Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) and Mitacs—a national, not-for-profit organization that helps build partnerships between academia, industry, and the world—invites undergraduate, college and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines to participate in KBHN-Mitacs Awards competition.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about upcoming opportunities.
Overview: KBHN-Mitacs Awards & Internships
- Award: We offer internship stipends of $20,000 maximum, including a $5,000 contribution from KBHN, and a contribution from the participating agency or business.
- Internship Term: Up to six months from approval (or other timeline, as negotiated)
- Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines interested in neurodevelopmental disability
- Co-Funding: $7,500 is required from Canadian or international industry, municipalities, and hospitals.
- Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
What Is the KBHN-Mitacs Accelerate Internship?
KBHN is committed to the implementation of research innovations into practice and ensuring evidence-based solutions reach their intended audience. In support of this goal, the KBHN-Mitacs Awards were established to respond to opportunities for supporting projects that focus on enhancing services and support for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, their families, and caregivers across Canada. The KBHN-Mitacs Awards support collaborative research between KBHN, a non-academic partner, and a research intern.
The KBHN-Mitacs internship supports opportunities that:
- Partner with small and medium sized businesses or not-for-profit organizations (including municipalities and hospitals) with emphasis on services and supports for children with a neurodevelopmental disability and their families;
- Are driven by real-world problems and challenge areas in the field of children-focused neurodevelopmental disabilities;
- Are solution oriented and user-centered, involving children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, and community stakeholders in all stages of the research;
- Have the potential to lead to economic and/or social impact.
The expected outputs of these projects could include, but are not limited to:
- Technology-based solutions (services or products)
- Innovative interventions and services expanding or scaling support for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, their families, and caregivers
- Knowledge mobilization (KM), translation (KT) or exchange activities, including but not limited to, the development or implementation of KM/KT products or tools
Priority will be given to projects that directly address one or more of the following thematic areas.
- Early screening and identification: Work with community partners and stakeholders to implement novel approaches to earlier recognition of developmental vulnerability.
- Evidence-based interventions and treatment: Support the implementation of evidence- based interventions that target the functional needs of the child, and work with community partners to ensure that innovations are integrated effectively into policy and practice.
- Family support: Work with community partners in identifying and providing the most effective strategies to support parents and caregivers to reduce family stress, improve communication, and access resources that help children, their families and caregivers realize their full potential.
Who Should Apply?
- Full-time undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines interested in neurodevelopmental disability research in Canada
- Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students over the age of 18
- All academic disciplines
Benefits of Applying
- These internships provide students the opportunity to apply skills in a non-academic environment, build their CV with peer-reviewed research, broaden their professional network, and earn a minimum stipend of $10,000 per six-month period (or other timeline, as negotiated).
- Partner organizations obtain access to academic expertise, build a customized research plan with support from Mitacs representatives, augment research and development budgets, and benefit from the opportunity to assess potential employees.
- Supervising professors build flexible research partnerships and obtain funding for students.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about upcoming opportunities.
If you are interested in applying, contact Sarah Fairlie (Senior Advisor Social Innovation) at sfairlie@mitacs.ca to learn more or discuss next steps. Specify that you are applying for the Mitacs Accelerate in partnership with KBHN. To be eligible for KBHN funds, a strong rationale must be included in the application on how KBHN funds would further benefit the project.
Contact Us
We’re here to support you. If you want to learn more about accessing the KBHN-Mitacs Awards and other opportunities for trainees, please contact training@kidsbrainhealth.ca.
About Kids Brain Health Network
The Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) is a national research network funded by the Strategic Science Fund (SSF) program, an initiative of the Canadian government aims to mobilize the expertise and resources of independent, third-party science and research organizations (TPOs) to enhance Canada’s science, technology and innovation (STI) excellence.
As a national organization, KBHN partners with community groups, non-profit organizations, industry, parents, clinicians, health professionals, and provincial and federal governments to advance evidence- based solutions to improve outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. KBHN particularly values the voice of families and individuals with lived experience in the research that it funds, as partners in the research itself, in the review process and in mobilizing the knowledge generated.
KBHN’s objectives include:
- Catalyse implementation-ready innovations and advance a pipeline of research innovations
- Accelerate equitable and sustainable uptake of solutions by innovating and adopting processes that support the scale and spread of research innovations
- Strengthen capacity in Canada’s Research System through education, training and outreach programs
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement
KBHN is committed to excellence in research and research training. Achieving a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative, and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national, and global challenges in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.
With these goals in mind, KBHN is committed to:
- Supporting equitable access to funding opportunities for all members of the research community.
- Promoting the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion-related considerations in research design and practices.
- Increasing equitable and inclusive participation in the research system, including on research teams.
- Collecting the data and conducting the analyses needed to include equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations in decision-making.
Through these means, KBHN will work with those involved in the research system to develop the inclusive culture needed for research excellence and to achieve outcomes that are rigorous, relevant, and accessible to the concerned stakeholders in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.
About Mitacs
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.
Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.
Links
To learn more, please connect with your local Mitacs Business Development representative: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/contact-us/business-development
For information about Kids Brain Health Network and its programs, see www.kidsbrainhealth.ca.
Media Contacts
Mitacs
ErinRose Handy
Manager, Communications
604-754-1440| ehandy@mitacs.ca
Kids Brain Health Network
Communications Team
778-782-7281 | communications@kidsbrainhealth.ca
