Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur Program
Compared with the 241 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on research merit. Only 2 lead with that.
- The decision is made by anonymous reviewers in your own field. 3 work that way.
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Provides funded 4-month internship units (up to $15,000 each) for enrolled students and postdoctoral fellows who own and operate an incorporated startup housed at a Mitacs-approved incubator. Each unit covers at least $10,000 in entrepreneur stipend and up to $5,000 in research expenses, with Mitacs and the partner institution splitting the cost.
Eligibility Requirements
- Entrepreneur must be an enrolled undergraduate, graduate student, college student, or postdoctoral fellow at a Canadian university or college affiliated with Mitacs
- Recent graduates eligible within 2 years of graduation date (up to 3 units within that window)
- Entrepreneur must hold ownership of, and active management responsibility for, an incorporated startup (sole proprietorships and LLPs are ineligible); Mitacs publishes no minimum ownership percentage and assesses each intern's exact share and role via the COI form
- Startup must be actively housed at a Mitacs-approved incubator facility for the full project duration
- Project must advance commercialization of the research or technology that is the core of the startup
- An academic supervisor at the affiliated institution is required
- 50% cost-share: Mitacs contributes $7,500; partner institution/incubator contributes $7,500 per unit
- Consulting firms are ineligible — Mitacs supports commercialization of research and technology, not a student incorporating a company to sell their own consulting services.
- Accelerate Entrepreneur projects are limited to two (2) years in duration; continuing beyond that requires a new proposal discussed with the Mitacs Advisor.
- Internships are full-time — Mitacs expects the intern to spend about 50% of their time at the partner organization (their own start-up) and 50% at the host academic institution.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $15,000 per 4-6 month internship unit (standard), or $20,000 per unit for postdoctoral submissions; multiple units available
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Deadline
- Ongoing — rolling intake; apply at any time through Mitacs Advisor
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThe Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur program is distinct from the flagship Mitacs Accelerate program (ID 38), which funds industry-commissioned R&D by students.
Rejection Pitfalls 7
- Entrepreneur is not enrolled at a Mitacs-affiliated Canadian institution (or recent graduation window has expired)
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Mitacs judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on mitacs.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-04.
6 of the sources
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What Mitacs favours
Research proposal, not consulting or development project◦
“This is a research proposal. Before beginning to write this application make sure you clearly know what your research question is. This is not a consulting proposal or a proposal for a development project.”
The form
Proposal workplan
- 1.AProposed workplan for internship unit(s) (IU)tableno limit
AI policy
- 2.0AI policy confirmationcheckboxno limit
Project summary and context
- 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.
- 2.2.aResearch problem or questionwritten answer · 50 words
Research problem or question: Clearly state the research problem or question your project is attempting to investigate, solve, and/or answer.
- 2.2.bBackground and review of relevant prior workwritten answerno limit
Objectives, timeline and methodology
- 2.3Overall project objectiveswritten answerno limit
- 2.4Project sub-objectives & timelinetableno limit
- 2.5Methodology/Approachwritten answerno limit
Deliverables
- 2.6Deliverablescheckboxesno limit
Partner interaction and supervision
- 2.7.amode and activitiesselection + writtenno limit
- 2.7.bAccelerate Entrepreneur: pre-approved incubator activities and resourceswritten answerno limit
- 2.7.dalignment with academic studies and career developmentwritten answerno limit
Benefits and disclosure
- 2.8Benefit to the partner organization and to Canadacheckboxesno limit
- 2.9Indigenous community involvement or impact (if applicable)written answerno limit
- 2.10Relationship with past/present Mitacs projectsyes/no + writtenno limit
- 2.11Referenceslistno limit
COI declaration
- 17eAcc COI — Project Descriptionshort answerno limit
- 18Organization Ownership by Interns/Declarantstableno limit
- 19Organization Ownership by Other Investors/Ownerstableno limit
- 20Organization Facilitiesselection + writtenno limit
- 21Organization/Incubator Supervisorshort answerno limit
- 22Organization Scientific Directorshort answerno limit
- 23Research and Development Professional Staffshort answerno limit
- 24Management Teamshort answerno limit
- 25Board of Directorsshort answerno limit
COI declaration — supervision and incubator
- 26Signatures (eAcc COI form)short answerno limit
Appendix A (sole ownership questionnaire)
- A.1Appendix A (100% owner) — vision, mission and origin of the ideawritten answerno limit
- A.2is your company a consulting firm?written answerno limit
- A.3date of incorporationshort answerno limit
- A.4other employees or contractorswritten answerno limit
- A.5how you intend to scalewritten answerno limit
- A.6intellectual property owned or licensedwritten answerno limit
- A.7clients, sales and resources to be procuredwritten answerno limit
- A.8additional informationwritten answerno limit
Application package
- 35Intern CVshort answerno limit
- 36proposal signaturesshort answerno limit
Project extension (post-award)
- 37reason for the requestwritten answerno limit
- 38objectives completedwritten answerno limit
- 39objectives not accomplishedwritten answerno limit
- 40new tasks during the extensionwritten answerno limit
- 41budgettableno limit
bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits
Judged against
- 1
Is this real research in the field?
