Program Update: Accelerate International Discontinuation

Vancouver, BC — Over the past year, Mitacs has undergone an effort to review our international offerings to ensure they continue meeting strategic goals and responding to the needs of the innovation ecosystem. As a result, we are moving ahead with changes to the Accelerate program to reduce complexity and provide more flexibility for international collaboration.

One of the changes is the discontinuation of the Accelerate International program as of October 31, 2024. After that date, there will no longer be a separate stream for international projects within Accelerate.

In the new format, all Accelerate applications must include a partner organization and post-secondary institution in Canada, and interns must be students, postdoctoral fellows, or recent graduates with status at the post-secondary institution. Projects may also include international partner organizations or collaborators.

Accelerate International applications submitted before October 31 will be honoured until completion.

Eligibility Updates

To ensure eligibility for Accelerate and benefit to the country, all projects after October 31 must have a partner organization in Canada, which can be for-profit and not-for profit corporations, hospitals, and municipalities. Other eligibility criteria include:

• International for-profit and not-for-profit corporations are eligible as additional partners. In cases with multiple partners, the Canadian partner organization does not need to be the paying partner, but it must have meaningful interaction with the intern(s) and benefit from the project.
• Virtual interaction is permitted with international partner organizations; no international travel is required.
• For interns who do travel to interact with a partner abroad, no minimum or maximum limitations will be set on the duration of international travel. However, meaningful interaction with the Canadian partner organization and post-secondary institution is still required.
• Interns who travel must follow their post-secondary institution’s policies for international travel.
• Visiting research students are eligible to participate in Accelerate projects, provided their Canadian post-secondary institution assigns them a status.
• All interns eligible to participate in standard Accelerate projects can also participate in those with international elements. This includes college students, recent graduates, university certificate/diploma interns, etc.
  • Be aware that international travel for certain groups may be limited by external circumstances (e.g., recent grads may not be able to travel internationally for the project due to visa requirements for non-students).

About Mitacs

Mitacs works to bring innovation to more people in more places across Canada and around the world. Mitacs makes investing in new knowledge easier through access to top researchers, flexible project plans, and co-investments in talent.

A not-for-profit organization, Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, 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.

Learn more at mitacs.ca