In the final year of this 3-year program, Mitacs and the University of Alberta (UofA) through the CEMP are working together to deliver the CANZES (Canadian Net-Zero Energy Solutions) Mitacs Umbrella Program (the Umbrella Program) which is an extension of the regular Mitacs Accelerate program focused on advancing clean technology and energy in Alberta.  NOTE: The Umbrella Program does not include other Mitacs programs, such as NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate, or Accelerate Entrepreneur.

UofA and Mitacs created this program to shorten the application approval times and simplify the application process. The Umbrella Program has simpler application forms than the regular Mitacs Accelerate program and the CEMP manages a technical peer review of projects prior to their submission to Mitacs.  It has a target turnaround time of approximately 6 weeks from submission to approval.  If the project is approved and successfully completed, the Principal Investigator (PI) is asked to complete a short online survey to help with the reporting of the program results.

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Projects must align with one or more of the 5 target research areas that will be critical to driving emissions reductions and creating new sustainable jobs:

• Hydrogen
• Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
• Critical Minerals
• Resilient Electrical Grids for Clean Energy and Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)
• Land and Water Reclamation

The proposed research is based on both specific sector knowledge (for the 5 research areas) and may include “enabling” technologies research, such as Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Techno-economics, Life Cycle Analysis, Process Optimization, and Safety and Risk Management.

2. The Umbrella Program is open to all UofA PI’s who intend to conduct research in the 5 target research areas, who partner with qualified(**) industry and non-government organizations to help recruit and train interns for their projects:

• for masters and PhD students: https://www.mitacs.ca/our-programs/accelerate-fellowship/  
• for postdoctoral fellows: https://www.mitacs.ca/our-programs/accelerate/

Notes:

• Prior to completing an application form, please provide a short project description to CEMP to ensure that the project is within the scope of the Umbrella program.
• Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows (within five years of PhD completion) are eligible to participate.  For undergraduate and graduate students, funding options are $10,000 or $15,000 per 4- or 6-month Internship Unit (IU), with multiple units permitted subject to partner capacity.  For postdoctoral fellows, the funding option is $20,000 per 4- or 6-month IU, for up to a maximum of three years.  In all cases, the partner organization contributes 50% of the selected award amount plus applicable tax.
• The students and fellows must be specifically named for the umbrella program. 
• Qualified organizations include for-profit companies, eligible not-for-profit organizations, eligible hospitals, and municipalities. **See https://www.mitacs.ca/our-programs/accelerate/  for more specific details about qualified partners and general program information.
• Once the intended project scope alignment with the target research areas has been confirmed with the CEMP, you will need to complete an Umbrella Program Part 2 document and budget sheet for the Accelerate application (provided by the Mitacs Business Development Advisor – Sherifat Buhari, sbuhari@mitacs.ca), including confirming a partner and a cash contribution.

The Centre for Energy and Mineral Processing (CEMP) is responsible for the delivery of the Umbrella Program at the UofA. PI’s considering applying to the Umbrella Program are welcome to seek further information and advice from the CEMP (cemp@ualberta.ca) or the Mitacs Business Development Advisor including required forms.

Link: Program Process

Link: Program Contacts