Mitacs logo with stylized blue text and an abstract symbol on the left, ending with a green circle containing a blue plus sign.

Mitacs Plus User Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for using Mitacs’s new Mitacs Plus platform. For more general information on our new platform and its audience, please click here.

1. Landing Page and Site Navigation
A person handles lab equipment in a bright room. The Mitacs Plus website header is visible, with navigation links and three main sections: Start an Application, My Applications, and Sign In, each with descriptive icons.

At the top of the homepage, you will find a language selector, message center and sign in options. Below this are options to start an application, view existing applications, browse FAQs, and contact Mitacs.

 

*Note – supported browsers include Edge, Chrome and Safari, all other browsers are not supported

2. Signing In and Profile Creation
  • Existing users: Sign in using your credentials.
    Login screen for Mitacs with fields for email and password, options to sign in or create an account, a Forgot Password? link, and a blue Sign In button at the bottom.
  • New users: Click Create an Account and follow the prompts. You will receive a notification to go to your email and confirm your account. Clicking on the “Confirm your account” button in the email will lead you back to Mitacs Plus to complete your profile. If you do not see the confirmation email, please check your spam folder. If you still can not find the email, please contact us using the contact us option in the portal or email [email protected] for support.
    Screenshot of a Mitacs account registration page displaying a confirmation message: You are nearly done! and instructions to check email for verification, with a contact email for assistance. A Mitacs sign-in form is on the left.
  • Invited users: If you’re being added as a contributor on an application, you’ll receive an invitation via email. Use the link to either sign in or redeem your invitation to create an account.

Profile Creation – Academic Supervisor

After signing in, fill in the required fields (Figure 1). Academic Supervisors will be asked to upload a resume. All eligible post-secondary institutions should be found in the Organization menu. If not, please contact us using the contact us option in the portal or email [email protected] for support.

A web form titled Your details with fields for personal and professional information including name, contact type, organization, faculty, and job title. A red alert asks users to complete all mandatory sections before proceeding.

A web form under the Communication Preferences tab asks for email, alternative email, phone number, extension, and preferred language, with a dropdown set to EN. A blue Submit button is at the bottom right.

Figure 1: Academic Supervisor Profile page

 

Profile Creation – Partner Organization

Once you have created an account, you can sign in and you will be prompted to enter your profile information (Figure 2). If your organization has previously worked with Mitacs, search for it in the Organization field. If it’s your first time, click “New” to add the organization details manually (Figure 3).

Online application form with fields for contract type, name, country of residence, organization, department, job title, and checkbox to confirm truthful answers; some fields have information icons. A blue Submit button is at the bottom right.

Figure 2: Partner Organization Profile page. You can search for your Partner Organization by clicking on the magnifying glass circled in red in the figure. If you are new to Mitacs, you can add your Partner Organization by clicking on the magnifying glass, and then clicking “New” in the pop up page (page that pops up in Figure 3 below).
A web form titled Create a new record with fields for organization name, role, address, NAICS code, and website, plus a blue Submit button on the bottom right. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk.

Figure 3: Create a new record page for new Partner Organizations.

3. Drafting an Application

Click “Start an Application”

Select “Begin Application”

You will be guided through multiple sections, including the project overview, research declarations, and contributors. Required fields are indicated by red asterisk *  

Screenshot of the Mitacs Accelerate program webpage detailing program overview, funding, eligibility, and important participation policies, with headings and bullet points outlining requirements and application guidance.

a. Project Overview
Includes basic details about the project, such as title, discipline etc.
A web form titled Project Overview with dropdown menus for application language, project title, academic discipline, priority sector, secondary sector, and tertiary sector, along with navigation links on the left sidebar.

b. Research Declarations
Visible to all contributors, but only editable by the academic supervisor. Certain responses may trigger additional fields for clarification. ORS and Partner Organization roles have read-only access.

ORS/Partner Organization view (before Academic supervisor has filled in the form):
A table with column headers: Form, Contributor, Declaration Submitted, and Actions. Below, a highlighted message reads, There are no records to display.

Academic Supervisor view:
A table row shows the form Research Security & Conflict of Interest by contributor Ana Leakey, declaration not submitted (“No”), and an Open Form button on the right.

c. Project Members
Adding participants to your project.
A webpage titled “Project Members” shows a table with member names, roles, and actions. On the right, a blue “+ Add” button is highlighted in a red box for adding new members. The left sidebar lists navigation options.

