How It Works

Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur projects are limited to two (2) years in duration due to the fast-paced and quickly changing nature of research with start-ups. Participants are welcome to submit a continuation of the project in a new proposal for the remaining research work they would like to continue, but this must be discussed with your Mitacs Advisor, 

We support growth where you need it

This program targets the stages in a start-up’s journey where big impacts can be made: 

  • Piloting and testing a new product, service or technology
  • Iterating and improving on an existing product, service, or technology
  • Making the most out of limited budgets 

A flexible and scalable option

  • Applications are accepted anytime
  • Evaluation is completed in six to eight weeks
  • Projects start at four months and can be scaled up depending on the start-up’s needs

Get started on your application today!

An Accelerate Entrepreneur application consists of:

Connect with a Mitacs Advisor in your region with questions about program requirements and eligibility.

Program Details

Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur funds student and postdoctoral entrepreneurs to achieve commercialization goals, and further develop the research or technology at the core of their start-up business. 

Accelerate Entrepreneur is designed to support the unique needs of postdoctoral, undergraduate, graduate, and college student entrepreneurs. With the support of an approved incubator, Mitacs funding helps students and postdoctoral fellows build their professional entrepreneurial skills, with the goal of commercializing their incorporated start-up’s technology, product, or service through funded internships. 

In short, Accelerate Entrepreneur pays students and postdoctoral fellows to grow their start-ups and get to market faster.   

Student and postdoctoral entrepreneurs must hold ownership of their incorporated start-up, and hold responsibility for  the management and/or operations of the company. Consulting firms, and full-time employees with no ownership or responsibility for  the company’s management and/or operations are not eligible for Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur funding. Check with your Mitacs Advisor to explore bringing a standard Accelerate intern to your start-up. 

Project Extension

 

Project Extension

Mitacs project extensions are now available to Accelerate Entrepreneur project holders who need more time to complete the objectives and deliverables as outlined in an approved Mitacs project. Though this streamlined application and adjudication process (with additional financial commitment from the partner organization), eligible applicants may extend the original project timeline by adding up to one internship unit (IU) per intern per project (to a maximum of 10 IUs per project). Project extensions can be used to overcome unexpected challenges, to incorporate additional scope, or to allow additional time to support implementation of results.

You are eligible to request an extension in your project if:

  • At least 75% of your initial project is completed or your project has ended less than 4 months ago;
  • The extension is requested to complete the initial objectives of the project;
  • The extension request is for 1 internship unit per intern to a maximum of 10 internship units per project;
  • The partner in the project will provide an additional contribution leverage by Mitacs with our standard funding model (see below).

Applications are often reviewed by Mitacs in as little as 3 weeks to keep projects moving forward with minimal delay.

For full eligibility criteria or to apply for a project extension, see this form. Completed forms should be submitted to your local Mitacs Advisor for revision and official submission to Mitacs for evaluation.

Eligibility

The student and postdoctoral fellow eligibility for Accelerate Entrepreneur is similar to standard Accelerate. Students and post-doctoral fellows at Mitacs partner colleges and universities in Canada are eligible.  

How many internships can one intern do?

  • Post-secondary students are eligible for any number of internships at the discretion of their institution. Interns must be enrolled as a student at an eligible institution throughout the course of the internship and have time in their schedule to commit to the project.
  • Postdoctoral fellows can do up to nine (9) four-month internships (up to three (3) years)
  • Recent graduates can complete up to three (3) four-month internships within two years of their graduation date.
  • Interns may not participate in more than one internship at the same time.

Additional eligibility criteria must be assessed for the start-up and the incubator partner for participating in a Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur project for your consideration: 

  • You need to be actively housed at an approved incubator facility for the duration of the proposed project. Don’t see your incubator on the list? Please reach out to your local Mitacs Advisor and explore the opportunity to have your incubator included on our list. 
  • Your proposed research project must further develop the research or technology at the core of your start-up business
  • Note that your start up will need to be incorporated to receive any funding, and you will need an academic supervisor at you’re academic institution who can hold and disburse the funding. Note that sole proprietorships and LLPs (Limited Liability Partnership) are not incorporated and therefore are not eligible.

