BSI is a 16-week full-time internship program that will provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to develop a strategic project in partnership with a company or not-for-profit (NFP) in Canada. The award will provide $10,000 to interested students who develop a project designed to help the organization restore or modify business operations in the new COVID-19 pandemic environment. Throughout the project, Mitacs provides online professional development opportunities to students.
Mitacs Business Strategy Internship Program (BSI)
In partnership with Canadian business schools, Mitacs is launching the Business Strategy Internship (BSI) program.
Details
- 16-week project addressing one or more business strategy components (i.e., marketing, operations, etc.) dependent on the needs of the organization.
- Partner organizations will contribute $5,000 along with Mitacs contribution of $5,000 for a total award of $10,000.
- Each project will require oversight from a supervisor at the partner organization and an academic supervisor or a point person from the University of Ottawa to oversee the work and acquire regular check-ins.
- Projects will be submitted to the academic institution and reviewed and approved by the institution prior to submission to Mitacs.
- The approved projects will be reviewed by Mitacs to confirm eligibility and completeness.
- Students are expected to meet weekly with their supervisors to report on the progress of their project. Virtual meetings are acceptable.
- Both students and supervisors will be required to complete a Mitacs exit survey at the end of the project to report on the skills developed and provide feedback on their program experience. Students will also submit a short Final Report to Mitacs summarizing the work that was completed.
Program objectives
The opportunity
The breadth of opportunity for your students is wide-ranging. Innovation projects should focus on activities that lead to change and improvements for the partner — a business or a not-for-profit organization — or society, such as but not limited to:
- the design and implementation of improvements/efficiencies in products, processes, or service delivery
- the design of new business models
- the development of methods for overcoming barriers to market entry
- challenging conventional ideas and established practices
The benefits
- Provide new and broadened training and career opportunities for students by expanding their network with faculty, businesses, and community
- Access to funding support for your students
- Expand your networks, leading to potential consulting/research opportunities
- Gain market intel to enhance your research projects
- Strengthen academic/industry innovation ecosystem
- Attract high-calibre students to your programs/discipline
Overall process
Applications are to be submitted jointly by the student and the University of Ottawa professor.