Application timeline

October – March: Open call for host applications 

• Prospective host offices submit their position descriptions to Mitacs
• All applicants will receive an automated email confirming receipt of their application

November – February: Open call for fellow applications 

• Prospective fellows submit their applications and letters of reference to Mitacs
• All applicants will receive an automated email confirming receipt of their application

March – April: Adjudication

• All submitted applications are reviewed to ensure that prospective fellows and host positions meet the program eligibility criteria
• Applicants will be notified of their application status in April, once adjudication is complete

May: Interviewing 

• Host offices review shortlist of semi-finalist applications and select fellows for interviews
• Mitacs will contact the selected fellows and share the host office position description in advance of the interview
• Hosts and fellows will set up a remote interview based on mutual availability. Travel costs for in-person interviews are not covered as they can be conducted remotely.
• Hosts and fellows complete ranking survey to submit preferences

June – July: Matching 

• Mitacs confirms matches
• Fellows prepare to relocate, where applicable
• Hosts prepare an employment agreement with their HR department in accordance with the CSPF eligible position requirements
• Fellows negotiate and sign an employment agreement with their host office

August – September: Fellowships begin 

• Fellowships begin; hosts and fellows attend CSPF Orientation and training program commences

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.

All submitted applications are reviewed to ensure that prospective fellows and host positions meet the program eligibility criteria.

Once fellow applications and host positions are adjudicated, all shortlisted semi-finalist applications will be presented to eligible host offices to select fellow candidates for interviewing. Following the interview period, selected fellows and host offices will rank their choices for Mitacs to facilitate fellowship matching. Please see the Matching tab for more information on the matching process.

Fellow adjudication (March-April)

Fellow applications are adjudicated as part of a competitive call cycle through winter and spring in advance of the fellowship cohort start date in September.

All fellow applications are reviewed through a two-stage process:

1. Applications are reviewed for minimum eligibility requirements

• Please refer to the Eligibility tab for more information on fellow eligibility requirements

2. Fellow applications are then sent to a Fellow Adjudication Committee to shortlist candidates as semi-finalists

• The Fellow Adjudication Committee is made up of past Canadian Science Policy Fellows
• All applications are vetted for any potential conflict of interest with adjudication committee members
• Each application is reviewed by at least two separate members of the adjudication committee
• Adjudication committee members are asked to evaluate fellow applications based on research distinctions, leadership attributes, communication skills, and a commitment to the fellowship’s professional development opportunities and objectives
• Prospective fellows are evaluated using points-based criteria and review scores are calibrated to ensure consistent scoring is applied across members of the adjudication committee - Scoring Criteria to be updated
• Based on the review scores of the adjudication committee, a shortlist of fellow applicants is presented to participating host offices to select candidates for interviewing  

Host adjudication (March)

All host applications are reviewed by an internal Mitacs committee to ensure that prospective fellowship positions meet the program requirements. Applications are reviewed in accordance with the following adjudication criteria: 

1. Is the focus of the policy position clear?

• Are the policy issues, questions or challenges that the fellow will be working on clearly defined?
• Does the position involve policy processes? (e.g., problem framing, policy formulation, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation)
• Does the position include policy activities? (e.g., preparing briefing and speaking notes, senior decision-maker briefings, supporting the work of committees, stakeholder meetings, and/or consultations)

2. Is there a clear value-add for the position?

• Are the fellow’s key responsibilities clearly defined?
• Is the work appropriate for someone at a PhD level?
• Is there a value-add for the fellow in terms of skills development or exposure to government work?

3. Is there adequate support for the fellow to be successful in the position?

• Does the application reference mentoring or guidance throughout the fellowship, with a specific person in mind?
• Is there a clear accountability/reporting structure for the fellow in the application?
• Does the application reference any opportunities to engage in a wide range of internal and external activities, professional development, government training, etc.? 

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.

The matching process begins with host-fellow interviews. Following adjudication, all shortlisted fellow applications will be presented to eligible host offices to select candidates for interviewing.

1. Selecting interview candidates
Eligible host offices will select candidates that they wish to interview by filtering through a list of shortlisted fellow applications.

Host offices may choose to narrow their selection of suitable candidates by filtering for (e.g.):

• Location
• Working ability of language(s) spoken
• Academic specialization
• Policy skills and competencies 

Host offices will have access to the complete fellow application forms, and may wish to review the academic awards, past research experience, leadership experience, communication skills and statements of interest, among other fields, for potential candidates. Mitacs encourages hosts to be flexible on required expertise, as the success of fellowships is less dependent on academic discipline and more on broader skills that can be applied in the public service environment.

2. Interviewing (May-June)
Host offices are invited to request an interview with the shortlisted fellows they have selected. There are no restrictions on how many interviews a host office can request, however, we recommend selecting a minimum of three (3) candidates, where possible, to maximize potential matches.

Mitacs will contact the shortlisted fellows and share the host office position description in advance of the interview.

Hosts and fellows will set up an interview at mutual availability. Hosts must be prepared to accommodate virtual interviews for fellows that may be outside of the host office city. Hosts and potential fellows should note that there are no funds available from Mitacs to accommodate travel for in-person interviews. 

