Mitacs supports recommendations in new report on Canada’s international education strategy

Vancouver, BC – August 15, 2012: Mitacs congratulates the Government of Canada on the newly released report of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, entitled International Education: A Key Driver of Canada’s Future Prosperity.

The task force behind the report, led by Dr. Amit Chakma, President of Western University, made a number of key recommendations that are timely and welcome. Underpinned by a goal of doubling the number of international students choosing Canada by 2022, the strategy also calls for a new program to encourage Canadian students to study abroad as well as a well-laid out plan for increasing the marketing of Canada’s educational brand abroad.

“Canada can only benefit long-term from attracting international students,” said Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs. “Not only do international students build our population of highly-skilled talent poised to address today’s innovation challenges and build our knowledge economy, but they bring a global perspective to our universities, a great value to our local students. We welcome the panel’s call for ensuring Canada is placed to attract some of the very best students from around the world to this country while our own students have more opportunities to become global citizens.”

Mitacs is a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing the next generation of researchers and innovators through a suite of cutting-edge programs. Mitacs Globalink, established in 2009, brings top international undergraduate students to universities across Canada for summer internships. The goal of the program is to build life-long connections between Canada and up-and-coming researchers and to brand this country as a top research and innovation destination. Mitacs Globalink has grown from 17 students from India in 2009 to over 250 students from India, China, Brazil and Mexico in 2012. (See page 8 of the report for a spotlight on Mitacs Globalink.)

For more information, visit www.mitacs.ca/globalink.