$400,000 Investment To Support Saskatchewan Industry Internships

September 25, 2020

Today the Government of Saskatchewan announced a $400,000 investment to support approximately 100 student internships through a funding arrangement with the Mitacs Accelerate program.  This partnership helps ensure Saskatchewan businesses continue to grow while students gain research and development skills.

“One of the priorities in our 2020 Plan for Growth is to support and expand work-integrated learning opportunities,” Advanced Education Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor said.  “Mitacs internships provide a mutually beneficial way for employers to participate in our province’s education and training system.”

The Ministry of Advanced Education directs Mitacs to use provincial funding to support internships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields of study, with particular priority given to oil and gas, mining and natural resources, and agriculture.

“Innovation stems from research applied to real-world, business needs,” Mitacs CEO and Scientific Director John Hepburn said.  “Mitacs is proud to partner with the Government of Saskatchewan to continue and expand industry-academic collaborations, while contributing to the development and growth of talented young researchers.”

The Mitacs Accelerate program leverages provincial, federal and industry funds to connect interns who have research and technological expertise with Saskatchewan companies.  Contributions to the Accelerate program are an investment in the people of Saskatchewan and the economic growth of the province.  The $400,000 funding in 2020-21 will continue the partnership established in 2007 with Mitacs, the Government of Canada, universities and industry.

Since 2007, provincial contributions of $2.8 million to Mitacs Accelerate have leveraged over $7 million in federal and industry cash support, plus in-kind contributions valued at $3.3 million, for a total investment of $13.2 million from all funding partners to date.  This has resulted in 483 graduate and post-doctoral internships directly funded by the province to address industry challenges in key sectors including agriculture, forestry, mining, oil and gas sectors, with companies such as Cameco, Syncrude, and Environmental Instruments Canada; industry associations; Indigenous organizations; and municipal, provincial and federal ministries and agencies.

Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.

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For more information, contact:

Karen Prokopetz
Advanced Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0279
Email: karen.prokopetz@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-527-5231

NT5