The interview is an opportunity for each party to learn more about the other. Host offices are encouraged to use their established HR processes for the interviews. It is important for hosts to accommodate questions from fellow applicants, as this is the fellow’s opportunity to evaluate the host office and fit from their perspective. 

Fellow applicants should treat the interview process as they would any professional interview. We suggest that fellows discuss how their expertise relates to the policy area of the host and to science policy in general and prepare any questions they may have about the role. As each host department has their own HR processes, the interview process will vary from host to host.

3. Matching
Following the interview period, selected fellows and host offices will confidentially rank their choices for Mitacs to facilitate fellowship matches. We encourage all participants to provide as many rankings as possible to maximize potential matches.

Once all fellow and host rankings are submitted, Mitacs will facilitate matches to maximize the number of fellowship opportunities and to generate top ranking matches, where possible. Please note that fellows and hosts may not be matched with their first choice. 

We will attempt to match all semi-finalists to host offices. Should any host offices not find a match in the first round, the process allows for a second round of matching. Unmatched semi-finalists will be given the remaining host office position descriptions and will have the opportunity to write a 500-word “pitch” describing why they would be a good match for the host office. After reviewing the pitches, hosts can decide if they’d like to interview additional candidates.

In order to maintain the confidentiality of the ranking process, fellows and host offices should not discuss their ranking decisions.

Matching statistics

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.

Fellows

During the fellowship cycle (September – August), fellows are considered full-time personnel of their host offices. Fellows must be physically located within host offices full time, and are expected to relocate at their own expense, as needed. 

Fellows must:

• Adhere to rules and guidelines of the host office, particularly regarding privacy and confidentiality in their work
• Fulfill all responsibilities of their fellowship position in accordance with their signed employment contract
• Participate in all program training and events facilitated by Mitacs
• Complete surveys for training and events facilitated by Mitacs
• Complete three program surveys during the fellowship
• Submit a Final Report summarizing the impact of their fellowship

Fellows should receive remuneration that reflects their qualifications as a PhD holder and is commensurate with comparable employment within the public service, typically in the range of $70,000–$80,000 per year. Fellows who are faculty members may receive this remuneration as a stipend to cover their housing and living expenses while at the host location.

Hosts

Host offices must provide full-time 12-month fellowship at a host office location within the fellowship annual cohort cycle (September – August), in accordance with the approved Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship position.

Hosts offices must: 

• Provide remuneration that reflects the qualifications of a PhD holder and is commensurate with comparable employment within the public service, typically in the range of $70,000–$80,000 per year
• Provide any additional benefits that are afforded to employees
• Provide the necessary management, support, and resources to ensure success and appoint a designated host supervisor to guide the fellow
• Accommodate the fellow’s participation in program activities, such as professional development and networking sessions which will require time off from their daily duties* 

*If the fellow is working in a location other than Ottawa, the host must make arrangements to facilitate the fellow’s participation in the cohort model where virtual options are not available. 

Hosts may also be invited to participate in some of the fellowship activities including Orientation in September and the final capstone event, Presenting with Impact, in July of the following year.

Additionally, hosts are expected to respond to the program surveys sent by Mitacs and provide any required documentation as laid out in the Terms and Conditions of the program. 

Mitacs

Mitacs is responsible for the design and delivery of the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, including managing the call cycle, supporting the annual fellowship cohort, and reporting.

In delivering the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, Mitacs will:

• Administer the calls for host and fellow applications
• Manage the adjudication for all applications
• Facilitate the matching process
• Communicate program information and requirements to participants during the fellowship cycle

Working with our partners, Mitacs also designs and deliver the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program’s professional development training and networking events.  

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.

Throughout the fellowship cycle, Mitacs expects all program participants to participate in program evaluation, by completing surveys and submitting a Final Report, where applicable. The findings from these tools are used to monitor the program’s success and identify areas for improvement.

Fellows must participate in routine reporting throughout the fellowship cycle to support CSPF program improvements, and for marketing purposes where permission has been granted. Specifically, fellows must:  

• Attend all mandatory training sessions and submit post-training surveys through the CSPF online learning management system, EDGE
• Complete three programmatic surveys for feedback collection: a pre-fellowship survey, mid-fellowship survey and end-of-fellowship survey
• Submit a Final Report summarizing the policy activities carried out during the fellowship 

Government host offices must submit routine reporting throughout the fellowship cycle, including:

• Completing three surveys for feedback collection: a pre-fellowship survey, mid-fellowship survey and end-of-fellowship survey
• Providing Mitacs with fellow salary information three times per year: once prior to fellowship start, once within 30 days of fiscal year-end (March 31), and once within 30 days of the end of the fellowship confirming the total amount paid to the fellow

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.

Collection of Personal Information and Consent Policy
All personal information collected as part of the submission and review process for the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship (CSPF) is subject to privacy legislation and Mitacs Privacy Policy for Program Participants. For a description of Mitacs’s commitment to protect the personal information provided by program applicants, please see https://www.mitacs.ca/en/website-privacy-statement

Information supplied as part of a fellow application to the CSPF program will be made available to Mitacs staff responsible for managing the application, identifying appropriate reviewers, administering and monitoring fellowships, compiling statistics, and evaluating the program. Information will also be made available to internal and/or external reviewers and to government host offices participating in the fellowship. All reviewers are required to commit to keep the application information confidential. 

If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team.