Mitacs and Embassy of France announce Letter of Intent for greater student mobility

On Tuesday, January 14th, in Ottawa, the Embassy of France in Canada and Mitacs Inc., a Canadian non-profit research and training organization, signed a letter of intent with a view to working together to promote research exchanges.

The goal of this program is to provide opportunities, over the next three years, for 75 French participants and 75 Canadian participants to pursue research projects in the partner country as of August 1st, 2014.

Through this program, conceived and financed in equal parts by the French (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education and Research) and Canadian governments (Industry Canada), Mitacs and the Embassy of France have committed to promoting research-sector cooperation and partnership by facilitating student mobility. Special emphasis will be put on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Mitacs and the Embassy of France will work together to promote such cooperation through:

• undergraduate and graduate student exchanges with a view to promoting research, dialogue and discussion about particular experiences, and capacity building and training within R&D joint research projects;  
• information exchanges regarding joint R&D policies and strategies; and
• access to facilities and resources.

These initiatives from Mitacs and the Embassy of France thus contribute to achieving the goal of increased student mobility between Canada and France.

The launch of this program is part of the Canadian federal government’s policy regarding the promotion of Canadian student mobility towards other countries. Through its involvement in this program, France is a pilot country for the implementation of this strategy.

Click here to view photos from the ceremony. Click here to view a short video on the new agreement.