Mitacs Accelerate
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
- States real length limits, about 350 words in total. Only 64 tell you how long to write.
- The work here is mostly writing long answers. For 59%, the job is assembling documents instead.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Connects companies with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for research and development projects, with matching funding for the internships.
Eligibility Requirements
- Incorporated Canadian company or organization (sole proprietorships ineligible for the Accelerate Entrepreneur stream)
- Has a genuine R&D challenge that would benefit from collaboration with a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow
- Can provide new cash funding as the company contribution (in-kind contributions alone are insufficient)
- Must partner with a Canadian university or college and an eligible academic supervisor
- Project must involve an eligible academic institution on NSERC's approved institutions list
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $15,000 per internship unit (standard graduate); $20,000 per unit (postdoctoral fellow)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Very accessible — simple application
Low competition — good odds of approval
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThe near-100% approval rate for properly-prepared applications means the real work happens BEFORE submission.
Rejection Pitfalls 8
- Project lacks genuine research content — routine consulting, IT implementation, or operational work does not qualify
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Mitacs judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 5 source documents on mitacs.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-01.
5 sources
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What Mitacs favours
High-quality supervision; encourage on-site interaction where feasible◦
“Mitacs expects high-quality interaction and supervision by the partner regardless of where it takes place, and still encourages on-site interaction when feasible”
The form
Interns and internship units
- 1.AProposed workplan for internship unit(s) (IU)tableno limit
The research case
- 2.1Project summarywritten answer · 300 words
Please provide: an overview of the research problem; a detailed description of the main activities of the partner organization and the challenge(s) the partner aims to solve through this project; and an outline of the anticipated social or economic benefits of the project for the partner organization(s). Please note that this section will be used to recruit reviewers.
- 2.2aProject context — Research problem or questionwritten answer · 50 words
Clearly state the research problem or question your project is attempting to investigate, solve, and/or answer.
- 2.3Overall project objectiveswritten answerno limit
- 2.4Project sub-objectives & timelinetableno limit
Deliverables, partner and benefits
- 2.6Deliverablescheckboxesno limit
- 2.7Partner interactionselection + writtenno limit
- 2.8Benefit to the partner organization and to Canadacheckbox-multi+narrativeno limit
- 2.9Indigenous community involvement or impact (if applicable)written answerno limit
Your Mitacs history
- 2.10Relationship with past/present Mitacs projectsyes/no + writtenno limit
Public portal fields
- 11Project title (portal)short answerno limit
- 12Public project overview (portal)written answerno limit
Budget workbook
- 13Accelerate budget and invoicing schedule (Excel workbook)spreadsheetno limit
bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits
Judged against
- 1
Is this real research, not consulting work?
Show them Show a gap in what the field knows that this project closes, not a task list for your business.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Innovation expectations – demonstrates innovation through the development, application, or adaptation of new knowledge, methods, technologies, or processes
- Assess the technical merit and overall feasibility of the proposed project
- 2
Will the intern learn and be properly supervised?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Is your company a real, engaged partner?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Who benefits, and does Canada benefit too?
What to show, and the funder’s 5 criteria behind it in Premium
8 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“If your proposal is poorly written, it may be either misunderstood or misinterpreted, leading to a request for revisions or rejection.”
“This is not a consulting proposal or a proposal for a development project. You are not simply helping your industry/organization partner to achieve a task.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
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10 more rules that can reject you · 8 more criteria · 10 more prompts
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Your business
For-profit, non-profit, hospital, municipality or Indigenous government
For-profit corporations, not-for-profit corporations, hospitals, municipalities, and Indigenous governments in Canada
Contribution paid before the start date
Partner pays ≥$7,500 per IU before start; Mitacs tops up to the award
AI use “I confirm that I have read Mitacs' Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Proposal Development and Review (https://www.mitacs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Mitacs-AI-Research-Policy.pdf)”
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Award per internship unit$15,000 per IU; $20,000 postdoc
Standard award $15,000 per IU (graduate); $20,000 per unit for postdoctoral fellows.
Cluster project rate$6,000 per IU; minimum 3 interns
$6,000 per IU for Cluster projects (minimum 3 interns and 6 IUs).
Intern stipend floorMinimum $10,000 stipend per IU
Each intern must receive a minimum $10,000 stipend/salary per IU.
Your shareMinimum $7,500 per internship from partner
A minimum contribution of $7,500 (exclusive of tax) from the partner organization(s) for each internship of a Standard Accelerate project.
What it pays for · 2
- Mitacs defines eligible research expenses according to the same scheme as NSERC
- Additional partner funds only with academic-institution approval, only for stipend or direct costs, justified in the proposal text.
From application to money
- Talk to Mitacs firstContact a Mitacs advisor
- Submit the applicationRolling intakeSupervisor submits on rolling intake
- External review6–8 weeksReview and decision within 6–8 weeks
- Pay your contributionMitacs invoices contribution per term
- Internship startsStart after approval and funds
- Survey and findingsFile survey; share findings
In the funder’s words · 6
- Talk to Mitacs first
- For more information about eligible research and assistance in reviewing/developing your proposal for Mitacs Accelerate (which may include an international component), please contact a Mitacs Business Development Advisor.
- Submit the application
- Your academic supervisor submits the proposal, the budget workbook and the signed forms through the Mitacs portal, with your company and the intern as co-applicants.
- External review
- Arm’s-length experts in the field review the proposal anonymously and the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council makes the funding decision.
- Pay your contribution
- Mitacs invoices your contribution on its term schedule once the research is approved.
- Internship starts
- The start date of each internship cannot predate the research approval of the project AND the receipt of partner funds for the internship.
- Survey and findings
- Expect to file the required survey at the end of the internship and to see the novel findings shared in the way the field expects.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Mitacs Accelerate
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 8 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 9-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 7-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 5-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 9
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 5
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow Mitacs Accelerate Compares
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Mitacs Accelerate