Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award
Mitacs has launched the Accelerate Global Excellence Award, a new postdoctoral fellowship designed to attract exceptional international research talent, including Canadians abroad, to undertake applied, industry‑focused research in Canada. This initiative strengthens Canada’s innovation capacity by supporting top researchers working in priority sectors such as AI, quantum, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, defence, cybersecurity, agri-tech, and health and life sciences.
Key Highlights
- 50 competitive awards available for 2026/27
- Each two‑year fellowship is valued at $170,000, broken down as follows:
- $85,000 per year, with $42,500 + tax contributed annually by the partner organization.
- At least $70,000 per year allocated to the researcher’s stipend.
- Up to $15,000 annually for research and relocation costs.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be within five years of PhD completion.
- Must currently reside outside Canada (including Canadians trained abroad).
- Must be willing to relocate to Canada for the fellowship.
- Host organizations may include companies, non-profits, hospitals and municipalities.
- Partner organizations: Canadian for-profit companies (must receive more than 50 percent of their funds from non-government sources); eligible not-for-profit corporations, municipalities or hospitals in Canada.
Deadlines
- Application window: new applications accepted as of Monday, March 2, 2026
- Internal submission deadline: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
How to Apply
Contact Taruneet Kaur, Mitacs advisor. Please note that due to the nature of this special call, applying postdoctoral researchers must sign an attestation of their current residence outside Canada at the time of submission.
What Happens Next?
Upon closing of the Global Excellence Award call, Mitacs will conduct a thorough external review and ranking process to determine the recipients from among the total applicant pool. This process is expected to cumulatively take three to four months, upon which successful applicants will be notified. Any applicants who meet the quality threshold for Accelerate but do not meet the ranking threshold for a Global Excellence Award will be offered the option to submit a new budget for a standard Mitacs Accelerate award at a funding value of $60,000 per year.