Mitacs and the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada join forces to advance aerospace research

Montreal, QC – Mitacs, a national non-profit research and training organization, the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC), and the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ) have partnered to provide research and training opportunities to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to further the development of Canada’s aerospace industry.

The new initiative connects university students within the CARIC and CRIAQ programs with companies in the aerospace industry through Mitacs’ Accelerate internship program. Researchers apply their specialized expertise to business challenges and transfer their skills from theory to real-world application, while companies gain a competitive advantage by accessing high-quality research expertise.

The collaboration will also support research and commercialization projects between multinational companies, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and universities through Mitacs’ Converge program. This pilot initiative creates partnerships to facilitate new investments in Canadian R&D, integrate Canadian SMEs into innovation supply chains of large multinational firms, and generate opportunities for Canadian research talent.

Quotes:

Alejandro Adem, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs

“The partnership between Mitacs, CARIC, and CRIAQ supports collaborations between university researchers and dynamic companies to innovate in Canada’s aerospace industry. Through our programs  university students will have opportunities to work on projects that will contribute to Canada’s knowledge-based economy and grow our aerospace industry.”

Denis Faubert, President & CEO, CARIC

“We are very pleased that CARIC will collaborate with both CRIAQ and Mitacs in aerospace research and development, and innovation, our raison d’être. Together, these three organizations can now offer a more extensive and effective program for businesses through a streamlined process for all participants.”

Quick facts:

• Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 15 years.
• Working with 60 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, we build partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
• Open to all disciplines and all industry sectors, projects can span a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, business processes, IT, social sciences, design, and more.
• Mitacs’ Accelerate program connects graduate students with industry partners for research internships supervised by faculty. In 2014–15, Mitacs supported almost 3,200 Accelerate internships with 700 companies.
• Mitacs’ Converge program facilitates business investment in Canadian R&D by building partnerships between multinational corporations, Canadian small-to-medium enterprises (SME), and Canadian researchers.
• Created in 2014, the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC) is a non-profit organization with the federal government’s financial support.
• CARIC facilitates collaboration and provides financial support to launch initiatives whose primary purpose is to promote responsive, impactful aerospace R&D.
• CARIC has more than 80 collaborative projects in preparation and in progress with more than 100 members who are part of the CARIC community.
• CARIC has a Canada-wide presence, with 5 regional offices, working in the same environment as companies and organizations that focus on the advancement of the Canadian aerospace industry.

Links:

• For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.
• To learn more about the impact of the Mitacs Accelerate program read our Mitacs Accelerate Industry Survey and our Mitacs Accelerate Longitudinal Survey.
• Learn more on CARIC’s programs to support innovative projects.

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