Approved Incubators

The following incubators have been approved for Accelerate Entrepreneur:

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland & Labrador
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon

Don’t see your incubator listed? Please connect with a Mitacs Advisor.

 

How to Apply

  1. Connect with your local Mitacs Advisor to get your Accelerate Entrepreneur application started
  2. Review the following information when you begin writing your proposal:
  • Eligible research and adjudication criteria
  • Writing Your Proposal guide
  • Policies

  3.   Collect all required signatures: intern(s), professor(s), partner contact, and university Office of Research Services or equivalent

  4.   Email your proposal package to your Mitacs Advisor

Please note for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, running from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026 there is limited funding available for Accelerate and BSI in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario. For questions or concerns, please contact your Mitacs advisor.

Effective April 1, 2025, the Indigenous Pathways initiative will be reopening for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. As part of the new funding criteria, each partner organization will be limited to 12 Internship Units per submission year. Please contact your Mitacs advisor for questions or concerns.

For further details and before initiating an Accelerate application in the respective provinces, please contact your Mitacs Advisor

PROPOSAL PACKAGE

  • Accelerate proposal (under Applications). Please note that only this latest version of the Mitacs Accelerate template proposal will be accepted.
  • Intern CV (interns may use Mitacs’s optional template)

Please be sure to include supporting documents as required by your university or province.

What happens next 

  1. Peer review of your proposal will take approximately six to eight weeks. Proposals with multiple internships or that require revisions may take longer.
  2. Partner organizations will receive an invoice (refundable if not approved), so that the intern receives payment when the project begins
  3. Mitacs will contact all participants with the outcome and applicable instructions.
  4. Mitacs forwards the Accelerate funds to the academic institution upon receipt of the partner contribution and the proposal’s approval.

Application timeline

 

Email [email protected] with questions about program requirements and eligibility.

 

Additional resources for partner organizations:

 

MITACS TERMS, CONDITIONS & POLICIES

View and download our documents

 

Application
Complete Package - Paper
Download
Accelerate Budget & Invoice Schedule
Download
Accelerate Proposal
Download
Accelerate: Guide to Writing Your Proposal
Download
Accelerate Project and Participant Information
Download
Accelerate Independent Administrator Profile
Download
Accelerate Intern CV template
Download
Conflict of Interest Declaration form
Download
Mitacs Academic Institution Acknowledgement form
Download
Express Accelerate Research Proposal
Download
Conflict of Interest Declaration form - eACC
Download
Program Terms, Conditions & Policies
Accelerate Code of Conduct: Travel Abroad
Download
Accelerate Code of Conduct: Travel to Canada
Download
Accelerate Project Start/End Dates Policy
Download
Mitacs Travel Subsidy
Download
Mitacs Virtual Interaction Guide
Download
Mitacs Participant Expectations
Download
Application
Budget et calendrier de facturation Accélération
Download
Guide Accélération — Rédiger votre demande
Download
Demande Accélération
Download
Profil d’administratrice indépendante ou d’administrateur indépendant Accélération
Download
Modèle de CV pour stagiaire Accélération
Download
Formulaire Accélération — Nouveau profil de stagiaire
Download
Formulaire d’attestation de l’établissement d’enseignement de Mitacs
Download
Trousse complète — Papier
Download
Trousse complète — PID
Download
Proposition de recherche Express Accélération
Download
eACC - Formulaire de déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Download
Program Terms, Conditions & Policies
Code de déontologie Accélération : voyage du Canada
Download
Code de déontologie Accélération : voyage vers le Canada
Download
Politique relative aux dates de début et de fin de projet Accélération
Download
Programme de subvention de déplacement Mitacs
Download
Guide des interactions virtuelles
Download
Mitacs Attentes des participants
Download

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Program Administration

Release of funds Intellectual property Adjudication

Mitacs invoices a partner organization upon submission of their Accelerate proposal. Upon receipt of the partner’s contribution, Mitacs forwards the research award to the Canadian academic institution. No funds will be released to the academic institution until the invoice has been paid and the proposal is approved. Mitacs has no control over when funds are administered by the academic institution. If you have questions about your Accelerate award after Mitacs has released funds, contact your academic institution’s Office of Research Services (or equivalent).

