Mitacs and Kanata North Business Association sign MOU to strengthen innovation and talent development

KANATA, ON – Mitacs, a national innovation organization, and the Kanata North Business Association (KNBA), which represents more than 700+ companies in Canada’s Largest Technology Park, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to establish a framework for collaboration aimed at strengthening Canada’s innovation ecosystem and addressing critical talent and research gaps. 

The MOU reflects the shared objectives of advancing industry-academic collaboration, supporting applied research and innovation, and building a strong talent pipeline within Kanata North, one of the country’s most significant technology clusters. 

The agreement was signed by Derek Newton, Senior Vice-President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Mitacs, and Kelly Daize, Executive Director of the KNBA, at an event held in Kanata, Ontario. 

Under the MOU, Mitacs and the KNBA will work together to strengthen connections between industry and academia, support R&D and innovation capacity, and help address talent shortages within the Kanata North technology ecosystem. 

The partnership creates opportunities to: 

• Support industry-academic collaboration and applied research
• Strengthen talent pipelines by connecting academic researchers and interns with industry
• Enable joint thought leadership, events, and ecosystem convenings
• Pilot scalable collaboration models that can be replicated across Canada

Together, the organizations will align their respective strengths to advance these opportunities. Mitacs contributes its national reach, funding programs, and academic networks, while the KNBA serves as a convener and connector for technology companies operating within Canada’s largest technology park.  

Quotes 

“By working together with KNBA, we can help strengthen industry-academic collaboration in one of Canada’s thriving innovation clusters. This new partnership creates a foundation for collaboration that supports talent development, applied research, and the growth of technology companies in Kanata North and beyond.”

Derek Newton, Senior Vice-President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Mitacs 

“Kanata North is home to Canada’s Largest Technology Park, a concentrated and dynamic technology ecosystem. This collaboration with Mitacs will help connect our companies with academic expertise and emerging talent, while supporting innovation and commercialization.”

Kelly Daize, Executive Director, Kanata North Business Association 

About Mitacs 

For over 25 years, Mitacs has helped grow the economy and develop the workforce of tomorrow, connecting industry with academia and global partners to solve real-world challenges. We support business-academic research collaboration through internships, co-funded with businesses, for undergraduate to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. 

As a national innovation connector, Mitacs takes a talent-first approach to strengthen innovation capacity and drive global competitiveness. We serve as an essential research-commercialization bridge, accelerating market entry and growth for new products and services.