You may choose the role for your contributor, either Academic Advisor, Partner Organization or Grant Writer*, invite them to the applications by adding their name and email address, and you can choose what access they have to the application with the edit permissions. Please note that ORS Representative that is tagged to the Academic Supervisor’s institution will be automatically added to the application, no manual invitation is required. If none appears, or the wrong ORS Representative appears, please reach out using the contact us form option in the portal or email  [email protected] for support.
A form titled Add a contributor with fields for role, first name, last name, email, and confirm email. A section below asks Has Edit Permission with Yes and No radio buttons. The Invite button is at the bottom right.
*Grant Writer: is an optional additional contributor who will assist in the writing of the proposal but will not be a formal member of the application and will not be required to sign off. This individual may be an intern, a departmental admin or any other individual who you may want to assign this role. If the intended intern for the project is added on as a Grant Writer, please note this does not automatically make them the intern for the project. They will still need to be invited onto the project as an intern once the project has been submitted at the earliest.

d. Budget
Use this section to estimate the number of interns and their expected duration. The system will automatically calculate the proposed partner contribution.

See the screenshots below for an example, you will choose the estimated duration of the project as a whole, then add interns to the project, by adding their academic level, the type of internship either a 4 or 6 month, and their expected duration to be working on the project, based on the selections it will automatically calculate the number of internship units for that intern.
Screenshot showing a budget management interface. The left side lists project details and an Add button for items, while the right side displays a Create form with dropdown fields for academic level, internship type, and duration.

 

  • PDF interns default to the $20K model
  • All others default to the $15K model (4 months/unit at time of submission, but once an intern is added, the academic supervisor can adjust to be 6 month units)
  • The $10K model is not available by default

If required, please reach out using the contact us option in the portal or email [email protected] to make the adjustment.
A table shows partner contributions by intern academic level: Undergraduate (2 interns, $15,000), Master (4, $30,000), PhD (4, $10,000), totaling $70,000 partner contribution and $140,000 total award.

e. Billing Details
This section can only be filled out by the partner organization Academic Supervisors and Grant Writers will see the following screen:

A web page from Mitacs displays a warning message stating that the section is restricted to partner organization contacts only. The Billing Details tab is selected in the left menu, and navigation buttons are at the bottom.

Partner organizations will be asked to fill out the invoicing details as follows on this screen:

A web form titled Billing Details displays fields for business name, address, country, province, postal code, email, and P.O. box info. The left sidebar lists project sections like Budget, Research Proposal, and Summary.

f. Research Project Proposal
Download and complete the proposal template. Upload the final version along with any supporting materials (tables, figures, etc.). You may reach out to your Mitacs BD advisor for proposal support prior to submission.
Screenshot of an online research project proposal submission page with sections to upload a Word format proposal and optional supporting materials, plus navigation buttons for Previous, Save Draft, and Next at the bottom.

g. Partner Organization Additional Details
This is another section restricted to the partner organization, Academic Supervisors and Grant Writers will see the following:

Screenshot of the Mitacs application portal showing a warning message: This section is restricted to partner organization contact(s) only. Please proceed with the other sections of the application.

Partner organizations will be asked to fill in the following information:

A web form titled Partner Organization Additional Details with fields for date of incorporation, organization size, organization size in Canada, and questions about parent company status, subsidiaries, and R&D in Canada.

h. Engagement and Impact (Optional)
This section is available if your project involves social innovation or Indigenous Community engagement. You may upload letters of support if applicable.
Screenshot of a form section titled Engagement & Impact with areas for describing social innovation and optional Indigenous community involvement, featuring checkboxes and a Choose File button for uploading supporting documents.

i. Reviewers
Applicants need to suggest a minimum of six potential reviewers and flag any individuals to avoid (e.g., due to conflicts of interest).

For reviewer selection, they must arms-length, meaning:

  • Be a recognized expert in the research topics and technical aspects covered by the proposal.
  • NOT be from the same academic institution as the intern(s) or the academic supervisor(s).
  • NOT have had any collaboration with the intern(s) or the academic supervisor(s) or the partner(s) during the past five years or planned for the near future.
4. Sign Off

Once your application is ready, click Sign Off. This will lock the application and send email notifications to all contributors, prompting them to sign off. Once all required participants have signed off, the ORS representative will be notified to complete the final sign off. Within 2 business days, a PDF download of the application will be available in the Document section. To view the PDF, please take the following steps:

  1. Navigate to My Applications in the Mitacs Plus Portal.

    2. A person wearing safety gear pours liquid nitrogen, with the “Mitacs Plus: Your project starts here” site visible. “My Applications” in the top menu and “View My Applications” button are highlighted in red.

  2. Find the application(s) at “Pending institutional Signatures”. From the Ellipses choose “View Details”

    3. A dashboard from the Mitacs application portal shows a table with applications, their statuses, and action options. One status, Pending Institution Signatures, and View Details are highlighted with red boxes.

