Mitacs Innovation Awards

Now in its 15th year, the Mitacs Innovation Awards spotlight eight exceptional innovators—from students and professors to start-ups and business partners—whose groundbreaking work is made possible through partnerships with Mitacs. Mitacs is committed to building strategic partnerships, deploying top talent, and addressing pressing challenges through inclusive innovation designed to position Canada as a global leader.

🏆 About Mitacs Innovation Awards

The Mitacs Innovation Awards are an opportunity to:

• Celebrate achievements and share compelling stories of Canadian ingenuity.
• Bring together Canada's top researchers with leaders from across sectors, including industry, post-secondary institutions, and government.
• Provide a spotlight on new and emerging Canadian talent and highlight groundbreaking achievements.

With a growing reputation as one of Canada's premier innovation celebrations, the event draws national media attention. The 2025 ceremony will be livestreamed through Mitacs's social channels, with highlights, videos, and winner stories shared after the event.

📅 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: August 23, 2025
• Application Deadline: September 16, 2025
• Category: Contest
• Eligible Locations: Canada

🏅 Award Categories

1. Outstanding Innovation

   • Recognizes extraordinary talent among students and post-doctoral fellows who have participated in Mitacs programs.
   • Emphasizes societal and economic impacts of research and potential to drive innovation and address challenges.
   • Four winners will be selected in this category.

2. Inclusive Innovator of the Year

   • Celebrates achievements of equity-deserving groups in fostering an inclusive innovation ecosystem.
   • Highlights research achievements that promote social inclusion, incorporate diverse perspectives, and prioritize accessibility.

3. Canadian Start-Up Innovator of the Year Award

   • Recognizes an outstanding Canadian innovator who leveraged Mitacs support to kick-start their entrepreneurial journey.
   • Highlights successful commercialization of research or creation of a new business enterprise.

4. Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Year Award

   • Celebrates a Mitacs industry partner whose leadership, adoption of technology, and support of innovative research demonstrate a commitment to boosting Canada's productivity and economic growth.

5. Outstanding Research Leadership

   • Presented to a post-secondary supervisor with an exemplary record of developing collaborations with business partners.
   • Recognizes impactful research and training experiences provided to Mitacs interns.

🎁 Benefits of Mitacs Innovation Awards

• Winners of each category will receive an award of recognition.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Open to college, CEGEP, polytechnic, and university participants from eligible programs.
• All awards are open to peer and self-nominations.
  • Support letters from academic supervisors are required for intern and student self-nominations.

📜 Application Process

• Self-nominations for the Outstanding Innovation Award require a support letter from your supervisor.
• Research Leadership Award nominations also require a support letter.
• No late submissions will be accepted.

📆 Application Deadline

September 16, 2025

🌐 Application Portal

• View details of the Mitacs Innovation Awards.
• Apply for the awards through the official application form.

• The winners of each category will receive an award of recognition.