Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) is proud to partner once again with Mitacs to translate research into action by providing a $5,000 top up for the student stipends on three eligible Mitacs Accelerate internships. The Mitacs internship award of $7,500 must be matched 1:1 in cash by a partner organization resulting in a $15,000 award. KBHN will provide a $5,000 top up for a total award value of $20,000.
These awards give students and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to apply their expertise in real-world contexts, while creating better outcomes for children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.
Program Overview
The KBHN-Mitacs Accelerate Research Awards are intended to support students collaborating with an eligible host partner organization on a four or six month month research project that aligns with KBHN priority areas.
KBHN Priority Areas
We invite proposals that align with KBHN’s mission to improve optimal care and better outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families’ priorities.
Projects should aim to:
- Advance implementation of evidence-based practices in pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Advance outcomes across at least one of three KBHN challenge areas:
- Early Identification: Identifying neurodevelopmental disabilities early leads to timely interventions during the critical periods of brain development. KBHN funds initiatives that advance diagnosis into infancy, allowing early identification of neurodevelopmental disabilities.
- Effective Interventions: Early interventions have the most significant impact on children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. KBHN works at the forefront of brain health to ensure children and families can access effective interventions.
- Family Support: Families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities face challenges that affect most aspects of their lives. KBHN collaborates with experts with lived experience to advance strategies and projects that enhance family support and help children reach their full potential.
Eligibility
The student, supervisor, partner organization, and project must be eligible to participate in the Accelerate program.
In addition to the eligibility criteria listed in the Mitacs Accelerate guidelines, the following criteria also apply to applications for the KBHN Mitacs Accelerate Research Awards:
Student eligibility
- The student must identify an academic supervisor at their institution who has agreed to supervise the project and administer the award.
- The award is for current Graduate (Masters and PhD) level students. Students must remain enrolled at their academic institutions for the full duration of the Mitacs award.
Partner Organization eligibility
- The partner organization could be a Canadian company, hospital, not for profit organization or charity.
- A partner organization must agree to contribute $7,500 plus applicable taxes to the project budget. This amount will be invoiced by Mitacs before the project starts.
- The Matched funds cannot originate from a Federal source.
Project eligibility
- Must align with KBHN Priority Areas.
- Projects can be four or six month months in duration.
Financial mechanics
Awards are co-funded between KBHN, Mitacs and a host partner organization.
| Contributor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mitacs | $7,500 |
| Kids Brain Health Network | $5,000 |
| Host partner organization(s) | $7,500 plus HST cash must be matched for the Mitacs Award portion |
Funds are awarded to the academic institution where the student is enrolled and administered by the student’s supervisor.
Mitacs and KBHN will release their portions of the award to the institution separately.
Mitacs will invoice the host partner organization for their contribution to the project and this contribution will be released to the academic institution as part of the Mitacs award.
A minimum of $15,000 must be used to pay the student for their work on the project. Up to $5,000 can be used for direct costs associated with the research project.
Application Process
This award is funded by Mitacs and KBHN separately.
To apply for the Mitacs award:
Please visit their Accelerate program website and begin the application process. Please inform your Mitacs Advisor that you are applying for the KBHN Award. For questions about the Mitacs process please reach out to Sarah Fairlie (sfairlie@mitacs.ca)
To apply for the KBHN Award:
Please fill out the jotform: For support or questions please contact Corey Fortier cfortier@kidsbrainhealth.ca.
Mitacs and KBHN will assess applications independently through their own processes. Funding from KBHN is dependent on the approval of the Mitacs application. If an applicant is not successful through the KBHN application process, they may apply for funding through the Mitacs Accelerate program without the KBHN contribution to the project.