Ottawa, ON — The signing of today’s agreement between University of Ottawa and Mitacs creates the opportunity for 450 students to conduct international research. With $2.7 million in funding from the Globalink Research Awards, 300 senior undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from University of Ottawa will be able to pursue research exchanges abroad, while 150 international students will be able to conduct research at the university.
“Success in the global economy requires innovation facilitated by international connections and collaboration,” said Lissa Matyas, Vice-President, International Partnerships, Mitacs. “We are delighted to partner with the University of Ottawa through the Mitacs Globalink program, which enables bilateral research collaboration and student mobility with international networks that may otherwise be inaccessible.”
To date, there have been 146 University of Ottawa research projects funded by Mitacs. These research projects have resulted in a myriad of advancements for academia and industry, and ultimately, people across Canada and the world.
“Our partnership with Mitacs is a testament to our commitment to student success and internationalization. Students from all faculties will be able to gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge research at academic institutions in 50 different countries,” said Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research. “In collaboration with Mitacs, we will increase opportunities for students to participate in international experiential learning, add to the learning experience and credentials of our students, and prepare our students to excel in the workforce.”
Mariam Jabara, a University of Ottawa undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science, acquired research and professional skills during a Mitacs internship last summer in Germany. During her research placement at the Institute for Neuroinformatics at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Jabara worked with a team to create a program that models the regions of the brain involved in recognition memory.
“I was met by an amazing, interdisciplinary team at Ruhr University, where my supervisors made sure that my first exposure to research was a great one,” said Jabara. “As research becomes more collaborative and interdisciplinary, I think there is no better time to be sending more students abroad to explore their research interests and create more international relationships.”
University of Ottawa students are not the only ones to benefit from the new Mitacs Globalink Research Awards partnership. Students from around the world can apply for funding to conduct research at University of Ottawa while working under the supervision of its faculty.
Last year, uOttawa welcomed more than 300 international students in research placements at the undergraduate and graduate levels. PhD candidate Lucia Minarrieta of Uruguay came as a visiting student researcher after studying and conducting research in immunology in Uruguay, the United States, and Germany.
“I decided to join the University of Ottawa because of its strong background in metabolism. I contacted Dr. Julie St-Pierre of the Faculty of Medicine and I joined her research team as a visiting student researcher,” said Minarrieta. “This spring I will be defending my PhD thesis in Germany. My time at the University of Ottawa has been so enriching that I have applied to continue in Dr. St-Pierre’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow starting in the fall.”
Quick facts:
- Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 20 years.
- Working with more than 60 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
- Funded by the Government of Canada and Canadian universities, the Mitacs Globalink program offers two-way research opportunities between Canada and Mitacs partner countries for undergraduate and graduate students
Links:
- For information on University of Ottawa, visit: uottawa.ca/en
- For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.
- For a full list of countries supporting travel and research opportunities from Canada through Mitacs visit mitacs.ca/globalink.
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From left to right: Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research; Lucia Minarrieta, PhD candidate; Lissa Matyas, Vice-President, International Partnerships, Mitacs; Martine Lagacé, Associate Vice-President, Research Promotion and Development; Mariam Jabara, undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science and Arturo Segura, Director, Centre for Research Opportunities
