Mitacs renews initiative to support Indigenous innovation for second year in a row

The Indigenous Pathways initiative helps Indigenous businesses and not-for-profit organizations to access funding and resources

Vancouver, BC – Mitacs is once again offering special funding to help empower Indigenous innovation in Canada. Through the Indigenous Pathways initiative, eligible organizations will only contribute 25 percent of the cost of projects that have an Indigenous partner organization and/or an intern who is Indigenous. 

Mitacs is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and creating equitable access to its programs. The goal of this renewal is to diminish the barrier of entry to the innovation economy by reducing the cost of collaborations between partners and academia. 

The additional funding provided is available to businesses that are at least 50 percent owned by an individual that self-identifies as Indigenous or whose selected intern self-identifies as Indigenous. The reduced cost also applies to not-for-profit organizations if their board of directors is composed of at least 50 percent self-identified Indigenous peoples, or if the mandate of the organization is Indigenous-focused. Mitacs creates an easy and transparent financial process and will help provide the expertise to bring original ideas to market.  

Learn more about Mitacs’s support to Indigenous innovation: 

Quotes: 

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry 

“By directly investing in lndigenous students and businesses, we are supporting the long-term resilience of Indigenous communities and economies. For Canada to continue growing our leadership in the innovation economy, all Canadians must have access to the opportunities and benefits that come from it. To achieve this goal, we need equitable opportunities like those offered by Mitacs’s Indigenous Pathways which ensure that diverse new talent can transform the approaches, ideas and technologies that are fueling Canada’s innovation economy.” 

Dr. John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs 

“Mitacs is pleased to once again offer support through Indigenous Pathways to Indigenous businesses and not-for-profit organizations, which will help to empower Indigenous innovation in partnership with academia. As the country reopens, we’re eager to assist Indigenous organizations and interns who aim to grow and achieve their strategic goals.”  

Candice Loring, Director, Business Development Indigenous Community Engagement, Mitacs 

“With the renewal of Indigenous Pathways, Mitacs is committed to legitimizing Indigenous knowledge systems, creating spaces, and providing equitable access for Indigenous researchers, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations to thrive in the innovation ecosystem.” 

About Mitacs:

• Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.  
• Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.  

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