Mitacs’ policy is to take no position and claims no intellectual property (IP) from projects it funds. All Mitacs Accelerate participants are bound by the IP terms of the academic institution where the intern is enrolled. IP is left to be shared between the academic institution, its researchers, and the partner organization, according to the IP rules of the academic institution, unless a separate agreement is negotiated.

The following universities have developed their own IP terms for Mitacs projects:

Note that these IP agreements may not apply to joint applications with other funding organizations.

All applications submitted to Mitacs undergo a rigorous review process to ensure the quality of proposals that receive Mitacs funding. For full details, please see the Accelerate section on our Adjudication page.

Responsibilities

The following steps outline the responsibilities of each Mitacs Accelerate participant before, during, and after their project. For projects with multiple internships, each intern is responsible for his or her individual steps.

Mitacs Accelerate Terms and Conditions outline participants’ responsibilities in further detail — each participant is expected to understand and adhere to the Terms and Conditions of the program.

Before the internship During the internship After the internship
  • Confirm the internship start date with your professor and partner. Notify Mitacs if your start date changes. 
  • Develop a research plan with your professor and partner. Confirm intellectual property requirements with your academic institution. 
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary. 
  • Start the internship only after funds have been forwarded to the academic institution. Your stipend will be managed and distributed by your institution. 
  • For internships with international travel: International Pre-departure form and Code of Conduct must be received before the internship can begin. Please consult with your home university for any visa-related questions. 
  • Maintain student, postdoc or recent grad status at the academic institution for the duration of your internship. 
  • Interact with your partner organization and academic supervisor as described in your approved proposal.  
  • Follow through on any commitments outlined in the Mitacs project to the best of your ability 
  • Behave in a respectful and civil manner through your gestures, words, and relations with others throughout your program participants, and avoid any form of harassment, discrimination, or incivility. 
  • Be on time to work and dress appropriately for the work setting, virtually and in person 
  • Welcome constructive professional criticism and continually strive to improve your performance 
  • Adhere to relevant procedures of your academic institution and/or host organization. 
  • Share any concern with your academic supervisor and host organization if you experience ongoing issues with your project, and notify Mitacs of any corrective measures in a timely manner 
  • Meet all necessary travel requirements for your intended destination, including completing Mitacs’s pre-departure forms (if applicable) 
  • Consider taking a Mitacs Training workshop before or during your internship. Topics include essential interpersonal, project management, and entrepreneurial skills. 
  • Complete the Accelerate Intern Exit Survey. You will receive an email from Mitacs with the survey link shortly after you complete your internship. 
  • Add your Accelerate internship and Training courses to your CV and LinkedIn profile  
  • Sign up for the newsletter (optional). As a participant in a Mitacs program, you can receive exclusive updates on job postings, funding and research opportunities, courses, and more.
  • Acknowledge all Mitacs-sponsored results, including work by professors, postdocs, other interns, and research associates with the following statement: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Before the project During the project After the project
  • Develop a research plan with the intern(s) and partner. Confirm intellectual property requirements with your academic institution. 
  • Provide feedback to the intern(s) to improve the quality of the proposal. 
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary. 
  • Confirm the internship start date with the intern(s). 
  • Start the internship only after funds have been forwarded to the Canadian academic institution. 
    • Take fiduciary responsibility for the Mitacs grant (Canadian university professors only). 
    • Provide ongoing direction and research support to the student prior to and during the research project. 
    • Update Mitacs as necessary of any changes to project scope or timeline. 
    • Supervise the intern(s) during their internship activities at the academic institution. 
    • Behave in a respectful and civil manner through your gestures, words, and relations with others throughout your program participants, and avoid any form of harassment, discrimination, or incivility. 
    • Adhere to relevant procedures and procedures of your academic institution. 
  • Complete an exit survey.
  • Acknowledge Mitacs-funded results with the following: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Before the project During the project After the project
  • Develop a research plan with the intern(s) and professor(s).
  • Provide feedback to the intern(s) to improve the quality of the proposal.
  • Confirm the project start date with the intern(s).
  • Agree to protect and keep confidential intern(s)’s personal information with any third party, unless granted written permission by intern(s).
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary.
  • Pay the contribution upon receipt of the Mitacs invoice. Please note that the financial contribution of organizations is subject to applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and/or Quebec Sales Tax (QST) (Collectively the value added tax or VAT). Projects can only begin after Mitacs has received the partner payment and forwarded the Accelerate grant to the academic institution.
  • Attend monthly status meetings and update Mitacs as necessary. 
  • Supervise the intern(s) during their on-site internship activities. 
  • Provide access to the project site for an in-person assessment at Mitacs’s request. 
  • Behave in a respectful and civil manner through your gestures, words, and relations with others throughout your program participants, and avoid any form of harassment, discrimination, or incivility. 
  • Adhere to all relevant policies and procedures of your organization. 
  • Do not tolerate any behavior that undermines the dignity, self-esteem, or productivity of any Mitacs interns, staff, facilitators or affiliated members. If such occurrence arises, you must speak out and report any behavior to your academic institution in accordance with its policies, and the Mitacs team responsible for your program.  
  • Strive to recognize and avoid biases, and give fair treatment to all participants, Mitacs and academic institution representations, host organization and academic supervisors, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or any protect ground established by the applicable Canadian human rights legislations 
  • Complete an exit survey.
  • Acknowledge Mitacs-funded results with the following: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Cancellations

