SGC-Mitacs partnership to advance talent development for global research initiative

TORONTO, ON — The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) has renewed its partnership with Mitacs, a national innovation connector that supports business-academic research collaboration, to advance Target 2035 – a global research movement uniting academic, industry, and technology partners. The open science initiative aims to discover high‑quality molecules that influence how every human protein works by 2035.

Talent development is central to Target 2035’s strategy to scale discovery across the human proteome and advance more tailored drug treatments. The initiative attracts top‑tier talent from Canada and internationally and is strengthened by linking academic research with industry‑engaged workflows and an open‑science infrastructure.

Through the SGC–Mitacs partnership, SGC will establish a national framework to recruit and train highly qualified graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to tackle key scientific and technical challenges. Mitacs’ support strengthens Target 2035’s innovation capacity and bridges the gap between academia and industry.

Projects supported under the SGC-Mitacs partnership will align across four interconnected research areas spanning the drug discovery pipeline:

• AI, machine learning, and computational chemistry, including the development and benchmarking of predictive models for ligand discovery
• Data generation, focused on protein production and high-quality protein–small molecule interaction datasets
• Technology development, advancing automation, workflows, and next-generation discovery platforms
• Medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, including chemical probe development and biological validation

Trainees can specialize while remaining connected to a broader, integrated research ecosystem, supporting the efficient flow of data, tools, and insights across disciplines.

The renewal builds on a long-standing collaboration between SGC and Mitacs. Since 2021, SGC has partnered with researchers and trainees from six Canadian institutions across more than 25 multidisciplinary projects. Over this period, more than 42 Mitacs-supported postdoctoral fellows and trainees have contributed to industry-partnered SGC programs in structural biology, medicinal chemistry, disease models, and AI-enabled drug discovery – spurring forward Canada’s innovation capacity.

Alumni have since progressed to impactful careers across academia, biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, and AI-driven drug discovery, with many now holding scientific, leadership, and data science roles at leading institutions and companies worldwide.

As part of Target 2035, the SGC–Mitacs partnership will continue strengthening Canada’s talent pipeline and contribute to scientific discoveries and global competitiveness through mission-driven research.

Quotes

“We are delighted to partner again with Mitacs to build Canada’s talent capacity in protein science, medicinal chemistry, AI, and drug discovery. By embedding trainees within Target 2035, an open, globally coordinated research mission, we are providing our top young Canadian talent a fantastic industry-relevant research experience.”

Aled Edwards, CEO, Structural Genomics Consortium

“Mitacs’ mission is to drive industry–academic collaboration, deploy skilled talent, and build innovation capacity to strengthen Canada’s productivity and global competitiveness. By connecting academic research environments with industry R&D, the SGC-Mitacs partnership will help accelerate drug discovery and develop the next generation of scientists capable of working collaboratively across disciplines.”

Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs

About Target 2035

Target 2035 is a global open science initiative that brings together scientists from academia, industry, and the public sector to accelerate the development of chemical and biological tools for studying human proteins. By coordinating large-scale data generation, technology development, and open collaboration, Target 2035 aims to deliver a pharmacological modulator for every protein in the human proteome by 2035.

About the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC)

The Structural Genomics Consortium is a global public-private partnership that seeks to accelerate drug discovery by fostering collaboration among a large network of scientists in academia and industry and making all research outputs openly available to the scientific community. The current SGC research sites are located at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Karolinska Institute, McGill University, UCL, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the University Health Network (UHN) and Unicamp.

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.

This is a critical time for Canada to think big and take bold action. Mitacs is ready to help build a strong and resilient Canadian economy, powered by ideas, talent and innovation.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.

More information about Mitacs: https://www.mitacs.ca/

More information about SGC: https://www.thesgc.org/

More information for trainees: https://www.thesgc.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/MITACS%20Target%202035%20Fellows.pdf

Media Contact

Sofia Melliou, Research and Outreach Communication Specialist

Structural Genomics Consortium

Email: [email protected]

Caroline Dobuzinskis, Manager, Communications & Public Affairs

Mitacs

Email: [email protected]