Grant
Federal
Active
Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X)
Mitacs
Maximum Funding
$10K–$25K award per intern
Ongoing, rolling applications year-round
Difficulty
Easy
Payment
Advance Payment
Trend
Growing
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
50%
Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X) provides $10K–$25K award per intern. Mitacs co-funds 4 to 6 month placements of college and university students, recent graduates and postdoctoral fellows who help a Canadian organization adopt or build AI. The program covers up to 50% of eligible costs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
Mitacs co-funds 4 to 6 month placements of college and university students, recent graduates and postdoctoral fellows who help a Canadian organization adopt or build AI. Two streams: ADOPT (an AI adoption roadmap, implementation and internal AI readiness) and AI+X (AI research and innovation applied to a business problem). The organization pays half of each $10,000 to $25,000 placement and Mitacs pays the other half. Ottawa committed up to $162 million over five years from 2026-27 for 10,000 placements.
Eligibility Requirements
- A Canadian for-profit corporation, not-for-profit corporation, hospital, municipality or Indigenous government
- The project adopts AI in your organization (ADOPT) or applies AI to a research or innovation challenge (AI+X)
- AI is a core part of the project: Mitacs says its central objective must be developing, adapting or deploying AI to solve a defined challenge (data, infrastructure or cybersecurity work that enables it counts)
- You pay half of each placement, and a for-profit company must pay it from private money, not from other government grants (revenue from selling to government counts as private)
- An eligible academic supervisor at a Canadian university or college co-supervises the intern
- The intern is a registered college or university student, a postdoctoral fellow, or a graduate within two years of graduating
- Any conflict of interest (an intern or professor with ownership, a job or influence at your organization, or close family ties) must be declared at submission; it does not automatically disqualify you
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- $10K–$25K award per intern$10,000 to $25,000 award per 4 to 6 month internship unit, and the organization pays half: $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 at any intern level (you contribute $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000), or $25,000 for a postdoctoral fellow (you contribute $12,500). A $15,000 or larger award can put as much as $5,000 toward eligible research expenses.
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing, rolling applications year-round
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
4/5
Accessible — straightforward requirements
Competition
1/5
Low competition — good odds of approval
Difficulty
2/5
Easy — minimal documentation
Processing Time
Budget Trend
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipTwo things decide this.
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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The pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to win Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X)
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 4-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
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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6 steps
4 docs
Application Steps
1
Talk to a Mitacs Advisor Describe your AI problem; the advisor confirms which stream fits (ADOPT or AI+X), checks eligibility and can introduce a professor.
Required Documents 4
✓ A research proposal on the current Mitacs template, written mainly by the professor with your input
✓ The budget and invoicing workbook
Eligible Expenses 2
Ineligible Expenses 2
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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The full guide for this program also covers:
- 5 more application steps
- 2 more required documents
- 2 eligible expenses
- 2 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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3 partners
Compatible Programs
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Low Risk
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How Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X) Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X) | $10,000 to $25,000 | 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 |
Related Programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X)
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What is the difference between ADOPT and AI+X?
ADOPT is for organizations moving from AI readiness to implementation: AI assessments, roadmaps, implementation planning, deployment and optimization. AI+X is for more advanced AI research and development that combines AI expertise with expertise in your sector. Same policies and terms, same award values; you pick the stream that fits your project.
Is it competitive?
No. Mitacs says ADOPT and AI+X are not competitive offerings. Your project still goes through peer review, and AI has to be a core part of it.
How much does it cost my business?
Half of each placement. A $10,000 placement costs you $5,000, a $15,000 one $7,500, a $20,000 one $10,000, and a $25,000 postdoctoral placement $12,500. Mitacs pays the rest.
Do I need to find a professor?
Yes. Every placement has an academic supervisor at a Canadian university or college. A Mitacs Advisor can help you find one.
Can a small business with no AI staff apply?
Yes. The federal announcement names small and medium-sized businesses that see uses for AI but lack the staff or expertise to put it to work. The intern and the professor bring the AI skills.
Is there a deadline?
No. Applications are rolling and Mitacs says both streams will stay open for up to five years. Peer review takes about six to eight weeks, so plan the start date with that in mind.
Can sole proprietors apply?
Mitacs lists for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, hospitals, municipalities and Indigenous governments as partners. It does not mention sole proprietors or partnerships, so ask a Mitacs Advisor before you plan around it.
Can I use AI to help write the proposal?
Yes. Mitacs' policy says it does not intend to eliminate or penalize generative AI in proposal development, but you remain responsible for the accuracy and originality of everything you submit.
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Full Playbook: Mitacs AI Advantage (ADOPT and AI+X)
6 steps · 4 docs · reviewer insights