Refer to the Mitacs Project Cancellation Policy

FAQs

Before You Apply When You Apply After You Apply During the Fellowship

$20k will be the default for postdocs in Mitacs Plus, but both $20k and $15k will be available. 

Yes, $20k units will be available for all new postdoc submissions in Accelerate, including eAcc and joint applications.  

Yes, for each $20K IU, up to $5k can be allocated to research expenses. 

The $20k funding model in Accelerate is available for PDFs on new applications, but approved internships will not change. The $20k funding model was previously available through Elevate, so it is not a net-new offering, and already-submitted Accelerate applications will not change.   

No, this funding model is reserved for interns with postdoc status, just as Elevate was.

No. The $20k model will only be available for postdocs. If a postdoc is replaced with another level intern, the budget will need to be changed to the standard $15k Accelerate funding model. 

In order to participate in any Mitacs program, it is preferred that interns have full-time student or postdoctoral fellow status at their academic institution. However, part-time students are also eligible for Accelerate internships that do not include international travel, provided that the following conditions hold:
• They have student status at the academic institution for the duration of the internship
• They are covered under the institution’s insurance, the same as full-time students
• The institution is able to pay the intern a salary or stipend from the Mitacs grant
• The student is able to commit to the project for the appropriate duration (Accelerate internships are four months and may be spread over up to six months to accommodate other commitments)

No. Funds used towards Accelerate cannot be matched by any other federal or provincial agency.

Recent college and university graduates (any level) are eligible, at the discretion of the academic institution.

