On September 25, 2026, the federal government committed up to $162 million over five years, beginning in 2026–2027, to Mitacs AI Advantage: 10,000 co-funded work placements that put post-secondary students, recent graduates and postdoctoral fellows inside Canadian businesses to help them adopt AI. A placement delivers as much as the project it is given. Firms that arrive with one scoped use case, a baseline and a map of their data give the intern a defined task from week one.
Get a readiness score, the three gaps to close first and 3–5 candidate AI use cases, usually within one week: the AI Readiness Review is $490 CAD + HST, fixed.
What did Ottawa announce on September 25, 2026?
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced up to $162 million over five years for Mitacs to co-fund 10,000 AI-related work placements with Canadian businesses.
- Announced by Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, in Toronto.
- Why: the release names skills, capacity and support as what keeps many small and medium-sized enterprises from putting AI to work.
- Policy frame: AI for All, the national AI strategy launched on June 4, 2026, which aims at up to 90,000 AI-related job and placement opportunities for young Canadians by 2031.
What are the ADOPT and AI+X streams?
ADOPT funds placements that deploy AI inside a business; AI+X funds applied AI research and new technology.
| Stream | Focus (ISED and Mitacs) | Fits a company that |
|---|---|---|
| ADOPT | Test and deploy AI quickly; adoption roadmap; talent for implementation; internal AI literacy | wants existing AI tools working in its own workflows |
| AI+X | Apply AI to business problems and new technologies, including agriculture and health care; IP developed in Canada | builds AI into its product or needs applied research |
What does a placement cost the business?
The partner organization contributes half of the total award value, according to the Mitacs program page. Placements usually last four or six months. Mitacs notes that the partner contribution is subject to applicable GST/HST or QST.
| Total award | Intern level | Partner pays | Minimum stipend to intern |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | All eligible levels | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| $15,000 | All eligible levels | $7,500 | $10,000 |
| $20,000 | All eligible levels | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| $25,000 | Postdoctoral fellows | $12,500 | $20,000 |
Eligible partners include for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, hospitals, municipalities and Indigenous governments in Canada. For-profit partners pay their share from private-sector funds.
How do you apply?
Businesses apply through a Mitacs Advisor, who helps choose the stream and prepare the submission. Steps, per the Mitacs program page:
- Agree the stream with a Mitacs Advisor.
- Write the proposal with an academic supervisor at an eligible university or college.
- Submit; Mitacs invoices the partner, refundable if the project is declined.
- Peer review takes approximately six to eight weeks.
- Work starts after the Award Letter is issued and funds reach the institution.
What should you prepare before calling a Mitacs Advisor?
Prepare one use case on paper: the workflow and its current volumes and cycle times, the systems that hold its data and where that data may be processed under PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25, the deliverable for four to six months, an internal owner with weekly time, and the metric that will judge the result.
Remolda's AI Readiness Review gives you the starting material, usually within one week: a readiness score across six dimensions, the three gaps to close first, 3–5 candidate use cases with a rough effort estimate, and notes on where PIPEDA or Quebec Law 25 would shape the first one. The two-week AI Opportunity Audit ($2,900 CAD + HST) ranks 10+ use cases with ROI ranges and ends with a 12-month roadmap. Remolda is independent of Mitacs, which decides eligibility and approval. More public programs are covered in AI for Canadian SMEs.
Book a 30-minute call: bring your candidate workflow, and we will tell you which package scopes it fastest.
Sources
- ISED news release, September 25, 2026: Government of Canada invests in 10,000 AI-related work placements for young Canadians
- Mitacs: Mitacs AI Advantage program page (streams, award values, eligibility, application process)