The Government of Canada and Mitacs announce $2.5M in funding for student internships to drive innovation

Graduate and post-graduate student research interns will work on the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) collaborative research and development programs

Ottawa, ON — Today, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Mitacs announced they are investing $2.5 million over five years, to support 250 graduate and post-graduate student internships to support the NRC’s Challenge and Supercluster support programs.

The funding will accelerate research and innovation by reducing the costs of collaborations between the public and private sectors and academia. It will also give graduate and post-graduate students the opportunity to accelerate their research careers while working on projects that address key Canadian priorities.

Canadian businesses and academic supervisors interested in participating are encouraged to contact Mitacs for more information. 

Quick facts 

• The NRC is Canada’s largest research and development organization. 
• The NRC employed 552 students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates in 2020-21. 

The NRC’s funded collaborative R&D programs include seven Challenge programs and five Supercluster support programs which bring together NRC researchers and facilities with collaborators from industry, academia, and governments to generate technological breakthroughs in a wide range of social and technological challenges facing Canadians – including environmental sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, communication, and artificial intelligence.  

• Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world. 
• Mitacs is offering this funding through two of its programs: 
  • The Accelerate program – Canadian graduate and post-graduate students involved in collaborative projects with Canadian private sector businesses or not-for-profit organizations can receive up to $15,000 per four-month internship. 
  • The Globalink Research Award – international graduate students from RWTH Aachen University in Germany conducting research at Canadian universities can receive up to $18,000. 
• The Business | Mitacs page provides opportunities for industry partners to connect. 

Quotes 

The Honourable François‑Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry  

“Our Government is proud to help students, researchers, businesses, and universities work together to find innovative solutions to today’s challenges. Over the past year alone, our government has supported more than 17,000 internships through Mitacs. With this most recent partnership, Mitacs and the NRC are tapping into a strong network of researchers and innovators to help the next generation build their skills while helping to strengthen Canada’s economy.” 

Mitch Davies, President, National Research Council of Canada 

“The NRC’s partnership with Mitacs will enhance collaboration between industry and academia, while giving tomorrow’s research and science leaders the opportunity to collaborate on R&D projects aimed at spearheading disruptive technology development in priority areas such as health, environmental sustainability, and artificial intelligence.”  

Dr. John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs 

“Mitacs is proud to continue and expand our partnership with the NRC to drive Canadian innovation. Through this new partnership we will accelerate the flow and exchange of research expertise between academic institutions — both domestic and international — with industry and not-for-profit partners.” 

Prof. Ute Habel, Ph. D., Vice President International Affairs, RWTH Aachen University 

“The Globalink Research Award will be a tremendous opportunity for our students and researchers and will trigger many points of collaboration between the NRC and RWTH Aachen University. This program is particularly exciting because the research goals of the NRC as laid out in programs such as the Challenge program or the Supercluster support program align particularly well with RWTH’s research strategy. Thus, we are thrilled to collaborate, build our partnership beyond the program, and essentially contribute to solving the global challenges which lie ahead together.” 

Related links 

• National Research Council of Canada funded collaborative R&D programs and initiatives 
• Mitacs 
• NRC-Mitacs funding for graduate and post-doctoral internships 
• 2021 Globalink Research Award Program

Contacts