Program Details

Mitacs Accelerate International supports bilateral research collaborations between interns, universities, and industry partners, both in Canada and abroad. Interns at Canadian universities can undertake projects in Mitacs’s partner countries. Interns from Mitacs’s partner countries can undertake projects in Canada.

Accelerate projects with international travel to and/or from Canada have additional requirements from domestic Canadian projects:

  • College students are eligible to participate in Accelerate projects with international travel from Canada
  • Applicants should submit their completed proposal package at least 16 weeks prior to the planned start date
  • Interns travelling abroad (either to or from Canada) must attend any pre-departure orientations as mandated by their home university
  • All Accelerate interns are paid by the participating Canadian university
  • Benefit to Canada will be considered in pre-submission eligibility screening and also in the review process.

For Accelerate projects involving international collaborations and interns travelling to/from Canada, Mitacs will review proposals to ensure that projects demonstrate sufficient benefits to Canada.

Benefits will be considered under categories such as:

  • training of Canadian citizens and permanent residents
  • bringing talent to Canada
  • creating new research relationships
  • growing research activities in Canada
  • foreign investment in Canada
  • creating IP held in Canada (joint or full ownership by Canadian organizations, allowance for Canadian industry to commercially exploit the IP)
  • creating markets for existing Canadian IP

For projects with international travel, you can submit the following documents after the submission of the proposal; however, funds will not be released until Mitacs receives these forms.

For travel abroad: 

  • International pre-departure form 
  • Code of Conduct

For travel to Canada: 

  • International pre-departure form
  • Code of Conduct

Please contact your local Mitacs Advisor for a list of Mitacs partner countries and regions

Funding

Funding starts at $15,000; the partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $7,500. Students and fellows also earn a $10,000 minimum stipend/salary per four-six month period.

Eligibility

  • Students and postdoctoral fellows at Mitacs partner colleges and universities in Canada
  • Full-time students and postdoctoral fellows at universities in all countries except those classified as “Avoid all travel” or “Avoid non-essential travel” by the Government of Canada. Please note that this list is subject to change at any time and participants are required to check the status at the time of application and prior to travel. Additionally, participants must adhere to any regional “Avoid all travel” or “Avoid non-essential travel” advisories.
  • Interns who meet the criteria above (students, postdoctoral fellows and recent grads) may be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, international students (with a student visa), or international postdoctoral fellows (with a valid work permit). Interns must be 18 years old or over.
  • All academic disciplines
  • For-profit corporations and eligible not-for-profit corporations, municipalities, and hospitals in Canada
  • For-profit businesses operating outside of Canada

How to Apply

  1. Review the following information when you begin writing your proposal:
  • Mitacs Responsible Conduct of Research Policy (to be found under “Mitacs Terms, Conditions & Policies”, including information on eligible research)
  • Adjudication criteria (see at the bottom of this page under “Program Administration”)
  • Writing Your Proposal guide (under “Application”)
  • Other policies if applicable (including Mitacs Indigenous Research Policy, Research Security Plan, etc)

  2.   Get feedback on the proposal from all participants and your Mitacs Advisor

  3.   Collect all required signatures: intern(s), professor(s), partner contact, and university Office of Research Services or equivalent

  4.   Email your proposal package to your Mitacs Advisor

Note: Interns travelling internationally (whether to or from Canada) for an Accelerate project must review additional instructions and requirements below.

Please note that for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, running from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 there is limited funding available for Accelerate in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

For further details and before initiating an Accelerate application in the respective provinces, please contact your Mitacs Advisor

Proposals from British Columbia, Yukon, Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are not subject to restrictions.

Please note that Indigenous Pathways availability is limited. Please connect with your Mitacs advisor.

 PROPOSAL PACKAGE

Accelerate proposal (under Application). Please note that only this latest version of the Mitacs Accelerate template proposal will be accepted.

Intern CV (interns may use Mitacs’s optional template)

Please be sure to include supporting documents as required by your university or province.

For projects with international travel, you can submit the following documents after the submission of the proposal; however, funds will not be released until Mitacs receives these forms.