  • Must have status at a Canadian academic institution
  • Check with your institution to find out what status(es) are available for recent grads
  • Internship must start within two years of graduation
  • Normally eligible for one 4-6-month internship but may do up to three internships depending on the needs of the project and the discretion of the academic institution
  • All program expectations remain the same: the intern must have an academic supervisor and split their time between the academic institution and the partner organization
  • Recent graduates are eligible for standard Accelerate and Accelerate Entrepreneur

Yes. Partner organizations are welcome to contribute additional funding but Mitacs will not provide any additional funding outside of the standard award. [This additional partner funding should be included in the application budget and the anticipated use of funds (e.g., stipend/salary top-up, specialized equipment)]. Top-up funds must be received at Mitacs at the same time as the minimum contribution and will be added to the annual award and forwarded to the university.

All Accelerate internships must include a partner organization in Canada (for-profit or not-for-profit corporation, hospital or municipality) and may optionally include a partner organization(s) abroad. Interns must have student, postdoc or recent grad status at an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution and must interaction with the Canadian partner organization. If applicable, they may also travel to interact with an international partner organization.

No. Accelerate internships are full-time internships, which means participants are expected to be spending 50% of their time at the partner organization and 50% of their time at their host academic institution.
• Interns cannot simultaneously hold Accelerate internships, or combine them with any other Mitacs internships or fellowships that overlap.
• While a Mitacs intern can hold multiple awards over time based on their degree level, internship or fellowship start and end dates cannot overlap.
Participants who hold another Mitacs award or internship must complete it prior to receiving an Accelerate Award to start an internship.

Mitacs cannot support an internship in which the intern is doing work they were previously doing as an employee or contractor. We can allow internships where the student has previously been an employee or contractor under the following conditions:
• The intern has gone back to school to pursue a new post-secondary diploma or degree following their employment
• The proposed internship is substantially different to the work they were doing as an employee or contractor
• The intern is not an employee or contractor during the internship
Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible for internships/fellowships at organizations where they have already been a full-time employee. Only if their employment was part time and/or very short-term can their eligibility for Mitacs programs be considered. Please discuss this situation with a Mitacs Business Development representative before applying.

No, Mitacs does not offer any scholarships to cover university tuition fees. Our programs are designed to offer support to students conducting research projects.

Internships are 4–6-month units of a research project, valued at $15K per unit, with $7,500 from both the partner organization and Mitacs, to support post-secondary research projects. Funds flow through the academic institution with a stipend to the student at a minimum of $10K, with up to $5K to support research costs. Please refer to the Funding section for an illustrated explanation.

  • Post-secondary students are eligible for any number of internships at the discretion of their institution. Interns must be enrolled as a student at an eligible institution throughout the course of the internship and have time in their schedule to commit to the project.
  • Postdoctoral fellows can do up to nine (9) four-month internships (up to three (3) years)
  • Recent graduates can complete up to three (3) four-month internships within two years of their graduation date
  • Interns may not participate in more than one internship at the same time.

Yes. Mitacs Accelerate is open to any academic discipline.

Please note that the financial contribution of organizations is subject to applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and/or Quebec Sales Tax (QST) (Collectively the value added tax or VAT).

Please refer to Mitacs Conflict of Interest Policy for more details. If there is a conflict of interest, please discuss with your Mitacs Advisor before applying.

In order to apply for Mitacs Accelerate projects, you would need both an academic partner and a non-academic partner (e.g. a partner organization such as a for-profit or not-for-profit corporation) who would also be benefiting from the research.

The Accelerate Entrepreneur initiative provides the opportunity for students or postdoctoral fellows to do internships in their own start-up company if the company is housed in an eligible incubator. Please contact [email protected] to determine the eligibility of a specific incubator and associated start-up(s).

Mitacs takes no position on intellectual property (IP). IP is to be shared between the academic institution, its researchers, and the partner organization according to the academic institution’s IP rules, unless a separate agreement is negotiated. Mitacs can facilitate IP discussions with any Canadian academic institution. Please refer to the Program Administration section for a list of universities with their own IP policies for Mitacs projects.

Mitacs forwards Accelerate funds to the student’s academic institution only after it has received the contribution from the student’s partner organization. Please allow two weeks for processing upon receipt of this contribution. Interns travelling to Canada should be aware that their funding may not be available until they arrive in Canada. Mitacs recommends that interns contact their Canadian host university’s Office of Research Services prior to the project to determine when they can access funds.

