Mitacs (federal not-for-profit, public-private research partnership)
$15,000 per four or six month research internship for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who partner with a company or non-profit.
Published by G Paul · last checked September 23, 2026
Mitacs Accelerate is the flagship Mitacs program: a research-based internship that partners graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to work on real research projects with industry impact. Each Accelerate internship pays $15,000 CAD per four- or six-month engagement, with the intern working under their academic supervisor while collaborating with a partner organization on a research challenge of mutual interest. The funding is leveraged — the partner organization contributes a matching cash amount, and Mitacs adds the rest, so the intern gets a substantial stipend and the partner gets cost-shared access to deep academic expertise. Accelerate operates rolling intake throughout the year, so the application timing is driven by your project start date rather than an annual deadline. As of March 31, 2025, the standalone Mitacs Elevate program (the prior dedicated postdoctoral fellowship) was retired and rolled into Accelerate's postdoctoral funding model — so Accelerate now serves both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows under one program umbrella. Internships scale: starting at four or six months, with the option to extend through additional concurrent or sequential awards across a multi-year project.
You qualify for Mitacs Accelerate if you (1) are a graduate student (master's or doctoral) or postdoctoral fellow at a Canadian academic institution recognized by Mitacs; (2) have an academic supervisor willing to participate; (3) can secure a for-profit or not-for-profit partner organization willing to co-define and co-fund a research project relevant to their needs; (4) the proposed project meets Mitacs's research-based-internship criteria. Citizenship is open — both Canadian citizens and international students enrolled at a Canadian institution may apply, gated by enrolment status not nationality. The partner organization must be Canadian-incorporated for most funding streams. Specific eligibility nuances vary by sector (Mitacs has dedicated streams for AI, cleantech, cybersecurity, health and life sciences, IT, and quantum) — consult a Mitacs Business Development representative to identify the right stream for your project.
This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.
Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.
We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.
Use the Apply on the official site button on this page: it opens the official application page in a new tab.
We don't have a confirmed deadline for this one. Check the award's official page for this year's date.
Yes. It is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and international students.
FundMyCourse.ca · checked Sep 23, 2026
$15,000 CAD per 4- or 6-month internship; scalable across multi-year projects
fundmycourse.ca/scholarships/mitacs-accelerate-research-internship