Grant + stipendEquity-free Canada
Mitacs Accelerate
Mitacs (national non-profit)
Apply / official page ↗Typical funding
Each 4–6 month internship unit provides about $15,000 in leveraged funding (typically $7,500 from the company and $7,500 from Mitacs), with a minimum $10,000 going to the intern stipend.
Maximum
Projects can stack multiple units and run from four months up to five years, reaching well into six figures of total funding depending on structure.
Startup stage
Any stage where the startup can define an R&D project and host interns (from early validation to scale-up).
Sector focus
Broad innovation sectors including AI, quantum, cleantech, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, agri-tech, health and life sciences.
Overview
Canada’s flagship applied-research internship programme that connects companies with graduate students and postdocs to run R&D projects, with matching funding and stipends.
Who's eligible
Canadian or Canada-based partner organisations (for-profit or eligible non-profits, municipalities, hospitals) collaborating with academic supervisors and interns enrolled or working at Canadian institutions.
How to apply
Design a project with an academic partner, then submit a Mitacs Accelerate proposal via Mitacs systems; rolling intake with enhanced funding offers in some provinces/time windows.
Good to know
Highly stackable with SR&ED, IRAP and other grants; good for de-risking R&D with relatively light documentation compared to full grants.