The Mitacs Globalink Research Internship (GRI) is a competitive initiative already available to undergraduate students from Brazil, China, France, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Vietnam. The programme is highly sought after, attracting several thousands of applications each year. The Universities Australia agreement will add Australia to the list of Mitacs partner countries.

From June to September each year, top-ranked Australian applicants will participate in a 12 week research internship under the supervision of a Canadian university faculty. Students are provided with professional skills training and gain valuable knowledge about Canadian industry and innovation. Interns interested in returning to Canada for graduate studies will be eligible for a Globalink graduate fellowship.

The official signing ceremony was held at the Australian Canadian Economic Leadership Forum in Vancouver on 7 July.

Universities Australia Chief Executive, Belinda Robinson, said the signing marks the first ever Australia- Canada undergraduate research partnership.

“We are delighted that nine Australian universities have agreed to participate in this exciting programme in 2015-2016. Successful candidates are likely to be those interested in pursuing a career in research and building long-lasting connections between Australia and Canada,” Ms Robinson said.

“By formalising this partnership between Canada and Australia, we are encouraging the exchange of research knowledge and innovation between our two countries”, said Dr Alejandro Adem, Mitacs CEO and Scientific Director.

“The agreement with Universities Australia will provide new opportunities for Canadian faculty and universities to benefit from students’ international perspectives, while demonstrating the scope of hands-on Canadian research opportunities available,” he said.

The following Australian universities have agreed to support one or more students in the pilot programme:

• The University of Sydney
• Monash University
• Queensland University of Technology
• James Cook University
• University of Wollongong
• The University of Western Australia
• Macquarie University
• The University of Queensland
• University of Tasmania

Further information about the Global Research Internship is available here: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/globalink/globalink-research-internship