Mitacs helps organizations reach their commercial goals, fund innovation, and create employment opportunities that promote economic growth and productivity and improve quality of life for Canadians. Mitacs’s work is supported by generous funding from the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada.
Since its foundation in 1999, Mitacs has expanded well beyond its initial remit of applied and industrial research in mathematics. Today, the organization supports a wide range of disciplines, spanning technological and social innovation. It has also extended its offering to include CEGEP, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as postodoctoral researchers and recent graduates, and has expanded its network of municipalities, hospitals, companies, and not-for-profit organizations in all sectors.
Mitacs is a strategic bridge between partner organizations and the postsecondary sphere. We find research solutions that directly address our academic, municipal, not-for-profit and private sector partners’ challenges, while offering high quality internships in the field of innovation to students, postdoctoral interns, and new graduates all over the country,” explains John Hepburn, CEO of Mitacs.
With more than 400 employees, regional centres in Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa, as well as innovation advisers all over Quebec, the organization is an integral part of the innovation ecosystem in Canada.
“With significant and ongoing investment from our government partners, including the Government of Quebec, Mitacs is positioned to build a more innovative and prosperous Canada for everyone.” John Hepburn says.
Mitacs-driven innovation in action…
Pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering at Université Laval, Juliette Champeil is also the cofounder and CEO of her bioengineering startup, Ivano Bioscience. The company is propelling forward Juliette’s cutting-edge innovation: ready to-use laboratory testing kits containing artificial cells and viruses produced through bioengineering, designed to imitate real life. These testing kits accelerate the testing process for new vaccines, allowing them to be commercialized more quickly.
Ivano Bioscience’s current work is focused on developing testing kits for COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccines against new variants, and the company plans to launch a commercial product at the beginning of next year. Other kits will support the development of vaccines for HIV, Zika virus and Dengue fever, while the company pursues its ambitious growth plan.
The Mitacs Entrepreneur International program has helped the Ivano Bioscience team in their path toward commercialization.
“Thanks to Mitacs, we have been able to carry out two trade missions in the United States, and both have had a significant impact on our business by confirming interest in our product and allowing us to form new partnerships,” says Juliette. “Mitacs’s support will also be very precious in accelerating the commercialization of our product, which will contribute to improved quality of life for
everyone.
