Mitacs

Mitacs
Formation1999
FounderSteve Halperin, Luc Vinet, Don Dawson, and Nassif Ghoussoub
TypeNon-profit
PurposeResearch and development
Location
Websitehttps://www.mitacs.ca
Formerly called
Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems

Mitacs is a nonprofit national research organization that, in partnerships with Canadian academia, private industry and government, operates research and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation.[1][2]

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 and associated disciplines but has since expanded. In 2004, the Mitacs Accelerate program was launched[3] and has since supported over 10,000 internships nationally.[4][5][6]

Programs

As of late 2020, Mitacs operates six main programs:[7]

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's Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships Program.[5]

Elevate

The two-year program has the objective of providing postdoctoral fellows with professional and leadership development training with a partner organization.[8]

The international program supports two-way research collaboration between Canada and research partners abroad.[9] In 2016, the Globalink Research Internship program welcomed 565 students across Canada.[10]

Canadian Science Policy Fellowship

The program matches PhD-level researchers to government agencies to influence evidence-based policy-making.[11]

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.[12]

Business Strategy Internship

The program provides funding to students who develop innovative projects designed to help Canadian businesses.[13]

Awards

Mitacs presents annual awards in seven categories:[14]

  • 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[15]

Funding

Mitacs is jointly funded by the federal and provincial Canadian governments, academic partners and research partners.[16] Between 2006 and 2015, the organization received $128 million in investments from the federal government.[17] 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.[5]

References

  1. ^ "About Mitacs". mitacs.ca. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  2. ^ "Building the Knowledge Economy Through Partnerships". Industry Canada. 2013-01-21.
  3. ^ Smith, Michael (2011-02-07). "One + one = success". University Affairs. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13.
  4. ^ McIlroy, Anne (2016-03-14). "Make me a match". Corporate Knights.
  5. ^ a b c Joe Oliver (2015-04-21)."Economic Action Plan 2015". Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. ISSN 1719-7740.
  6. ^ American Mathematical Society
  7. ^ "Programs". Mitacs. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  8. ^ "Elevate Your Business with Mitacs Development Program". Mitacs. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  9. ^ Maioni, Antonia (2017-06-19). "See the world. But see Canada too". The Globe and Mail.
  10. ^ Pannacci, Amanda (2016-07-11). "Halifax researchers team up with students to tackle health care, environment projects". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-01-31.
  11. ^ Chiose, Simona (2018-05-17). "New program allows scientists to get involved in federal policy-making". The Globe and Mail.
  12. ^ "Empower Your Entrepreneurial Journey with Mitacs". Mitacs. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  13. ^ "Feds Invest $40M To Create 5,000 Internships". WeeklyVoice.com. 2020-07-12. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  14. ^ "Awards". Mitacs. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  15. ^ "Award Categories". Mitacs. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Government Partners". Mitacs. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  17. ^ Lewington, Jennifer (2018-05-11). "Not headed for academia? Industry internships may be the answer". The Globe and Mail.