the project helping the company to pivot/enter a new market/diversify revenue flows, etc?

2) Which Technology Readiness Level (TRL) does this project most closely align to? Projects suitable under BSI are non-research innovation projects.

3) Does the project describe a clear innovation challenge or improvement priority relative to the primary activities of the partner organization that justifies the need for the intern’s expertise? Is the intern’s expertise requested suitable for addressing the given challenge?

4) Are the project objectives and approach well-defined, reasonable, suitable and sufficiently detailed to understand the intern(s)’ activities?

5) Is the intern plan/project timeline clear, well structured, and reasonable for achieving all objectives?

6) Does the internship represent an appropriate learning and development opportunity for the intern(s)?

7) Will the intern(s) be adequately supported, mentored, and supervised at the academic institution and/or partner location while completing their internship(s)? With virtual interaction, are there sufficient opportunities for the intern to be onboarded/integrated in the partner organization.

In addition to reviewing the technical merit of the project, Mitacs proposals are also assessed to ensure:

1) Alignment with the intent of the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan) and that proposals for research collaborations, especially those involving intellectual property (IP) development and/or assignments to non-academic host organizations (see: Mitacs Intellectual Property Policy) demonstrate adequate benefits to Canada to qualify for Mitacs funding (see: Mitacs Research Security Plan).

2) The ability of the partner organization to successfully participate in a Mitacs project, i.e. the ability of the partner organization to provide a valuable internship experience and to advance project outcomes.

3) Actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest among project participants are recognized, disclosed, and appropriately managed (see: Mitacs’s Conflict of Interest Policy for Program Participants).

4) Indigenous research and innovation projects meet the expectations set forth in Mitacs’s Indigenous Research and Innovation Policy.

Proposals for large and long-term projects may sometimes involve significant technical or scientific uncertainties, complex project management plans, or highly structured intern recruitment, supervision, and training plans. In these situations, Mitacs reserves the right to hold a review meeting between applicants and reviewers to support the assessment of such proposals before arriving at a final funding decision. The need for such a review meeting will be determined as part of the review process, and applicants will be notified as soon as possible if a review meeting needs to be scheduled.

Applicants wishing to appeal the decision of the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) on their internship application may send a letter of appeal to the MRIC Chair (Mitacs Chief Research Officer and Scientific Director) by email to mrc-chair(at)mitacs.ca. Appeals must be received within 60 days of the notice of decision and must include the original signed proposal.