  3. Choose the Documents tab and under Generated Documents you will find the “SM Internal”PRIME PDF report. This is a full downloadable version of the application. Clicking on the blue hyperlink for that document will open it and allow the document to be downloaded and saved.

    4. A screenshot of an online portal named Accelerate shows the Documents tab selected. Two documents are listed: a research proposal template and a PDF report labeled SIM Internal.

For any questions or difficulties in accessing this document please use the contact us option in the portal or email [email protected].

After ORS sign-off is complete, the application is automatically submitted to Mitacs for review.

5. Onboarding Interns

To onboard interns, the academic supervisor can start inviting them as soon as the application is submitted, or you can wait for the project to be approved. Note: the interns will only be notified and confirmed after project approval.

From the dashboard choose the application that you want to invite interns to, and either click the application id number (hyperlinked, or go to the ellipses and choose view application).
A dashboard showing a table of grant applications with columns for ID, Application, Submitted Date, Award Date, Status, and Actions. The “View Application” action is highlighted for one application row.

Then navigate to the internship details tab.

A screenshot of the Mitacs Accelerate application portal shows the Internship Details tab highlighted. A green Project Approved label appears above a message stating, Your application has been approved!.

Select the intern unit from the proposed budget you would like to name and from the actions choose “Name Intern”. You will be asked to add their first name, last name, and email address. You will choose the distribution of funds for this internship, (i.e. research costs and stipend). Finally, you will choose the start date for the intern, and internship period (duration 4 or 6 months). Once all fields are completed, you will be asked to confirm the information.
A table titled Project Details lists six interns with Pending status, PhD level, $7,500 partner contribution, $0 additional contribution, $14,500 total award, $5,000 stipend, and No Invoice Available.

Once the project is approved, the Partner Organization has to approve the budget for the intern. They will need to follow the same steps as stated above to access the project and see the list of interns. Please note: These steps will have to be completed for each internship unit. After confirming one intern, return to the award details page to confirm any other named interns, as indicated by the 3 dots under the action column.
A table showing intern status details, including eligibility, academic level, financial contributions, stipend, start/end dates, and actions. The Confirm Funding option is highlighted in the actions menu for one intern.

The next steps will be for the intern to receive the invitation and fill out their profile information (note: this will only be after project approval). Mitacs will review eligibility and confirm the intern’s eligibility after which an invoice to the partner will be issued for the internship.

A section titled Next Steps lists five steps for intern onboarding approval, including intern information submission, eligibility notification, invoice issuance, payment processing, and project commencement.

6. Messages

Mitacs may send you portal messages regarding:

  • Required updates
  • Eligibility issues
  • Revision requests

You will receive an email notification when a message is available.

Messages are available in the top navigation ribbon , which will take you to all messages ever sent on any application.

Screenshot of a blue website navigation bar with a mitcs logo on the left and menu options: Start an Application, My Applications, FAQs, Contact Us. Messages is highlighted in orange near the top right.

Or in the messages tab for messages on specific projects.

A dashboard for a project called Accelerate shows its ID, application status (Under Review), and navigation tabs. The Messages tab is highlighted with an orange box.

You will be able to view the messages and reply in the message tab.

A webpage displays a list of messages with columns for date sent, sender, subject, and a “View” button under the message column. The “Messages” tab is selected and one sender’s name is blacked out.

When viewing the message, the option to reply is available. New messages cannot be initiated from the portal, for all inquiries you should use the contact us option in the upper navigation ribbon.

Website navigation bar showing the logo mitos on the left and links for Start an Application, My Applications, FAQs, and Contact Us on the right, with Contact Us highlighted with an orange border.

7. Checking on the Status of Applications

The My Applications dashboard displays overall application statuses: Submitted, Under Review, Approved, etc.

Screenshot of the Mitacs webpage showing “My Applications” tab. A list displays several Accelerate applications with their ID, submission date, and status, such as Under Review and Revisions Required.

For detailed status:

  • Select View Details from the ellipsis menu on your application.
  • Go to the Internship Details tab to see intern approvals and invoicing status.

Screenshot of a Mitacs Accelerate application dashboard showing the Internship Details tab highlighted and a message stating, Your application has been approved! with next steps listed below.

A table titled Project Details lists intern status, eligibility, name, academic level, contributions, award, stipend, start and end dates, and invoice status for multiple interns. Important columns are highlighted in orange boxes.

8. Accessing Documents on the Portal

You’ll find the following in the Documents section of each project:

  • Your proposal template as submitted
  • Review outcome letter
  • Reviewer comments
  • Award letter(s)

A project management dashboard displays document uploads and generated documents under the Documents tab, with filenames, descriptions, upload and generation dates, and a highlighted Application Project Approved status.

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