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
Mitacs Plus website homepage with a sunset view of a long bridge over water. Options to learn about Mitacs, start an application, manage applications, and sign in are listed at the bottom.

At the top of the homepage, you will find the message centre and sign-in options. Below this are options to start an application, view existing applications, browse FAQs, contact Mitacs, and select your language preference.

*Note: Supported browsers include Edge and Chrome. All other browsers are not supported.

2. Signing In and Profile Creation

There are multiple ways to access Mitacs Plus depending on your user role and purpose.

  • Existing users: Sign in using your credentials. (If you have an account on any of our other Mitacs platforms, except the GRI portal, you can use the same email address and password to access Mitacs Plus. You’ll still need to create a profile the first time you log in.)
    If you’ve registered on another Mitacs system but your login does not work on Mitacs Plus, please proceed as a new user in this case. If you are having trouble, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

    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.

    • A person in a lab coat handles scientific equipment near a window; text reads, Mitacs Plus: Your project starts here. Website menu options appear at the top of the image.

  • 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.
    • It’s important to use the same email address that received the invitation when creating your account.

Profile Creation – Academic Supervisor

After signing in, fill in the required fields (Figure 1). Academic Supervisors will be asked to upload a resume in PDF format. 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 displays dropdown fields for application language, project title, academic discipline, priority sector, secondary and tertiary sector, and advisor name. A sidebar menu lists project-related sections.

b. Project Members
Add 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.

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.
You may choose the role for your contributor, either Academic Supervisor, Partner Organization or Grant Writer*, invite them to the application 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 applications may contain more than one Academic Supervisor from more than one post-secondary institution

Please note that any ORS Representative that is linked to any of the Academic Supervisor’s institutions will be automatically added to the application; no manual invitation is required. If none appears, or the wrong ORS Representative(s) appears, please reach out using the Contact Us form in the portal
or email [email protected].

A form field labeled Please indicate who the Principal Investigator is for this project with a text box for entering a name and an information icon next to it. Instructions are shown below the field.

A Principal Investigator needs to be selected. They are primarily responsible for the research activities on the project. It’s important to grant the secondary supervisor editing access and for them to complete the Research Declarations as well.

*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.

c. Research Declarations and Conflict of Interest form
Visible to all contributors, but only editable by the academic supervisor. If the application has a secondary academic supervisor, they will also need to complete the research declaration. When inviting them to the portal, they need to be granted editing rights. 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):
Table with columns: Form, Contributor, Declaration Submitted, Actions. Two rows show contributors Professor Durant and Green Bean, both with No under Declaration Submitted.

Academic Supervisor view:

Table showing two rows: both list Research Security & Conflict of Interest forms by contributors Professor Durant and Green Bean, with No in the Declaration Submitted column, and blank Actions.

A table lists research security forms. Professeure Durant has submitted a declaration; Green Bean has not. Action buttons say Open Form for Durant and View Form for Green Bean.

Screenshot of a research declarations form with questions about human data, human materials, animal involvement, hazardous materials, and project activities outside the institution, each with dropdown menus for responses.

A web form with dropdown questions about project research security, focusing on personal data use, critical infrastructures, controlled goods, intellectual property, and sensitive research areas. Instructions and links are visible at the top.

Academic Supervisor Research Security and Conflict of Interest

Form titled Academic Supervisor Research Security and Conflict of Interest with questions about affiliations, employment, influence, ownership, and board membership regarding partner organizations, and links to policies and NROs.

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 the interns expected to participate 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.
A web page form for budgeting internship projects. Sections for expected project duration and number of interns are shown. Red boxes highlight entry fields and an Add button. A notice about needing at least one intern appears.

If your institution requires the name and planned start date for postdoctoral researchers, additional information can be submitted while adding interns to the project. See the following screenshot.

A form asking if the academic institution requires the postdoctoral researchers name and start date, followed by fields for first name, last name, anticipated start and end dates, and email. Add and Cancel buttons are at the bottom.

When the interns are added to the project, they will appear on the page showing their degree level, internship type, internship duration, and the amount of units for each individual intern.

  • 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.

The partner will be asked to approve of the proposed budget at the bottom of the page.

A table titled Partner Organization Declarations showing columns for Form, Contributor, Declaration Submitted (No), and an Actions button labeled View Form.

Form titled Partner Organization Declarations with dropdown menus for estimated contribution confirmation and funding from government aid, and a blue Submit button at the bottom right.

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 webpage displays a message: This section is restricted to partner organization contact(s) only. The Billing Details tab is selected in the left menu. Navigation buttons Previous and Next 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 with fields for business name, contact name, billing address, country, province/state, postal code, phone, email, accounts payable email, and a PO requirement question. Next and Previous buttons below.

f. Research Project Proposal
Download and complete the proposal template by clicking the Research Project Template link found under “Template.” Upload the completed proposal by clicking “Choose File” under Upload Project Proposal. Supporting materials (tables, figures, etc.) can be uploaded in a separate file by clicking “Choose File” under Supporting Materials. You may reach out to your Mitacs Advisor for proposal support prior to submission.
A web application form with a warning in red stating, This section is restricted to partner organization contact(s) only. Navigation buttons labeled Previous, Save Draft, and Next are visible. A sidebar menu lists application sections.

