Mitacs Accelerate

Eligibility

Who is eligible? 

• Postdoctoral fellows at all Canadian universities (except those who have previously held a Mitacs Elevate award). PhDs must have been granted no more than five years prior to the project’s start date
• Recent graduates from a Canadian college or university, within two years of graduation (see the Accelerate FAQ page for more information about eligibility for recent grads) 
• Postdoctoral fellows in select Mitacs partner countries (visit the Accelerate International tab for more details)
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students over the age of 18
• All academic disciplines
• For-profit corporations and eligible not-for-profit corporations, municipalities, and hospitals in Canada
• Under the Accelerate Entrepreneur initiative, eligible intern-owned start-ups at approved incubators. Contact accelerate@mitacs.ca to confirm your start-up’s eligibility.
• For-profit businesses operating outside of Canada

Summary

Put your talent to work with a paid internship at an organization that needs your expertise. Funding starts at $15,000, and your partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $7,500. This is a recurring award. Applications can be submitted at anytime.

Submission Process

Please visit https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/accelerate/proposal for further details.

Before You Apply

1. If applicable, send Conflict of interest (COI) and not-for-profit (NFP) organization eligibility check to a Mitacs Business Development representative in your region

2. Connect with a Mitacs Business Development representative in your region to start your application

3. Check the eligibility of the student or postdoctoral fellow, academic supervisor and partner organization

a. If you are collaborating with a not-for-profit, hospital, or municipality, you must seek partner and project eligibility approval before proceeding by connecting with a Mitacs Business Development representative in your region 

4. If you have a potential conflict of interest (COI): 

a. If you are uncertain if you have COI, please consult the Mitacs Conflict of Interest Policy or connect with a Mitacs Business Development representative in your region to discuss

b. Students and postdoctoral fellow COI: Submit completed Mitacs Intern Eligibility and Conflict of Interest Declaration Form (doc) to your Mitacs Business Development representative for review

c. Academic supervisor COI: Bring this to your academic institution's attention and include in your final application the information below (you may use your academic institution’s form or Mitac’s Academic Institution Acknowledgement template) (doc): 

• Details on academic supervisor’s involvement with non-academic partner organization
• Evidence that the academic supervisor’s academic institution is aware of the conflict
• A description of the academic institution's mitigation measures
• If your academic institution’s mitigation measures include the appointment of an independent administer, please complete the Independent Administrator Profile form (doc). 

How to apply

Note: Proposals must include at least one postdoctoral fellow, supervising professor, partner organization, and four-month research project. 

1. Review the following information when you begin writing your proposal:

• Eligible research and adjudication criteria
• Writing Your Proposal guide
• Policies

2. Get feedback on the proposal from all participants and your Mitacs Business Development representative

3. Collect all required signatures: intern(s), professor(s), partner contact, and university Office of Research Services or equivalent

4. Email your proposal package to your Mitacs Business Development representative

Note: Interns travelling internationally (whether to or from Canada) for an Accelerate project must visit our Accelerate International page for additional instructions and requirements.

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Timelines

• Apply anytime
• Six- to eight-week peer review
• Postdocs can get up to three years of funding
• Projects start at four months

Expectations

• Spend approximately 50% of the internship with the university and 50% with the partner organization
• Submit a final report and exit survey summarizing project results and experiences
• Read the Accelerate Code of Conduct

Benefits

• Apply your skills in a non-academic environment
• Gain non-academic research experience
• Broaden your professional network
• Get a stipend/salary starting at $10,000 per four-month period
• Build out your CV with peer-reviewed research