For travel abroad: 

International pre-departure form
Code of Conduct

For travel to Canada: 

International pre-departure form
Code of Conduct

What happens next 

  1. Peer review of your proposal will take approximately six to eight weeks. Proposals with multiple internships or that require revisions may take longer.
  2. Partner organizations will receive an invoice (refundable if not approved), so that the intern receives payment when the project begins
  3. Mitacs will contact all participants with the outcome and applicable instructions.
  4. Mitacs forwards the Accelerate funds to the academic institution upon receipt of the partner contribution and the proposal’s approval.

Application timeline

Questions? Consult the FAQs or reach out to [email protected]
 

Additional resources for partner organizations:

 

MITACS TERMS, CONDITIONS & POLICIES

View and download our documents

 

Application
Accelerate Budget & Invoice Schedule
Download
Accelerate: Guide to Writing Your Proposal
Download
Accelerate Proposal
Download
Accelerate Independent Administrator Profile
Download
Accelerate Intern CV template
Download
Conflict of Interest Declaration form
Download
Mitacs Academic Institution Acknowledgement form
Download
Complete Package - Paper
Download
Program Terms, Conditions & Policies
Accelerate Code of Conduct: Travel from Canada
Download
Accelerate Code of Conduct: Travel to Canada
Download
Accelerate Project Start/End Dates Policy
Download

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Program Administration

Release of funds Intellectual property Adjudication

Mitacs invoices a partner organization upon submission of their Accelerate proposal. Upon receipt of the partner’s contribution, Mitacs forwards the research award to the Canadian academic institution. No funds will be released to the academic institution until the invoice has been paid and the proposal is approved. Mitacs has no control over when funds are administered by the academic institution. If you have questions about your Accelerate award after Mitacs has released funds, contact your academic institution’s Office of Research Services (or equivalent).

Mitacs’ policy is to take no position and claims no intellectual property (IP) from projects it funds. All Mitacs Accelerate participants are bound by the IP terms of the academic institution where the intern is enrolled. IP is left to be shared between the academic institution, its researchers, and the partner organization, according to the IP rules of the academic institution, unless a separate agreement is negotiated.

The following universities have developed their own IP terms for Mitacs projects:

Note that these IP agreements may not apply to joint applications with other funding organizations.

All applications submitted to Mitacs undergo a rigorous review process to ensure the quality of proposals that receive Mitacs funding. For full details, please see the Accelerate section on our Adjudication page.

Responsibilities

The following steps outline the responsibilities of each Mitacs Accelerate participant before, during, and after their project. For projects with multiple internships, each intern is responsible for his or her individual steps.

Interns travelling internationally (whether to or from Canada) may have additional or different responsibilities.

Mitacs Accelerate Terms and Conditions outline participants’ responsibilities in further detail — each participant is expected to understand and adhere to the Terms and Conditions of the program.