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.

*Some answers may trigger additional questions.

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). Please note that there is a maximum of two reviewers per post-secondary institution.

Reviewers must be impartial and independent, meaning:

  • A recognized expert in the research topics and technical aspects covered by the proposal.
  • NOT 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 Academic Supervisor(s) and Partner Organization(s) 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.

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” and from the Ellipses choose “View Details”

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.

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.

a) 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.

b) 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!.

c) 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.

d) 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.

e) 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.

Next steps

  • Once your project is approved, the intern will be invited to submit their personal information.
  • The partner organization will be prompted to review and approve each intern and budget details.
  • Mitacs will review the intern’s eligibility. The intern will be notified of their eligibility status, and the project dashboard will be updated accordingly.
  • They will receive an invoice, which they should pay upon receipt.
  • When payment is received from the partner organization, Mitacs will issue an award notification and release the funds to the academic institution.
  • The intern can then begin the project.
6. Changing of Internship Dates

Mitacs plus now allows Academic Supervisors to request a change in internship dates directly within the Mitacs Plus portal. In order to request a date change for an internship unit, please follow these instructions:

a) From the Mitacs Plus homepage, click on either My Applications or View My Applications

Screenshot of the Mitacs website homepage. The My Applications link in the top menu and the View My Applications button below are both highlighted with red boxes.

b) Locate the project you wish to request a date change for by clicking the GMS number on the left, or using the Actions menu on the right

A dashboard showing a list of applications with columns for ID, application type, submitted date, award date, status, and action buttons. The IDs and actions are highlighted with red rectangles.

c) On the following screen click on “Internship Details”

A screenshot of a Mitacs online portal shows an application summary for Accelerate. The Internship Details tab is highlighted in red. User: Jane Doe. Application approved. Various details are listed below the tabs.

d) From the Internship Details dashboard, scroll down until you see the Project Details table. This table will list all internship units for your project. Please make sure that you scroll to the right in order to make the Actions column visible, and click on the three dots under Actions to view available options

A table lists project details for interns, including names, status, supervisors, stipend amounts, and payment status. A red rectangle highlights the Actions column, and a red arrow points to the horizontal scroll bar.

e) Click on Request Change

A table of project details shows multiple internship records with columns for status, institution, supervisor, level, financials, and actions. A dropdown menu is open, with Request Change highlighted.

f) Using the dropdown menu, select Change Dates and click submit on the bottom right of the page

g) You will then be prompted to complete the date change form. Please pay careful attention to the requirements posted at the top of the page prior to submitting your date change request. Once the required fields are completed you may continue by pressing the Submit button.

A form with fields for New Start Date, Internship Period, and New End Date. Theres a Submit button in the lower right corner. Instructions and messages about date selection and submission rules are shown below the form.

h) Click on OK to confirm the date change

A webpage shows a message: The internship dates have been successfully updated. There are Previous and OK buttons, with OK highlighted in a red box. A vertical menu on the left shows completed steps.

7. Date Changes – Date Overlaps

When requesting a date change, Academic Supervisors may receive an Overlapping Dates error. In order to successfully request a date change, this error must be resolved by selecting dates that do not overlap with each other. Please follow these steps to resolve this error.

a) From the Overlapping Dates screen, refer to the table under All Future Internship Units and select Edit next to one of the overlapping internship units. To identify the overlapping internship unit, refer to the New Start Date field and compare it to the start dates in the All Future Internship Units table. Once you have identified the overlapping internship unit, select Edit.

A webpage shows internship details for John Intern, highlighting overlapping dates. The Edit button is outlined in blue next to internship 332110, with new start and end dates shown above in a red box.

b) After clicking on the Edit button, a window will appear. Pick a new start date with no overlap and click on the submit button.

A form titled Date Change for Intern with fields for internship number, start date, internship period, and end date. A red box highlights the start date, and a red arrow points to the blue Submit button.

c) You will then be returned to the Overlapping dates screen and must click the Submit button on the bottom right side of the screen.

Webpage showing internship units for John Intern, with tables listing IDs, dates, and actions. A blue note provides instructions. At the bottom right, a Submit button is highlighted in red.

d) The Mitacs Plus platform will then confirm that the internship dates have successfully been updated, please click on OK on the bottom right side of the screen to complete the process.

A webpage shows a confirmation message about updated internship dates, with an OK button highlighted in red. A sidebar lists steps: Request Change, Change Dates, Overlapping Dates, and Next Steps.