Mitacs follows Tri-Agency eligible expenses for use of funds. Please refer to the Mitacs Use of Funds policy for details of eligible expenses for Mitacs programs.

Accelerate is offered in partnership with a student’s university, which administers their award. We recommend that students speak with their professor and institution about student status (“employees” or “trainees”), funding policies (“stipend” or “salary”), and potential deductions of benefits. Universities administer funds according to their individual institutional policies, which are flexible under Tri-Agency guidelines. If benefits are included, they may be deducted from either a student’s pay or the accompanying research funds.

Students are welcome to revise and resubmit either a new version of the current proposal or a new proposal on a related, eligible project, per the guidance provided in the decision letter. We provide feedback from Mitacs Research staff, external expert reviewers and/or the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council in all decision letters in order to help applicants improve proposals which were not initially approved.

Invoices must be paid in full to Mitacs prior to any internship funds being sent by Mitacs to the university. Please note that all partner funds must be sent directly to Mitacs and not to the university. The funds must be received in advance of the internship start date.

To maximize your experience, we ask students to complete the Mitacs Accelerate Orientation online session to prepare them for their internship, and the Mitacs Virtual Interactions Resources online session if they have virtual partner interaction.
The other online courses in the Accelerate Curriculum are skills-development courses suggested for students to support your professional development.

Certain requirements must be met to be eligible to request a project extension. Please see the criteria below and contact your Mitacs Advisor for next steps. If your case does not meet the criteria below, you may submit a new project funding application.

1. Applicants who have an approved Mitacs Accelerate project may apply for a funding extension of 1 internship unit (IU) per intern — to a maximum of 10 IUs per project. Applications for an extension can be submitted once the internship(s) being extended is/are at least 75% through their original timeline. The funding extension shall be used to:

• Complete the existing project in cases where the project has experienced delays due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., lack of access to facilities due to COVID-19, sample delays due to transportation, seasonal delays in fieldwork, etc.)

• Broaden the scope of the project (e.g., conducting additional tests, including additional samples, adding data sources for analysis, etc.)

• In either case, the request cannot be used to add new objectives or change existing project objectives.

2. Extensions must be requested within 4 months from when the intern completed their last IU on the project. In cases where a new intern is being added to the project, the request must be submitted within 4 months from the end of the last IU completed on the project.

3. If the extensions will be used to add a new intern to the project, a New Intern Profile form and the new intern’s CV will be required along with this completed form.

4. All interns must remain eligible (including respecting maximum internship allocation) to hold Mitacs internships for the duration of the extension period.

5. No discounts or enhanced leveraging options are available to fund the extension internships. Only standard funding models may apply, regardless of the funding models for the original project. Partner organizations are required to contribute additional funds for the extension period.

Yes. This should be communicated to their supervisor, organization partner and university. The internship will be put on hold for this period of time, and the student will not be paid from their internship. Once a return date has been determined, the student will need to inform Mitacs of when they plan on returning to the fellowship to complete their term.

Once the exit survey submission is confirmed, a Mitacs Program Certificate of Completion will be available in the interns/postdocs e-campus on EDGE.

Mitacs Accelerate internships require the active participation of the intern, professor, and partner organization. All participants should attempt to fulfill their project obligations.
If all parties are in agreement, a project or individual internship may be terminated. If one party wants to cancel the internship without other parties’ agreement, s/he must first notify them in writing and allow 30 days for resolution of outstanding issues.
Any funds remaining after a cancelled internship must be returned to Mitacs. For more information, please refer to the downloadable General Mitacs Terms, Conditions & Policies zip file found under How To Apply.

Students should check their spam or junk folder. If they still haven’t received it, they should contact [email protected].

Students should receive an invitation within the 30 days following the completion of their internship/fellowship.

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