Before the internship During the internship After the internship
  • Confirm the internship start date with your professor and partner. Notify Mitacs if your start date changes.
  • Develop a research plan with your professor and partner. Confirm intellectual property requirements with your academic institution.
  • Read and follow the Accelerate code of conduct.
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary.
  • Start the internship only after funds have been forwarded to the academic institution.
  • For internships with international travel: International Pre-departure form and Code of Conduct must be received before the internship can begin.
  • Organize monthly status meetings and update Mitacs as necessary.
  • Spend approximately 50% of your time on site with the partner.
  • Spend approximately 50% of your time at the academic institution(s).
  • Maintain student or postdoc status at the university, or student status at the college, for the duration of your internship.
  • Consider taking a Mitacs Training workshop before or during your internship. Topics include essential interpersonal, project management, and entrepreneurial skills.
  • Complete the Accelerate Intern Exit Survey. You will receive an email from Mitacs with the survey link shortly after you complete your internship. 
  • Add your Accelerate internship and Training courses to your CV and LinkedIn profile  
  • Sign up for the newsletter (optional). As a participant in a Mitacs program, you can receive exclusive updates on job postings, funding and research opportunities, courses, and more.
  • Acknowledge all Mitacs-sponsored results, including work by professors, postdocs, other interns, and research associates with the following statement: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Before the project During the project After the project
  • Develop a research plan with the intern(s) and partner. Confirm intellectual property requirements with your academic institution.
  • Provide feedback to the intern(s) to improve the quality of the proposal.
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary.
  • Confirm the internship start date with the intern(s).
  • Start the internship only after funds have been forwarded to the Canadian academic institution.
  • Take fiduciary responsibility for the Mitacs grant (Canadian university professors only).
  • Provide ongoing direction and research support to the student prior to and during the research project.
  • Attend monthly status meetings and update Mitacs as necessary.
  • Supervise the intern(s) during their internship activities at the academic institution.
  • Complete an exit survey.
  • Acknowledge Mitacs-funded results with the following: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Before the project During the project After the project
  • Develop a research plan with the intern(s) and professor(s).
  • Provide feedback to the intern(s) to improve the quality of the proposal.
  • Confirm the project start date with the intern(s).
  • Agree to protect and keep confidential intern(s)’s personal information with any third party, unless granted written permission by intern(s).
  • Ensure appropriate insurance coverage, as necessary.
  • Pay the contribution upon receipt of the Mitacs invoice. Projects can only begin after Mitacs has received the partner payment and forwarded the Accelerate grant to the academic institution.
  • Attend monthly status meetings and update Mitacs as necessary.
  • Supervise the intern(s) during their on-site internship activities.
  • Provide access to the project site for an in-person assessment at Mitacs’s request.
  • Complete an exit survey.
  • Acknowledge Mitacs-funded results with the following: “This work was supported by Mitacs through the Mitacs Accelerate program.”

Cancellations
  • Mitacs Accelerate internships require the active participation of the intern, professor, and partner organization. All participants should attempt to fulfill their project obligations.If all parties are in agreement, a project or individual internship may be terminated. If one party wants to cancel the internship without other parties’ agreement, s/he must first notify them in writing and allow 30 days for resolution of outstanding issues.Any funds remaining after a cancelled internship must be returned to Mitacs.

FAQs

Before You Apply When You Apply After You Apply During Your Fellowship

Yes. Partner organizations are welcome to contribute additional funding but Mitacs will not provide any additional funding outside of the standard award. [This additional partner funding should be included in the application budget and the anticipated use of funds (e.g., stipend/salary top-up, specialized equipment).] Top-up funds must be received at Mitacs at the same time as the minimum contribution and will be added to the award and forwarded to the academic institution.

Yes, Accelerate supports internships based in Canada and around the world, provided those internships include at least one intern travelling to or from Canada, academic institution, or partner organization. The same eligibility requirements apply as for domestic Accelerate. See Accelerate International (landing page) for more information.

No. Accelerate internships are full-time internships, which means participants are expected to be spending 50% of their time at the partner organization and 50% of their time at their host academic institution.
• Interns cannot simultaneously hold Accelerate internships, or combine them with any other Mitacs internships or fellowships that overlap.
• While a Mitacs intern can hold multiple awards over time based on their degree level, internship or fellowship start and end dates cannot overlap.
Participants who hold another Mitacs award or internship must complete it prior to receiving an Accelerate Award to start an internship.

Mitacs cannot support an internship in which the intern is doing work they were previously doing as an employee or contractor. We can allow internships where the student has previously been an employee or contractor under the following conditions:
• The intern has gone back to school to pursue a new post-secondary diploma or degree following their employment
• The proposed internship is substantially different to the work they were doing as an employee or contractor
• The intern is not an employee or contractor during the internship
Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible for internships/fellowships at organizations where they have already been a full-time employee. Only if their employment was part time and/or very short-term can their eligibility for Mitacs programs be considered. Please discuss this situation with a Mitacs Business Development representative before applying.

Mitacs does not have any restrictions on its recipients holding other grants.
You are responsible to determine if your other grants have such restrictions prior to applying to Accelerate

No, Mitacs does not offer any scholarships to cover academic-institution tuition fees. Our programs are designed to offer support to students conducting research projects.

Internships are 4–6-month units of a research project, valued at $15K per unit, with $7,500 from both the partner organization and Mitacs, to support post-secondary research projects. Funds flow through the academic institution with a stipend to the student at a minimum of $10K, with up to $5K to support research costs. Please refer to the Funding section for an illustrated explanation.

