Innovative Projects Realized

Strategy and Operations Innovation Intern

The overarching goal of the internship at Upgraded is to leverage process improvements, and the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline operations processes, providing insights, and craft highly personalized proposals tailored to specific segments. The aim is to establish a comprehensive framework using drafting methodologies and systems that enhance the efficiency of proposals and also minimize the dependency on human resources. Subsequently, the intern will design and implement processes capable of extracting insightful information from customer data, facilitating the generation of tailored content that resonates with specific proposals. The focus will be on optimizing processes to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and relevance in the personalization of proposals and applications. The intern’s focus on streamlining operations will directly boost productivity and scalability within Upgraded, elevating its operational efficiency and strategic innovation while allowing the development of new business strategies.

Optimizing Research Grant Success: Insights and Strategies for Prairie Grants

Prairie Grants is a forward-thinking organization that simplifies the complex grant discovery and application process for Canadian start-ups. Despite the abundance of funding opportunities in Canada, many businesses struggle to access them due to limited awareness, difficulty identifying relevant programs, and inefficient, manual application procedures. Currently, Prairie Grants provides client support through manual grant matching and documentation preparation, but this approach is time-consuming, prone to human error, and lacks scalability.

To overcome these challenges, Prairie Grants aims to enhance and automate key processes by leveraging AI and machine learning. Before developing a full-scale solution, the organization needs a clear understanding of user pain points and internal operational workflows, as well as a strategic comparison of existing tools in the grant management space.

This Mitacs Business Strategy Internship will support Prairie Grants in a three-phase project. First, the intern will conduct market research and analyze stakeholder feedback to identify user challenges and barriers related to accessing government grants. In the second phase, the intern will analyze internal workflows using business analysis methods and evaluate how current practices compare to external platforms like Boast and GetGranted. In the final phase, the intern will combine insights to create strategic recommendations focused on improving service efficiency, reducing manual effort, and guiding product development.

The ideal candidate will have experience in business analysis, market research, and data visualization using tools like Excel, Power BI, or Tableau. Familiarity with process mapping and competitive platform benchmarking will also be important. The outcome of this project will directly inform Prairie Grants’ roadmap for building a scalable, user-centered digital grant platform.

Sur la route d’une chimie industrielle verte et durable : Fabrication de matériaux composites biosourcés.

Imaginez des matériaux en plastique renforcé de fibres (PRF) très solides, fabriqués par les entreprises. Aujourd’hui, ces matériaux ne sont pas toujours faciles à recycler et contiennent des fibres qui ne sont pas très écologiques. Ce projet de recherche vise à rendre ces matériaux plus durables. Pour cela, le stagiaire va explorer deux pistes : d’abord, remplacer le plastique actuel par un nouveau type de plastique qui peut être recyclé facilement. Ce nouveau plastique serait liquide, ce qui simplifierait sa fabrication. Ensuite, il va regarder si on peut remplacer les fibres de verre utilisées pour renforcer le plastique par des fibres de chanvre, une plante plus respectueuse de l’environnement. Pour Innov Composites, l’intérêt est de pouvoir fabriquer des produits plus verts, de potentiellement réutiliser leurs déchets, et ainsi de mieux répondre aux préoccupations environnementales actuelles, ce qui pourrait les rendre plus compétitifs.

Youth for Community Internship

A valued sector of our services caters to youth considered to be at risk of offending, or re-offending due to their economic, social, emotional, cultural marginalization, or accessibility. As the summer approaches, we recognize that this group of youth are underemployed, and that their socioeconomic background and lack of work experience is a barrier to obtaining and maintaining employment. As a result, this population of society are the last into the workforce in terms of hiring order, and the first ones to exit the workforce in regard to contract terminations.
In order to combat such marginalization, John Howard Society of Fredericton is prepared to rollout a Youth for Community – Summer Workshop. In this workshop, selected youth participants would have the opportunity to develop skills which will benefit their future as an employee in the workforce. Skills developed in the classroom (e.g., Interview Preparation, Budgeting, Transferrable Skills, Collaboration) will be supplement with hands on community outreach activities (e.g. community clean ups, Habitat for Humanity, Greener Village). Not only will these activities contribute to the development of the community and serve as practice for the participants to apply their newly developed skills, the youth will also have the opportunity to make connections to professional organization’s in their community.
Extendedly, the workshop will address what it means to be a positive and contributing member to the community, with a focus on recreation and physical activity. Specific activities include, Treego, bowling, rock climbing, driving range, beach volleyball, and a variety of fitness classes. By bringing participants into the community, they will make connections with organizations who may potentially provide a hiring opportunity.

Building Community Through Events and Outreach at West End Resource Centre

This project will support the West End Resource Centre (WERC) by helping plan and promote community events that meet the needs of local residents. As the intern, I will help organize events, connect with community members, and create easy-to-follow guides so future events can run smoothly. I will also look at survey results to learn what types of events people want and help WERC improve how they reach and involve the community. This will help WERC run more successful events and strengthen their connection with the people they serve.

Marketing & Social Media Strategy Associate

Many new mothers face uncertainty and a lack of support when making decisions about how to feed their newborns, especially in the early postpartum period. While breastfeeding is widely recognized for its benefits—such as supporting infant immune health, cognitive development, and mother-baby bonding—access to consistent guidance can vary greatly. Studies show that mothers with access to support and education are more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding, yet many report feeling overwhelmed or unsure about whether their milk meets their baby’s needs. By providing accessible, science-based insights into breast milk composition, Lacto Labs aims to fill this gap, offering reassurance and personalized information to empower maternal decision-making. This project will support the creation and execution of a digital marketing and content strategy to engage new mothers who may need education and support for finding optimal nutrition for their babies.

