Mitacs Globalink Research Award

What you will need

• ✓ Endorsement from your Canadian institution, which your Canadian supervisor gets before the application is prepared
• ✓ Completed application in the Mitacs GRA portal (your local Mitacs advisor sends the link); every participant logs in to add their details, answer the research security question and sign off
• ✓ Research proposal
• ✓ Mitacs Pre-Departure form
• ✓ University signatures: the Office of Research Services on every application, plus the Vice President Research for the Allocation stream (allow 1 to 3 weeks)

About this award

You can receive $6,000 per internship unit (IU) for one 12- to 24-week research project. If you undertake one 24- to 48-week project or two 12- to 24-week projects, you can receive $12,000 for two IUs. This is a grant, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. For quantum projects with Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) in Germany, MQV may add a €2,000 supplement for Master's and PhD students and postdoctoral fellows (up to 10 a year). This is for you if you are a talented researcher looking to build international collaborations through a project hosted in Canada or abroad. There is no single deadline: Mitacs accepts applications all year. Apply at least 16 weeks before your planned start date, because results usually take 10 to 12 weeks. Your local Mitacs advisor gives you the link to the application portal and explains your university's rules. There are two streams. In the Allocation stream, each Canadian university gets a set number of internship units a year and manages them, so rules vary by school. The Quantum stream is open to all Canadian universities for projects in the quantum sector. Every application goes through a Mitacs review. Mitacs sends the money to your Canadian university's Office of Research Services, which manages it as a research grant in your Canadian supervisor's name and releases it to you under its own policies. It covers travel, accommodation, research costs and a stipend. You cannot travel until you have both an outcome letter and an award letter. You can hold at most two Globalink Research Award internship units in your academic lifetime, and you cannot hold another Mitacs award at the same time.

Who qualifies

You must be registered as a full-time senior undergraduate, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow at an eligible Canadian or international institution. If you are a postdoctoral fellow, you must have graduated from your PhD program no more than five years before the project start date. You cannot do a project at a school where you already earned a degree, nor in a country where you hold citizenship. However, if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident studying in an eligible country, you can apply to come to Canada. Special rules apply to certain streams: for the Quantum stream, your project must be in the quantum sector (including hardware, algorithms, software, networks, cryptography, metrology, sensing, imaging, and materials). Undergraduates must have finished their second year before leaving and stay enrolled full-time. You must be 18 or older, and you find your own home and host supervisors — Mitacs does not match you with one.

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.

• ✓ Canadian citizen, permanent resident or international student
• ✓ Open to undergraduate, graduate or post-secondary students

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• Research ProposalAvoid writing a generic project summary. Instead, ensure your proposed work is directly related to the host's research, especially for partners like MQV. Work it out with both your home and host supervisors before you apply.
• SupervisorsAvoid waiting for Mitacs to find you a host. Instead, ask your home supervisor to help you contact a host professor — Mitacs does not connect interns and supervisors.
• StrategyAvoid relying solely on the Mitacs grant. Instead, look for supplemental funding to cover your travel and housing, as Mitacs encourages you to seek other sources to ensure all expenses are covered.
• RealismAvoid applying to institutions where you previously studied. Instead, identify a new host supervisor in an eligible country to meet the strict eligibility rules regarding previous degrees.

Questions students ask

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