The Mitacs Innovation Awards spotlight Canadian innovators — from students and professors to start-ups and industry partners — whose groundbreaking work was made possible through partnerships with Mitacs.
Why honour innovation?
The Mitacs Innovation Awards are an opportunity to:
- Bring together Canada’s top researchers with leaders from industry in all sectors, post-secondary institutions, and government
- Spotlight new and emerging Canadian talent and highlight their achievements
- Celebrate innovation and share compelling stories of Canadian research, talent, and impact
CATEGORIES
Talented individuals and organizations are awarded for their impactful work across five categories:
Outstanding Innovation
The Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Innovation recognizes extraordinary talent among students and postdoctoral fellows from across Canada who’ve participated in a Mitacs program. This category emphasizes the societal and economic impacts of research, and the potential to drive innovation and address real-world challenges.
Inclusive Innovator of the Year
The Mitacs Inclusive Innovator of the Year Award celebrates the achievements of equity-deserving groups in developing and/or fostering an inclusive innovation ecosystem. It celebrates research achievements that promote social inclusion, incorporate diverse perspectives, and prioritize accessibility in the design and execution of innovative projects, products, and services.
Canadian Start-Up Innovator of the Year
The Mitacs Canadian Start-Up Innovator of the Year Award celebrates an outstanding Canadian innovator who kickstarted their entrepreneurial journey with Mitacs’ support. This award highlights successful research commercialization and/or a new business enterprise by a Mitacs program participant &emdash; celebrating the infinite potential created when research and entrepreneurial vision align.
Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Year
The Mitacs Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Year Award recognizes a Mitacs industry partner whose leadership, adoption of emerging technology, and support of innovative research and development demonstrate an ongoing commitment to fostering talent and boosting Canada’s productivity and economic growth.
Outstanding Research Leadership
The Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Research Leadership recognizes a post-secondary supervisor with a record of fostering collaboration with business partners. Associated with a university or college, winners in this category provide valuable research and training experience to Mitacs interns and implement funding toward impactful projects.
Further Information
Application Procedures
Please refer to the Mitacs website for application procedures.
Eligibility Requirements
Please refer to the Mitacs website for eligibility requirements.
Evaluation Criteria
Please refer to the Mitacs website for evaluation criteria.