Show them Name the research question and the published gap it closes, with citations that also appear in the reference list.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Does the proposed project qualify as research in its discipline? Please comment on the potential to make new contributions to the current state-of-the-art/body of knowledge, or to solve an existing problem using novel techniques.
- 2
Are the objectives and method sound?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Can this plan actually be delivered?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the conflict disclosed and managed?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
6 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.”
“Please note that abstracts that are too long will be truncated. Moreover, long abstracts deter reviewers and might delay their recruitment as well as the evaluation of your proposal.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 18 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
16 more rules that can reject you · 8 more criteria · 39 more prompts
Do you pass?
18 can rule you out; 1 is a preference. Tick the ones you meet.
The trainee
Postdoc: up to nine internships
Postdoctoral fellows can do up to nine (9) four-month internships (up to three (3) years)
Recent grad: three internships, two years
Recent graduates can complete up to three (3) four-month internships within two years of their graduation date.
AI use “I confirm that I have read Mitacs' Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Proposal Development and Review”
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Internship unit value$15K per unit, $7,500 each
Internships are 4–6-month units of a research project, valued at $15K per unit, with $7,500 from both the partner organization and Mitacs, to support post-secondary research projects.
Stipend and project costs$10,000 min stipend; $5,000 max costs
For each internship unit (between 4-6 months duration) the intern stipend must be a minimum of $10,000 and the project costs must be a maximum of $5,000.
Postdoc unit value$20k per postdoc unit
Yes, $20k units will be available for all new postdoc submissions in Accelerate, including eAcc and joint applications.
Additional partner fundingPartners may add funding; Mitacs won't
Yes. Partner organizations are welcome to contribute additional funding but Mitacs will not provide any additional funding outside of the standard award.
Taxes on contributionsSubject to GST/HST/QST (VAT)
Please note that the financial contribution of organizations is subject to applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and/or Quebec Sales Tax (QST) (Collectively the value added tax or VAT).
When funds are releasedAfter partner payment, Mitacs forwards award
Mitacs invoices a partner organization upon submission of their Accelerate proposal. Upon receipt of the partner's contribution, Mitacs forwards the research award to the Canadian academic institution.
Funds go to MitacsPartner funds paid to Mitacs upfront
Invoices must be paid in full to Mitacs prior to any internship funds being sent by Mitacs to the university. Please note that all partner funds must be sent directly to Mitacs and not to the university. The funds must be received in advance of the internship start date.
Invoice is refundableInvoice refundable if not approved
Partner organizations will receive an invoice (refundable if not approved), so that the intern receives payment when the project begins
Your sharePartner and Mitacs each $7,500
Internships are 4–6-month units of a research project, valued at $15K per unit, with $7,500 from both the partner organization and Mitacs
StackingNo matching from other federal/provincial agencies
No. Funds used towards Accelerate cannot be matched by any other federal or provincial agency.
What it pays for · 2
- Funds flow through the academic institution with a stipend to the student at a minimum of $10K, with up to $5K to support research costs.
- Mitacs follows Tri-Agency eligible expenses for use of funds. Please refer to the Mitacs Use of Funds policy for details of eligible expenses for Mitacs programs.
What it does not pay for · 1
- Mitacs does not offer any scholarships to cover university tuition fees.
From application to money
- Talk to a Mitacs AdvisorConnect with Mitacs Advisor
- Email your proposal packageEmail signed proposal; accepted anytime
- Peer review decisionPeer review takes six to eight weeks
- Pay the Mitacs invoiceInvoice sent to partner; refundable
- Funds reach the institutionMitacs forwards funds after partner payment
- Complete the exit surveyComplete exit survey within 30 days
In the funder’s words · 6
- Talk to a Mitacs Advisor
- Connect with your local Mitacs Advisor to get your application started — the completed package is emailed to that Advisor rather than filed by you.
- Email your proposal package
- Applications are accepted anytime; collect the signatures from intern(s), professor(s), partner contact and your Office of Research Services before sending.
- Peer review decision
- Peer review of your proposal will take approximately six to eight weeks.
- Pay the Mitacs invoice
- Partner organizations will receive an invoice (refundable if not approved), so that the intern receives payment when the project begins
- Funds reach the institution
- Mitacs forwards Accelerate funds to the student's academic institution only after it has received the contribution from the student's partner organization.
- Complete the exit survey
- Complete the Accelerate Intern Exit Survey. You will receive an email from Mitacs with the survey link shortly after you complete your internship. (within the 30 days following the completion of their internship/fellowship)
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur Program
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 7 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 3-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 4-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 3
Eligible Expenses 5
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 Entrepreneur Program Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur Program | $15,000 per 4-6 month internship unit | Easy | Advance Payment | Ongoing — rolling... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Mitacs Accelerate | $15,000 per internship unit | Easy | Advance Payment | Ongoing |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur Program