London businesses working on a new product, process improvement, technology application or business strategy may be able to reduce the cost and risk of the project through Mitacs.
Mitacs connects big ideas, people, and ambition to turn potential into results, delivering the return on innovation Canada needs. By co-funding innovation partnerships, Mitacs helps Canada’s businesses and researchers get where they need to go.
Mitacs projects bring together a partner organization, an academic supervisor and a student or researcher to work on a defined research or innovation challenge. Mitacs supports the collaboration through co-investment in the project and access to its national research network.
For businesses, this can provide access to expertise that may not be available in-house while stretching existing R&D budgets. Access to a national research network, talent development and reduced hiring risk are also among the benefits for participating organizations, according to Mitacs.
“Mitacs helps organizations move ideas and business challenges forward by connecting them with research talent and academic expertise. Through our collaborative funding model, companies can build R&D capacity, test new approaches and access specialized expertise while sharing the cost of the project.”
— Xiang Liang, Mitacs Advisor, Business Development
How does Mitacs funding work?
Mitacs has a variety of programs including Accelerate, which supports research-based projects across sectors and disciplines. The standard funding model provides a $10,000 or $15,000 award for a four- or six-month internship unit, with the partner organization contributing half of that amount. Projects can begin with a single researcher and internship unit or scale into multi-year projects involving multiple researchers and organizations.
The Business Strategy Internship (BSI) program focuses on business innovation challenges. Projects can address areas such as market research, new technology development, process optimization, marketing, intellectual property, cybersecurity and organizational modernization. Funding is available through $10,000 or $15,000 awards, with partner contributions starting at $5,000 or $7,500.
Eligible partner organizations include Canadian for-profit corporations, not-for-profits, hospitals, municipalities and Indigenous governments. Depending on the program and institution, participating talent can include undergraduate and graduate students, college students, postdoctoral fellows and recent graduates.
What could a Mitacs project look like?
A Mitacs project starts with a problem or opportunity rather than a specific sector. According to Mitacs, projects can support new product and service development, emerging technologies, productivity and process improvements, R&D capacity, and the evaluation of best practices and return on investment before a larger investment is made.
That flexibility creates applications across many of London's key sectors, including:
food and beverage product or ingredient development
life sciences and medical technology
artificial intelligence and data applications
advanced manufacturing and clean technology
logistics and supply chain optimization
construction technologies
defence and aerospace technologies
Mitacs' completed project examples illustrate how broad these projects can be. Western University–linked projects include the use of AI to improve barcode image recognition, development of lower impact biosurfactants through fermentation, and a Business Strategy Internship placement that helped Bosco and Roxy's develop better costing and business management tools. AI is also a current Mitacs research priority area. In June 2026, Mitacs was named as a partner in Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All, with a focus on helping businesses adopt AI and connecting companies with research talent.
Connecting London companies with research expertise
Mitacs’ national network gives London companies access to expertise well beyond the region, with a team of advisors connecting organizations to researchers across Canada’s post-secondary system. Since 2018, Mitacs has supported more than 42,000 innovation projects and 12,500 enterprise partners, creating opportunities for companies to tap into specialized knowledge, collaborate across institutions and build projects around specific business needs. Western University is already an active Mitacs partner, while projects can also draw on researchers elsewhere in Canada when specialized expertise is required.
