All submitted applications are reviewed to ensure that prospective fellows and host positions meet the program eligibility criteria.
Once fellow applications and host positions are adjudicated, all shortlisted semi-finalist applications will be presented to eligible host offices to select fellow candidates for interviewing. Following the interview period, selected fellows and host offices will rank their choices for Mitacs to facilitate fellowship matching. Please see the Matching section for more information on the matching process.
Fellow adjudication (March-April)
Fellow applications are adjudicated as part of a competitive call cycle through winter and spring in advance of the fellowship cohort start date in September.
All fellow applications are reviewed through a two-stage process:
1. Applications are reviewed for minimum eligibility requirements
Please refer to the Eligibility section for more information on fellow eligibility requirements
2. Fellow applications are then sent to a Fellow Adjudication Committee to shortlist candidates as semi-finalists
- The Fellow Adjudication Committee is made up of past Canadian Science Policy Fellows
- All applications are vetted for any potential conflict of interest with adjudication committee members
- Each application is reviewed by at least two separate members of the adjudication committee
- Adjudication committee members are asked to evaluate fellow applications based on research distinctions, leadership attributes, communication skills, and a commitment to the fellowship’s professional development opportunities and objectives
- Prospective fellows are evaluated using points-based criteria and review scores are calibrated to ensure consistent scoring is applied across members of the adjudication committee
- Based on the review scores of the adjudication committee, a shortlist of fellow applicants is presented to participating host offices to select candidates for interviewing
Host adjudication (March)
All host applications are reviewed by an internal Mitacs committee to ensure that prospective fellowship positions meet the program requirements. Applications are reviewed in accordance with the following adjudication criteria:
1. Is the focus of the policy position clear?
Are the policy issues, questions or challenges that the fellow will be working on clearly defined?
Does the position involve policy processes? (e.g., problem framing, policy formulation, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation)
Does the position include policy activities? (e.g., preparing briefing and speaking notes, senior decision-maker briefings, supporting the work of committees, stakeholder meetings, and/or consultations)
2. Is there a clear added value for the position?
- Are the fellow’s key responsibilities clearly defined?
- Is the work appropriate for someone at a PhD level?
- Is there an added value for the fellow in terms of skills development or exposure to government work?
3. Is there adequate support for the fellow to be successful in the position?
- Does the application reference mentoring or guidance throughout the fellowship, with a specific person in mind?
- Is there a clear accountability/reporting structure for the fellow in the application?
- Does the application reference any opportunities to engage in a wide range of internal and external activities, professional development, government training, etc.? If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team at policyfellowship@mitacs.ca.
The matching process begins with host-fellow interviews. Following adjudication, all shortlisted fellow applications will be presented to eligible host offices to select candidates for interviewing.
1. Selecting interview candidates
Eligible host offices will select candidates that they wish to interview by filtering through a list of shortlisted fellow applications.
Host offices may choose to narrow their selection of suitable candidates by filtering for (e.g.):
- Location
- Working ability of language(s) spoken
- Academic specialization
- Policy skills and competencies
Host offices will have access to the complete fellow application forms, and may wish to review the academic awards, past research experience, leadership experience, communication skills and statements of interest, among other fields, for potential candidates. Mitacs encourages hosts to be flexible on required expertise, as the success of fellowships is less dependent on academic discipline and more on broader skills that can be applied in the public service environment.
2. Interviewing (May-June)
Host offices are invited to request an interview with the shortlisted fellows they have selected. There are no restrictions on how many interviews a host office can request, however, we recommend selecting a minimum of three (3) candidates, where possible, to maximize potential matches.
Mitacs will contact the shortlisted fellows and share the host office position description in advance of the interview
Hosts and fellows will set up an interview at mutual availability. Hosts must be prepared to accommodate virtual interviews for fellows that may be outside of the host office city. Hosts and potential fellows should note that there are no funds available from Mitacs to accommodate travel for in-person interviews.
The interview is an opportunity for each party to learn more about the other. Host offices are encouraged to use their established HR processes for the interviews. It is important for hosts to accommodate questions from fellow applicants, as this is the fellow’s opportunity to evaluate the host office and fit from their perspective.
Fellow applicants should treat the interview process as they would any professional interview. We suggest that fellows discuss how their expertise relates to the policy area of the host and to science policy in general and prepare any questions they may have about the role. As each host department has their own HR processes, the interview process will vary from host to host.
3. Matching
Following the interview period, selected fellows and host offices will confidentially rank their choices for Mitacs to facilitate fellowship matches. We encourage all participants to provide as many rankings as possible to maximize potential matches.
Once all fellow and host rankings are submitted, Mitacs will facilitate matches to maximize the number of fellowship opportunities and to generate top-ranking matches, where possible. Please note that fellows and hosts may not be matched with their first choice.
We will attempt to match all semi-finalists to host offices. Should any host offices not find a match in the first round, the process allows for a second round of matching. Unmatched semi-finalists will be given the remaining host office position descriptions and will have the opportunity to write a 500-word “pitch” describing why they would be a good match for the host office. After reviewing the pitches, hosts can decide if they’d like to interview additional candidates.
In order to maintain the confidentiality of the ranking process, fellows and host offices should not discuss their ranking decisions.
If you have any questions about the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, please email the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship team at policyfellowship@mitacs.ca.