Mitacs cannot find partner organizations for individual interns. For tips on finding a partner organization, view the Research Partnerships 101 webinar, talk to your academic supervisor, or visit the Researchers Wanted page.

Yes. Mitacs Accelerate is open to any academic discipline.

Please refer to Mitacs Conflict of Interest Policy for more details. If there is a conflict of interest, please discuss with your Mitacs Advisor before applying.

Mitacs forwards Accelerate funds to the student’s academic institution only after it has received the contribution from the student’s partner organization. Please allow two weeks for processing upon receipt of this contribution. Interns travelling to Canada should be aware that their funding may not be available until they arrive in Canada. Mitacs recommends that interns contact their Canadian host institution’s Office of Research Services prior to the project to determine when they can access funds.

Mitacs follows Tri-Agency eligible expenses for use of funds. Please refer to the Mitacs Use of Funds policy for details of eligible expenses for Mitacs programs.

Students are welcome to revise and resubmit either a new version of the current proposal or a new proposal on a related, eligible project, per the guidance provided in the decision letter. We provide feedback from Mitacs Research staff, external expert reviewers and/or the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council in all decision letters in order to help applicants improve proposals which were not initially approved.

To maximize your experience, we ask students to complete the Mitacs Accelerate Orientation online session to prepare them for their internship, and the Mitacs Virtual Interactions Resources online session if they have virtual partner interaction.
The other online courses in the Accelerate Curriculum are skills-development courses suggested for students to support your professional development.

Certain requirements must be met to be eligible to request a project extension. Please see the criteria below and contact your Mitacs Advisor for next steps. If your case does not meet the criteria below, you may submit a new project funding application.

1. Applicants who have an approved Mitacs Accelerate project may apply for a funding extension of 1 internship unit (IU) per intern — to a maximum of 10 IUs per project. Applications for an extension can be submitted once the internship(s) being extended is/are at least 75% through their original timeline. The funding extension shall be used to:

• Complete the existing project in cases where the project has experienced delays due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., lack of access to facilities due to COVID-19, sample delays due to transportation, seasonal delays in fieldwork, etc.)

• Broaden the scope of the project (e.g., conducting additional tests, including additional samples, adding data sources for analysis, etc.)

• In either case, the request cannot be used to add new objectives or change existing project objectives.

2. Extensions must be requested within 4 months from when the intern completed their last IU on the project. In cases where a new intern is being added to the project, the request must be submitted within 4 months from the end of the last IU completed on the project.

3. If the extensions will be used to add a new intern to the project, a New Intern Profile form and the new intern’s CV will be required along with this completed form.

4. All interns must remain eligible (including respecting maximum internship allocation) to hold Mitacs internships for the duration of the extension period.

5. No discounts or enhanced leveraging options are available to fund the extension internships. Only standard funding models may apply, regardless of the funding models for the original project. Partner organizations are required to contribute additional funds for the extension period.

Yes. This should be communicated to their supervisor, organization partner and institution. The internship will be put on hold for this period of time, and the student will not be paid from their internship. Once a return date has been determined, the student will need to inform Mitacs of when they plan on returning to the internship to complete their term.

Mitacs Accelerate internships require the active participation of the intern, professor, and partner organization. All participants should attempt to fulfill their project obligations.
If all parties are in agreement, a project or individual internship may be terminated. If one party wants to cancel the internship without other parties’ agreement, s/he must first notify them in writing and allow 30 days for resolution of outstanding issues.
Any funds remaining after a cancelled internship must be returned to Mitacs. For more information, please refer to the downloadable General Mitacs Terms, Conditions & Policies zip file found under How To Apply.

Students should check their spam or junk folder. If they still haven’t received it, they should contact [email protected].

Invoices must be paid in full to Mitacs prior to any internship funds being sent by Mitacs to the university. Please note that all partner funds must be sent directly to Mitacs and not to the university. The funds must be received in advance of the internship start date.

Students should receive an invitation within the 30 days following the completion of their internship/fellowship.

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