8. Internship Unit Cancellations

Academic Supervisors and Partner Organizations are now able to request for internship units to be cancelled directly within the Mitacs Plus platform. Please follow these instructions to initiate the cancellation of an internship unit.

a) From the Mitacs Plus homepage, click on either My Applications or View My Applications

Screenshot of the Mitacs project portal. My Applications is highlighted at the top, and View My Applications is highlighted as a button below. Other buttons include View User Guides, Start an Application, and Profile.

b) Locate the project you wish to request an internship unit cancellation for by clicking the GMS number on the left, or using the Actions menu on the right

A dashboard for Jane shows a list of applications with IDs, status, and action buttons. The left column highlights IDs and the right column highlights action buttons for each application row.

c) On the following screen click on “Internship Details”

A screenshot of the Mitacs Accelerate dashboard displaying tabs. The Internship Details tab is highlighted. Application information such as App ID, grant name, program, and applicant name appears below.

d) From the Internship Details dashboard, scroll down until you see the Project Details table. This table will list all internship units for your project. Please make sure that you scroll to the right in order to make the Actions column visible, and click on the three dots under Actions to view available options

A table showing project details for interns, including supervisor, institution, stipend, and payment status, with an Actions column on the right and a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom.

e) Click on Request Change

A table of project details for interns, showing status, supervisors, institution, funding, dates, and actions. A dropdown menu with Name Intern and Request Change is open in the Actions column.

f) Using the dropdown menu, please select Cancel Internship Unit

g) Once selected, additional information will appear on the screen. Users should read this information carefully to fully understand the implications of cancelling an internship unit. Once the information has been read, users may select an option from the “Why are you cancelling this internship unit?” dropdown menu. Please note that if a user selects Other, a new field will appear where they must provide additional information. Once an option has been selected, users may click the Submit button on the bottom right side of the screen.

A cancellation form asks users to select a reason for cancelling an internship unit; options include financial, personal, disagreements, and other employment. Submit and dropdown menus are visible.

h) Once a user has clicked submit, they will be brought to the Next Steps screen where more information on the cancellation process will be given, users should review this information so that they are aware of the cancellation process. Once they have reviewed the information they may click on the Ok button on the bottom right side of the screen.

Screenshot of a webpage titled Next Steps with a checklist and instructions for cancelling multiple internship units. A blue OK button is highlighted in the bottom right corner.

i) After clicking the Ok button in the previous step, the user (either Academic Supervisor or Partner Organization) has now requested the cancellation of the internship unit. As seen in item #3 of the Next Steps screen, acknowledgement will be requested from the other primary applicant. In order to complete these steps, the other primary applicant must navigate to the Internship Details dashboard (as seen in steps 1 – 8) and select Confirm Change Request.

A table lists project details for internships, including supervisor, institution, stipend, and invoice status. A dropdown menu is open on the fourth row, showing Request Change and Confirm Change Request.

j) They will then be asked to approve the request by clicking the radio button next to “I approve this internship unit removal”. Should they not approve the internship unit request they may select the I do not approve this internship unit removal. Please note that should they not approve the internship unit removal Mitacs will wait 30 days to receive all parties approval. If after 30 days, one party still wishes to proceed, Mitacs will continue with the removal of the Internship Unit. If all applicants wish to withdraw this request within 30 days from the initial request, applicants must notify Mitacs by emailing [email protected]. Once an option has been selected, users must click the Submit button on the bottom right side of the screen.

A webpage form titled Internship Cancellation Request with instructions, a dropdown menu for the reason, a red box with payment details, checkboxes, and a blue Submit button at the bottom right.

k) A confirmation screen will then appear with additional information on the cancellation request, users may click on Ok to complete the process.

A webpage shows Next steps with a list of two items, a Cancel intern button on the left, and a blue OK button outlined in red on the bottom right.

9. 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 website header showing navigation links: Start an Application, My Applications, FAQs, Contact Us, and a language dropdown. A user menu labeled Messages is highlighted in the upper right.

Or in the messages tab for messages on specific projects.

Accelerate dashboard showing tabs: General Details, Status and Decision, Change Requests, Internship Details, Messages (highlighted), Reporting, and Documents. Application and Project Approved labels are visible.

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

A dashboard for an application named Accelerate shows messages with subjects and View links under the Messages tab. Two messages are listed, both sent on 15 JUL 2016, with different subjects and times.

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 or email [email protected].

Mitacs Plus platform header with links: Start an Application, My applications, FAQs, and Contact Us. The Contact Us link is outlined in orange.

10. Checking on the Status of Applications

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

Mitacs web page showing a table of applications with columns for ID, application type, dates, and status. My Applications, All, and Status are highlighted in red. Some information is blurred for privacy.

For detailed status:

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

A webpage titled Accelerate displays an approved application. The Internship Details tab is highlighted in red. Instructions for next steps are listed below. Other tabs include General Details, Status, and Messages.

A table titled Project Details displays internship information, including intern eligibility as Eligibility Pending and payment status as No Invoice Available. Some columns are blacked out for privacy.

11. 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 PDF summary of your proposal (named SM Internal)

A dashboard titled Accelerate shows tabs for project details, with the Documents tab open. It lists uploaded documents and generated documents, including an outcome letter PDF, with upload dates and statuses.

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