Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on what it puts back into the local economy. 19 lead with that.
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
- 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
Pairs businesses with MBA and business graduate interns for 4-6 month strategic projects. Mitacs covers 50% of the $10,000-$15,000 intern stipend. Projects focus on market analysis, business development, competitive intelligence, and growth strategy — more business-oriented than Mitacs Accelerate (ID 38).
Eligibility Requirements
- Canadian business, non-profit, or public-sector organization
- Must define a strategic business project for the intern
- Intern must be enrolled in an MBA or business graduate program at a Canadian institution
- Company contributes 50% of intern stipend ($5,000-$7,500)
- The intern cannot own, work for, or influence the daily operations of your organization, and cannot be a close family member or intimate partner of the academic supervisor or one of your employees
- Must be able to pay the $5,000 or $7,500 contribution at submission: Mitacs invoices the partner organization when the proposal is submitted
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $10,000 Mitacs contribution per internship (standard; company contributes $5,000); or $15,000 model (company contributes $7,500; up to $5,000 for project costs)
- 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
Very accessible — simple application
Low competition — good odds of approval
Simple — quick application
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThis is the easiest Mitacs program to access — no academic partner needed (Mitacs handles matching).
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Mitacs judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 3 source documents on mitacs.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-01.
3 sources
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What Mitacs favours
Projects with little or no benefit across all categories won't be approved◦
“Projects that demonstrate little or no benefit across all categories will not be approved by Mitacs.”
The form
Declarations
- 1DECLARATIONS - Conflict of Interest Declarationcheckboxes
Project details
- 2.1bObjectives and Approach (How will the problem be solved?)written answer
State the objectives for this project and explain how you plan to accomplish them. Enough detail should be provided so that it is clear whether the described approach is appropriate to achieve each objective. For projects with more than one intern, clearly explain which objective(s) each intern will work on.
- 2.1dDeliverables (What does success look like?)list
Past projects, Indigenous engagement and IP
- 2.4PAST/OTHER MITACS PROJECTSyes/no + written
Is this application related to, or a continuation of, any previous or current Mitacs projects?
- 2.5ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OR PARTNERS (IF APPLICABLE)written answer
Mitacs states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is this innovation, or just day-to-day business?
Show them Name the improvement priority in the company's own words and say what it changes that day-to-day operations cannot.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Mitacs will also assess the benefits of the project in terms of: the economic and societal impact; the development and deployment of talent; and the establishment and support of collaborations.
- While the selection process is not currently competitive, if funding does become limited, Mitacs will prioritize approval based on the potential cumulative benefits of the project.
- 2
Can a reviewer follow the plan end to end?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Can the company host and supervise the intern?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Are IP, conflicts and risk clean and disclosed?
What to show, and the funder’s 5 criteria behind it in Premium
7 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“Do not modify or remove text or instructions in each section/subsection or reformat this form in any way. A modified form will result in a delay in the internship evaluation process.”
“All sections of the proposal form must be complete to be considered for the program.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 9 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
7 more rules that can reject you · 8 more criteria · 3 more prompts
Do you pass?
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Your business
Eligible Canadian partner organization type
For-profit corporations in Canada; NFP organizations in Canada (charities, economic development organizations, industry associations, social welfare organizations, health organizations, foundations, research centres/institutes — NFP projects must demonstrate an economic or productivity orientation); municipalities; hospitals; Indigenous governments in Canada
For-profits pay from private-sector funds
For-profit partners are required to provide private-sector funds to Mitacs (funds not sourced from government aid; revenue from sales to the government as a customer counts)
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”
2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
$10,000 model$10,000 per intern, $5,000 partner share
The BSI program provides an award of $10,000 per intern per four- or six-month internship, with the full amount of the award going towards intern stipend. The partner organization contributes $5,000.
$15,000 model$15,000; $5,000 flexible, $7,500 partner
Alternatively, partner organizations can select a $15,000 funding model where up to $5,000 of the funds can be used for eligible project costs or to top up an intern stipend. The partner organization contributes $7,500.
TaxesGST/HST/QST applies to partner contributions
Partner contributions are subject to GST/HST/QST.
Your shareMinimum $10,000 stipend; $7,500 partner minimum
The minimum intern stipend for all units is $10,000 and the minimum partner organization contribution is $7,500.
Costs before approvalNo reimbursement before funding; no start before funds
Mitacs will not reimburse for work completed prior to receiving funding. Project work cannot start until applicants have received funds from their academic institution.
What it pays for · 1
- 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.
From application to money
- Talk to an AdvisorContact local Mitacs Advisor before applying
- Submit in RAPStart date six weeks after submission
- Mitacs reviewsReview in as little as 3 weeks
- Funds releasedNo funds until invoice paid and approved
- Close-out paperworkReporting due after project ends and funds paid
In the funder’s words · 5
- Talk to an Advisor
- Contact your local Mitacs Advisor before you start an application.
- Submit in RAP
- The project start date listed in your application should be at least six weeks later than your submission date to allow Mitacs the appropriate time to process your application.
- Mitacs reviews
- Applications are often reviewed by Mitacs in as little as 3 weeks to keep projects moving forward with minimal delay. (Application review (approximately four weeks). Project approval (approximately three weeks).)
- Funds released
- No funds will be released to the academic institution until the invoice has been paid and the proposal is approved.
- Close-out paperwork
- Close-out reporting falls due once the project has ended and the funds have been paid out.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win BSI
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
- 8-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
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 4
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 BSI Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| 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 BSI