Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit, has altered a pre-existing accelerator program serving small and medium businesses in order to bring products related to fighting COVID-19 to Canadian markets as quickly as possible.

The not-for-profit has representatives nationwide ready to guide businesses through the application process where businesses are matched with research or production-focused interns for a four month internship, as well as a supporting professor. 

Not only will this program help small businesses find students to develop or streamline production of their initial ideas to help Canadians, Mitacs will also provide $11,500 per hired intern to subsidize their wages. Companies are only required to contribute $3,750 per student, to bring interns' total salary to 15,000 over the four month internship. 

Previous approval processes have been streamlined for businesses to more easily develop creative solutions to the varied and unique challenges Canadians are facing due to the pandemic. After all, as their CEO and Scientific Director, John Hepburn says, their team’s goal is to support “the development of innovative solutions for Canada and the world” in the midst of this global crisis. 

If you have a big idea to help with COVID-19, and your company is interested in hiring one or more interns to implement it, contact your local post-secondary Mitacs representative listed here: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/contact-us/business-development. The not-for-profit has representatives in every single province, and your representative will facilitate both applying to the program, and finding interns once you are approved for funding.

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