Is global growth in your future?
Mitacs Entrepreneur International offers a travel grant to Canadian start-ups that are housed in an academic-institution-linked incubator or accelerator to connect them with host incubators abroad and explore new business development opportunities in international markets. The Mitacs Entrepreneur International program invites application submissions on a year-round basis.
Canadian start-ups receive a travel grant to support eligible business travel costs, of up to $5,000 to connect with a host incubator in an eligible new target market. Through the program, start-ups:
After a successful couple of trips to the US, our pipeline is exploding and we are officially hiring an FTE to join me on the commercial side of the business (mostly to help with sales).
MEI participant
Participants submit their application and budget detailing a travel plan that supports growth goals in at least one of the following categories:
Successful applicants receive a travel grant to support eligible business travel costs for up to two (2) full-time equivalent employees, founders, or owners:
Find the MEI application form under How to Apply.
See Eligibility for a complete list of eligible applicants, markets, activities and expenses.
To be considered for the travel grant, all applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Below is our list of pre-approved home incubators for Entrepreneur International. If you do not see your incubator on the list, please contact pilots@mitacs.ca to check if it is eligible. Please note that all home incubators are required to be linked to a Canadian post-secondary institution.
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador
Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship
Genesis
Centre for Social Enterprise
Nova Scotia
Centre for Women in Business
COVE
IGNITE Atlantic
The Labs
The Bays
Creative Destruction Lab
Cultiv8
Emera ideaHUB
Island Sandbox
Frostbyte Interactive
Saint Mary’s Entrepreneurship Centre
ShiftKey Labs
Innovation and Enterprise Centre
SURGE
Volta
Centre for Women in Business
NS Health Innovation Hub
New Brunswick
CARDE
Planet Hatch
J Herbert Smith Centre
Energia Ventures
Quebec
Centech
ACET
District 3 Innovation Hub
Next AI
Creative Destruction Lab
MT Lab
La base entrepreneuriale
Accélérateur entrepreneurial Desjardins
Bureau de soutien à l’entrepreneuriat
Carrefour d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation Desjardins
Centre d’entrepreneuriat et d’essaimage
Centre d’entrepreneuriat Poly-UdeM
Centre québécois d’innovation en biotechnologie
Engine
Entrepreneuriat ULaval
V1
Mila Entrepreneurship Lab
Createk
Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship
Propolys
2degrés
IVADO
Millenium
Ontario
YSpace
Health Innovation Hub
UTEST
Impact Centre
Hatchery
Creative Destruction Lab
ICUBE
Legal Innovation Zone
Social Ventures Zone
The Fashion Zone
Science Discovery Zone
Biomedical Zone
Design Fabrication Zone
Transmedia Zone
Clean Energy Zone
Innovation Boost Zone
Waterloo Commercialization Office
Velocity
Grebel Peace Incubator
GreenHouse
LaunchPad
The Accelerator Centre
Western Accelerator
Morrissette Entrepreneurship
Innovation Factory
The Forge
Jim Fielding Innovation & Commercialization Space
The Foundry
Brilliant Catalyst
Queens Partnership and Innovation
Entrepreneurship Hub
EPICentre
Ingenuity
Innovate
Invest Ottawa
Lead To Win
Innovation Hub
École d’innovation sociale Élisabeth Bruyère
Treefrog Accelerator
VentureLAB
Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective
The DMZ
Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology
University of Toronto Entrepreneurship/ON Ramp
SpinUp Lab
WEtech Alliance
Catalyst Cyber Accelerator
Centre of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
HELIX
University of Guelph Research Innovation Office
Manitoba
North Forge Technology Exchange
Saskatchewan
Alberta
Innovate Calgary
Platform Calgary
Creative Destruction Lab
Hunter Hub
Health Innovation Hub
eHUB
Student Innovation Centre
Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship
Agility
ST Innovations
British Columbia
HATCH
VentureLabs
Centre for Digital Media
Coast Capital Innovation Centre
Coast Capital Venture Connection
e@UBCO
Creative Destruction Lab
SFU Venture Labs
Circle Innovation
Eligible markets include the following countries, regions or jurisdictions:
Travel grants support eligible business travel costs, with a maximum grant of $5,000. Up to two (2) full-time employees, founders or owners may claim eligible expenses per travel grant.
In-kind contributions from the Home or Host Incubators cannot be used towards matching Mitacs funds.
Successful applicants must maintain proper and accurate accounts and records of the approved travel expenses for a minimum of seven (7) years after the date of completion of the travel period.
See How to Apply for more information on how to apply for a travel grant today.
If you have any questions about the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program, please email the Mitacs Entrepreneur International team.
The Mitacs Entrepreneur International program invites application submissions on a year-round basis.
A Mitacs Entrepreneur International application consists of:
Applicants must submit an application at least four (4) weeks prior to their planned business travel. Applicants are responsible for collecting all required attachments for a complete application submission
3. Verify with your Advisor that your Canadian and International incubator or accelerator is pre-approved
4. Review the minimum eligibility and adjudication criteria
5. Draft an application and collect all required supporting documentation
6. Contact your Mitacs Advisor to review and submit your application for you
2. Once the minimum eligibility criteria are met, your application will be adjudicated to ensure your business travel meets our program guidelines (typically within 10 business days)
3. Mitacs will contact all participants with the outcome of their review and any applicable instructions
See our Program Administration tab for an overview of our adjudication process, participant guidelines, program deliverables and other program information.
If you have any questions about the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program, please email the Mitacs Entrepreneur International team.
1. Successful applicants will receive an Acceptance Form with their Notice of Approval, which must be signed and returned to Mitacs within one week to confirm their travel grant
2. Mitacs will send the first installment of the approved grant (80%) to the company via EFT or cheque (typically within 30 days)
3. Successful applicants travel to their target market (typically 2-6 weeks of travel)
4. Upon return, successful applicants must submit a final report detailing the outcomes of their business travel in accordance with their approved application, as well as a financial report detailing their approved expenses
5. Mitacs will review final and financial reporting to ensure the total Mitacs travel grant amount does not exceed actual funds spent
6. If the actual spending detailed in the financial report is equal to or exceeds the approved budget, applicants can expect to receive the second installment (20%) via EFT or cheque within 30 days
All personal information collected as part of the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program application and administration is subject to privacy legislation and Mitacs Privacy Policy.
Information supplied in the application will be made available to Mitacs staff responsible for managing the application, for activities including reviewing and adjudicating applications, administering and monitoring travel grants, compiling statistics, evaluating the program and reporting to our funders. Demographic information will only be reported in aggregate. Information supplied in your application will also be made available to internal Mitacs reviewers. All reviewers are required to make a commitment to keep the application information confidential.
If you have any questions about the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program, please email the Mitacs Entrepreneur International team.
All submitted applications are reviewed for minimum eligibility and to ensure an applicant’s business model and proposed travel plan meets our program guidelines.
A copy of our minimum eligibility requirements and adjudication criteria can also be found in the application package, including: