In Canada, many First Nations communities do not have access to clean drinking water. Currently, 28 long-term drinking water advisories are in effect in communities across the country.

Dr. Kevin Kung wants to improve air quality by offering farmers an environmentally friendly alternative to burning the agricultural material that remains after their harvest, and foresters a better way to manage flammable forest residue.

Balance Biogas is revolutionizing how we power our world. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and ground-breaking research, this Yukon-based company is transforming organic waste into a valuable resource. With support from Mitacs, Balance Biogas is spearheading efficient, clean, and renewable biogas production methods that are driving down greenhouse gas emissions and fostering a circular economy.

The City of Charlottetown, PEI, has partnered with Holland College to study the water quality and biodiversity of local watersheds. While data has been collected for over five years, analysis of trends over time had never been done — meaning the municipality and its partners were missing key information for critical management and planning. A Mitacs BSI intern has analyzed this information and provided recommendations for the city to enhance the biodiversity and ecological health of the life in its watershed.

Selkirk College, in southern BC, built a network of Mitacs-funded internships with nine community partners to advance social and economic wellbeing in its rural region. In areas from conservation to culture, Selkirk students undertook research to address pressing local challenges.

As a graduate student at Congo’s Université de Lubumbashi, Rosette Kakese Mukosa travelled to Canada through the Mitacs Accelerate International program to evaluate the efficacy of a disinfectant powder on a harmful strain of the bacteria Escherichia coli. The results demonstrated a significant bactericidal effect, offering a safe alternative to combat bacteria.

In 2017, BC-based Hydra Energy hired then-Mitacs intern Patrick Steiche, who helped them develop a breakthrough retrofit kit that enables trucking companies to convert their diesel vehicles to cleaner hydrogen, reducing emissions up to 40 percent. Shortly after, Steiche was hired full time and later became the company’s Director of Innovation.

Simon Fraser University’s Dr. Erik Kjeang is leading a four-year collaboration with Greenlight Innovation, the global leader and manufacturer of fuel cell and electrolyzer test stations, to help scale up the technology needed to lead the transition to a hydrogen economy.

COVID-19’s unbalanced toll has highlighted the need for removing barriers to entry and increasing opportunities for all Canadians to participate in and strengthen the economy. To address this need, Mitacs and Scotiabank collaboratively launched the Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund (SERRF) through ScotiaRISE, the Bank’s 10-year, $500 million community investment initiative to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups.

The innovative work of the not-for-profit Arctic Research Foundation (ARF) facilitates community-led solutions for some of the biggest problems facing Northern communities, such as the need for green energy, standardizing and better disseminating data from Arctic research, addressing disruptions in food supply from the land, and responding to rapid changes in lake and ocean water and the impact on fisheries and marine mammals.