Mitacs is a
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
national research organization that, in partnerships with
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
academia, private industry and government, operates
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation.
History
Mitacs was founded by Canadian mathematicians in 1999. The organization, whose name originally stood for "Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems", worked in the field of
mathematical sciences
The mathematical sciences are a group of areas of study that includes, in addition to mathematics, those academic disciplines that are primarily mathematical in nature but may not be universally considered subfields of mathematics proper.
Statisti ...
and associated disciplines but has since expanded. In 2004, the Mitacs Accelerate program was launched and has since supported over 10,000 internships nationally.
[Joe Oliver (2015-04-21]
"Economic Action Plan 2015"
''Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada''. .
https://www.ams.org/journals/notices/201908/rnoti-p1290.pdf
Programs
As of late 2020, Mitacs operates six main programs:
Accelerate
The organization's flagship program has supported over 10,000 research internships for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows since 2004 and has since replaced the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...
's Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships Program.
Elevate
The two-year program has the objective of providing postdoctoral fellows with professional and leadership development training while leading a long-term research project with a partner organization.
Globalink
The international program supports two-way research collaboration between
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and research partners abroad.
In 2016, the Globalink Research Internship program welcomed 565 students across Canada.
Canadian Science Policy Fellowship
The program matches PhD-level researchers to government agencies to influence evidence-based policy-making.
Entrepreneur International
The program offers travel grants to Canadian start-ups housed in university-linked incubators. The grant enables start-ups to connect with international incubators.
Business Strategy Internship
The program provides funding to students who develop innovative projects designed to help Canadian businesses.
Awards
Mitacs presents annual awards in seven categories:
* Alejandro Adem Legacy Award for Outstanding Innovation — Indigenous
* Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — International
* Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Master's
* Award for Outstanding Innovation — PhD
* Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Postdoctoral
* Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership — Professor
* Mitacs & NRC–IRAP Award for Commercialization
Funding
Mitacs is jointly funded by the federal and provincial Canadian governments, academic partners and research partners. Between 2006 and 2015, the organization received $128 million in investments from the federal government.
[{{cite news, url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/not-headed-for-academia-industry-internships-may-be-the-answer/article9295558/, title=Not headed for academia? Industry internships may be the answer, last=Lewington, first=Jennifer, date=2018-05-11, work=The Globe and Mail] In 2015, the federal government pledged $56.4 million over four years (starting in 2016) to Mitacs in support of graduate-level research and development internships.
References
External links
Official website
Funding bodies of Canada
Scientific organizations based in Canada
Higher education in Canada
1999 establishments in Canada