Mitacs receives support from the Government of Canada to boost innovation and economic development among SMEs in Atlantic Canada

Mitacs and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) have signed an agreement to help bring industry and academia together to boost innovation in the region.

Support from NRC-IRAP will enable Mitacs to provide more opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Atlantic Canada to access university-based researchers to help them undertake research and innovation projects. 

These efforts will be facilitated by the Mitacs business development team in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, who will connect SMEs with the expertise of graduate students at local research-based universities. The benefits of this collaboration are twofold, providing SMEs with a fresh approach to solve business research challenges, while providing students and prospective entrepreneurs with valuable skills and experience.

“Small to medium-sized enterprises are the economic backbone of Canada,” said Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs. “Mitacs looks forward to partnering with NRC-IRAP to provide support to these vital businesses while creating opportunities for up-and-coming researchers.”

Mitacs is a national, private not-for-profit organization that develops the next generation of innovators with vital scientific and business skills through a suite of unique research and training programs, such as Mitacs-Accelerate, Elevate, Step, Enterprise and Globalink. In partnership with companies, government and universities, Mitacs is supporting a new economy using Canada’s most valuable resource – its people. For more information on Mitacs, visit www.mitacs.ca.