Sponsor
Mitacs
Program
ADOPT will help organizations (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) explore AI tools, develop AI roadmaps, build internal AI capacity and implement AI solutions.
AI+X will support AI-enabled research and innovation that combines AI expertise with other sector/domain knowledge to address business, operational, scientific, social or technological challenges.
For More Information
Mitacs AI Advantage Program Website
For more information on research security requirements for these applications, please visit the websites below:
Description
Mitacs has launched Mitacs AI Advantage, featuring two AI-focused program streams (ADOPT and AI+X) that connect Canadian organizations with postsecondary talent to support artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and AI-enabled innovation.
Aligned with Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All, the initiative will:
- Create up to 10,000 meaningful, hands-on AI-related opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows over five years
- Help organizations get results with AI and advance AI-enabled research and innovation
Eligibility
Both ADOPT and AI+X program offerings offerings will use a blended Accelerate and BSI application form and follow standard Accelerate and BSI eligibility requirements.
Academic supervisors: eligible supervisors are faculty who are eligible to hold Tri-Agency funds.
Partner organizations: can be for-profit corporations, not-for-profit corporations, hospitals, municipalities or Indigenous governments in Canada.
-
For-profit partners are required to provide private-sector funds to Mitacs
- Private sector funds are funds that are not sourced from government aid. Government aid means grants, operating funds received from the government, etc., but does not include revenue from sales to the government as a customer.
- Other partners are encouraged to provide private-sector funds whenever possible.
Interns: can be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, international student with a student visa or international postdoctoral fellow with a valid work permit. Interns must be 18 years old or over, and fall into one of the following categories:
- Registered students and postdoctoral fellows. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible if the date of graduation from a PhD program is less than five years to the start date of the project. Exceptions are available for extenuating circumstances such as parental leave or military service. Fellows must not have been employed full-time at the partner organization prior to applying.
- Recent graduates. Must be within two years of graduation at the start of their project), and non-degree students (diploma, certificate, etc) are eligible at the academic institution’s discretion. (Any interested applicants should check with their institution to first determine whether they are able to support other types of university interns before drafting an application.)
- Visiting students and researchers at Canadian academic institutions who are completing a degree at a university abroad may also be eligible at the discretion of the Canadian institution.
Maximum Project Value
Award values will be available at $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 for all eligible intern levels, with an enhanced $25,000 award value available for postdoctoral fellows. All award values are calculated per internship unit.
Indirect Costs
0% on eligible partner contributions directed towards Mitacs
Project Duration
Both ADOPT and AI+X program offerings have launched through the Accelerate RAP portal and remain available for up to five years.
Special Notes
- Both offerings have launched through the Accelerate RAP portal and remain available for up to five years.
- Both offerings will use a blended Accelerate and BSI application form and follow standard Accelerate and BSI eligibility requirements.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. A signed OR-5 form and complete application package (proposal documentation with all participant signatures) must be submitted to the Research Services Office (research.services@uoguelph.ca) a minimum of one week prior to the intended submission date to Mitacs. |
External Deadline | Applicant submits full application, including signed memorandum, directly to Mitacs Advisor. The submission must be planned at least eight to ten weeks in advance of the proposed internship start date. |
How to Apply
To submit an application, potential applicants must follow the below steps:
- Please first connect with Guelph’s Mitacs Advisor, Emily Gordon (egordo05@uoguelph.ca) to discuss your potential project. Mitacs will pre-review the proposed partner(s) and intern(s) to assess and confirm eligibility.
-
Please note, the following application requirements must be met:
- Project duration can be from 4 months (1 IU) to 5 years.
- Partner(s) and intern(s), as applicable, must be pre-reviewed and deemed eligible by Mitacs.
- Partner(s) must be supplying new funds, to be invoiced by Mitacs, and subject to HST (*see note below).
- While applications do not required named interns, Mitacs is prioritizing projects that have interns named or have a strong recruitment plan to have interns named within the year.
- Following meeting the above criteria, the lead researcher will initiate an application in Mitacs’ portal, which, once completed, will be pre-reviewed by Mitacs. Once this pre-review is complete, the lead researcher/supervisor must submit a downloaded PDF of the application (includes sign-off/approval by the lead researcher, intern(s) and partner(s)), along with a signed OR-5 to the Research Services Office at research.services@uoguelph.ca.
Please note, if the proposed partner funding being utilized in an application is unspent funding already under an agreement/account at the University, the lead researcher must contact the Research Services Office before engaging Mitacs to verify the ability to use the funds for a Mitacs Accelerate application. This will require review of the account and agreement, and engagement with Research Financial Services, to review options for utilizing the funding already at the University.
For more information on the application review and program administration/fund release process, please see the 'Program Administration' tab of the Mitacs Accelerate webpage.