Chatham-Kent Businesses Advance Their Research and Development Thanks to Partnership with Economic Development and Mitacs
Chatham-Kent Economic Development has formed a partnership with Mitacs to help businesses in the region access tools, people, and funding in order to expand their research and development projects. Mitacs is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization that supports growth and innovation in Canadian businesses.
“We fund collaborative research projects between academia and industry and help connect companies with talented researchers in every sector,” said Wilson Luo, Business Development Specialist with Mitacs at the University of Windsor. “Companies can leverage our network of universities and colleges across Canada to access a pool of talent and resources that can be difficult to find on their own.”
Mitacs works with 70 universities, 6,000 companies, and both federal and provincial governments to support industrial and social innovation in Canada. In addition, Mitacs also offers financial leveraging to help businesses stretch their R&D budgets.
“Mitacs funding begins at $7,500 and can scale up into the millions with no upper limit,” said Luo. “We will contribute at least 50% of the costs of approved projects, which can help an incorporated company to grow at a pace and scale that far exceeds those without access to such a program.”
“There are businesses in Chatham-Kent in the process of world-class R&D projects, and this new partnership will open up more opportunities for them to advance their investments,” said Jamie Rainbird, Manager of Chatham-Kent Economic Development. “Unlike other funding opportunities which require a business to pre-qualify for a grant, businesses can be already working on a research project and Mitacs can look at adding resources to enhance an ongoing project.”
Applications to the research internship program are accepted anytime and the process is quick with an average of only 6–8 weeks needed for the approval process.
“Mitacs programs allows college, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply their specific expertise to help solve business challenges in your company – interns spend up to 75% of their time on-site,” said Luo. “This is important because it enables them to be a part of the business.”
For more information about Chatham-Kent Economic Development and the opportunity to access the research programming, contact them at 519-351-7700.