La gestion de l’énergie dans les PME du Québec : un défi à relever

Ce projet de recherche, réalisé en collaboration avec la Fédération canadienne de l’entreprise indépendante (FCEI), a pour but de mieux comprendre comment les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) du Québec gèrent leur consommation d’énergie. Dans un contexte où les enjeux environnementaux prennent de plus en plus d’importance, il est essentiel d’identifier les pratiques actuelles des entreprises, leurs besoins et leurs perceptions en matière d’énergie. Grâce à un sondage mené auprès des membres de la FCEI, le projet permettra de dresser un portrait clair de la situation et de proposer des pistes d’amélioration concrètes. Ces recommandations aideront non seulement les entreprises à consommer l’énergie de manière plus efficace, mais elles pourront aussi orienter les décisions des gouvernements en matière de politiques énergétiques. Pour la FCEI, ce projet représente une occasion de mieux accompagner ses membres dans leur transition vers des pratiques plus durables.

Optimisation mathématique pour la gestion d’inventaire de produits dérivés

Les portefeuilles de produits dérivés sont soumis à des règles complexes de calcul de collatéral requis. Ces règles impliquent des calculs sophistiqués pour déterminer le montant de capital à immobiliser afin de couvrir les risques associés aux positions détenues.
Une partie de ces calculs dépend de la manière dont les produits dérivés sont regroupés au sein des portefeuilles. Des regroupements sous-optimaux peuvent entraîner une surcharge de capital requis, ce qui impacte directement la rentabilité et l’efficacité opérationnelle. Il est par conséquent crucial de concevoir des outils capables d’identifier des regroupements optimaux de produits dérivés, permettant de minimiser le capital requis tout en respectant les contraintes réglementaires et opérationnelles.
Le but de ce projet sera de concevoir et développer un outil d’optimisation visant à réduire l’utilisation du capital requis pour maintenir des positions de produits dérivés. L’outil devra proposer des regroupements optimaux de produits dérivés afin de minimiser les exigences en capital tout en respectant les contraintes réglementaires et opérationnelles.

Policy and Environmental Research for Infrastructure Projects

Ultimarii is a software company that helps speed up environmental and regulatory approvals for major infrastructure projects by using artificial intelligence. This internship project will bring on a student researcher to study environmental and energy policies, analyze public data on approval processes, and create easy-to-understand reports and summaries. The intern’s work will directly support Ultimarii’s goal of building smarter tools to help clients navigate complex regulations more efficiently. For Ultimarii, this means gaining valuable insights and research capacity during a crucial growth period, helping them enter the Alberta market and better serve industries like renewable energy and mining.

Social media strategies for retail brand growth – ON-1062

This project focuses on developing and optimizing social media strategies for a retail brand to enhance its online presence, engagement, and sales. With the increasing influence of digital platforms on consumer behaviour, having an effective social media strategy is crucial for brand visibility, customer connection, and revenue growth.

The project will explore key aspects such as content creation, platform selection, audience targeting, and engagement tactics. It will analyze how different types of content—such as videos, influencer collaborations, and user-generated content—impact brand awareness and customer loyalty. Additionally, it will assess the effectiveness of paid advertising versus organic reach.

A key component of the project is leveraging data analytics to measure performance metrics, including engagement rates, conversion rates, and customer sentiment. This data-driven approach will help refine strategies and ensure continuous improvement.

The project will also examine emerging trends in social commerce, including live shopping, short-form videos, and AI-driven personalization, to identify new opportunities for brand growth.

By the end of the project, a comprehensive social media strategy tailored to the retail brand’s goals will be developed, offering actionable insights and best practices for maximizing social media impact.

Carbon Dioxide Functionalization by Aluminum-based Metal-Only Frustrated Lewis Pairs

The continued rise in global temperatures, driven by excessive greenhouse gas emissions, has brought carbon dioxide (CO2) to the forefront of global challenges. As the most abundant greenhouse gas, CO2 presents both a critical issue and a unique opportunity: its removal and conversion into value-added products have become key goals for scientists, industries, and policymakers. Despite their thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness, small molecules like CO2 represent abundant, non-toxic feedstocks. Their capture and functionalization remain vibrant areas of chemical research, with strategies increasingly drawing on cooperative reactivity between elements. Bimetallic systems, where two metals work in tandem, offer a promising route to overcome the inertness of CO2 due to their complex but tunable reactivity. Aluminum is particularly compelling candidate: it is earth-abundant, exhibits diverse bonding behavior, and maintains a metallic character. This proposal seeks to pair aluminum with gold, a transition metal well-known for its catalytic properties and redox flexibility. The resulting Al–Au bimetallic compounds are expected to exhibit formal metal–metal interactions, enabling cooperative CO2 activation. Inspired by related systems, this project aims to synthesize and study new bimetallic complexes to explore their reactivity with CO2 and evaluate their potential for transformation into valuable products such as oxalate.

Bio-inspired Injectable Bone Glue for Bone Deformations

Our project is about creating a truly usable bone glue that can safely and effectively bond to bone while naturally breaking down in the body. Right now, our bone cement doesn’t adhere well enough on its own, so we’re adding special additives to improve its adhesive properties and make it more reliable for medical use. Through careful research and testing, we aim to develop a strong yet biodegradable material that could make surgeries easier and recovery smoother for patients. But beyond the science, this project is also about collaboration—bringing together researchers from different fields to solve a real medical challenge. By combining our expertise and passion for innovation, we hope to create something that not only advances biomaterials research but also has a meaningful impact on people’s lives.