Bringing together industry and academia, the Government of New Brunswick is investing $297,500 into two Mitacs programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The funding supports industrial research and development (R&D) internships for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The funding enables 35 collaborative research and development projects through the Mitacs Accelerate research internship program and the Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral fellowship program.
“Our government is committed to retaining and attracting highly-skilled individuals as outlined in our Labour Force and Skills Development Strategy,” said Honourable Jody Carr, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. “This investment is providing graduate students and fellows increased employment opportunities in New Brunswick’s knowledge economy. Our government is focused on growing the economy by investing in people, skills and jobs.”
“Mitacs thanks the Government of New Brunswick for this investment and we look forward to working with our partners to foster the next generation of innovators and researchers,” said Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs.
A large portion of the Accelerate internships will be filled through a project between the BioMedical Engineering Institute of the University of New Brunswick and B-TEMIA, an organization that develops and markets human augmentation systems that enhance human mobility with wearable dermoskeletons, contributing to the reduction of musculoskeletal disorders.
“Thanks to the vision and support of B-TEMIA’s valued partners — the Government of New Brunswick, specifically Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and the New Brunswick Innovation Fund (NBIF), Mitacs, and the University of New Brunswick — B-TEMIA will be performing research with top scientists in biomedical engineering and kinesiology and securing B-TEMIA’s competitive edge and future as world leader in this innovative field,” says Stéphane Bédard, President and CEO.
“Thanks to the support of our federal and provincial governments and partners like the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Mitacs and B-TEMIA, our scientists and engineers are developing cutting-edge research at the forefront of the biomedical engineering and kinesiology fields,” said Dr. Eddy Campbell, President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of New Brunswick. “Faculty and graduate students in the Centre for Research in Dermoskeletics will be able to work with health-care professionals to prevent occupational injuries and to improve the mobility and quality of life for those living with neurological conditions.”
Dr. Gupta echoes the benefits of collaboration: “This new partnership provides B-TEMIA with access to the best minds from the University of New Brunswick, fostering further research and development in the field of dermoskeletics. In addition, these students and postdocs will gain professional skills training, along with valuable experience working on projects that directly benefit business through this industry-university collaboration.”
Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that develops the next generation of innovators with vital skills through a suite of unique research and training programs: Mitacs Accelerate, Elevate, Step, and Globalink. In partnership with companies, government and universities, Mitacs is supporting a new economy using Canada’s most valuable resource — its people.
