Mitacs:

Established in 1999, Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world. For more than 25 years, Mitacs has worked with over 165 post-secondary partners, thousands of companies, and federal, territorial, and provincial governments to build partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.

The Banting Discovery Foundation:

Since 1925, the Banting Discovery Foundation, is a unique, talent-spotting beacon. The Foundation identifies the best and the most promising new investigators in Canada, provides seed funds in biomedical discovery, and mentors them the way insulin discoverer, and Nobel laureate Sir Frederick Banting was encouraged. Social justice and equity in addressing the world’s biggest health challenges have always been a key value for the Foundation.

Research internships for postdoctoral scholars:

The Banting Discovery Foundation (BDF) and Mitacs developed a partnership through the Mitacs Accelerate program,which will support the brightest postdoctoral scholars conducting health research (see eligible research criteria) to address:

(1) antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or (2) the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to health prevention, diagnostics and care — under the supervision of faculty/early-career researchers who were previous Banting Discovery Foundation Discovery Awardees from 2018 to 2024.

• This highly interdisciplinary collaboration scheme supports potentially transformational solutions for (1) controlling the spread of antimicrobial resistance and keeping antimicrobials working or for (2) applying AI to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of disease or to health system management. Projects should challenge existing paradigms by using innovative approaches and techniques. High-risk and high-reward projects are encouraged. The Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship program aims to expose postdoctoral scholars to new theories and methods which complement or build on their previous experience and expertise.
• This collaboration scheme will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferrable skills and competencies relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

The postdoctoral scholars will share their time between academic institutions and eligible partner organizations. This application cycle is for a 24-month term for projects beginning no earlier than January 1, 2026.

Goals and themes:

1.  Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

AMR poses a significant societal threat, impacting health, the economy, and social structures, with vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of its consequences. It leads to increased mortality, higher healthcare costs, and potentially undermines modern medical practices.

The Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship on the control of AMR will address issues spanning from new drug development and alternative antimicrobial therapies to faster point-of-care diagnostics and new stewardship and surveillance tools.

2. Application of AI to Health

AI is transforming healthcare by making it more personalized, predictive, efficient, and accessible. It can improve diagnostic accuracy, speed up drug discovery, better predict health risks and optimize Public Health.

The Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship on the application of AI to Health will address issues ranging from medical imaging, diagnostics and remote monitoring to drug development, personalized medicine, and Public Health.

The Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship aims to encourage talented young scientists to think broadly beyond their scope of expertise and equip them to be future research leaders.

Funding:

Postdoctoral scholar candidates are eligible for funding of CAD $70,000/year, for two years ($140,000 total).
The eligible partner organization named on the project will be required to contribute $30,000 (+ applicable taxes)/year ($60,000 total). Partners will be invoiced by Mitacs for their contribution to the project.

A full breakdown of funding contributions is included in the table below.

All funding awarded to and administered by the academic institution.

Application process:

Applications to the Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship follow a two-stage process: Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI) due to BDF and Stage 2: Full Mitacs Accelerate application.

Stage 1 : Letter of Intent

All prospective applicants must submit a LOI for review and selection by Banting Discovery Foundation. LOIs should propose a two-year research project aligned to the theme of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or the Application of AI to Health.
LOIs will be evaluated on the suitability between the applicant and the research environment, the proposed research program, and the research leadership/excellence of the applicant.
This is a competitive call with limited funding. Only projects that best align with BDF’s review will be invited to Stage 2. The partners expect to fund up to 5 projects per year through this initiative.
Preference will be given to postdocs who are named at the time of LOI, but faculty may submit an LOI with their Canadian partner organization with the candidate to be determined (TBD). In these cases, faculty should include a description of the plan for recruitment.

The letter of intent package should include the following documents compiled in PDF format:

Postdoctoral candidate:

• Project proposal (one page) explaining how the project would advance the research program of the supervisor
• Summary (one page) of research contributions
• Canadian Common CV

Faculty member:

• Confirmation of participation in Banting Discovery Award (2018-2024)
• Research project proposal (one page), including an overall objective with a maximum of three aims
• Name of the proposed partner organization (see eligibility section below) and their role in the research project
• Outline (one page) plan for training and development of future leadership potential
• Canadian Common CV
• Partner organization Letter of Support including their commitment to contributing $60,000 (+ applicable taxes) over two years to support the project

Due date: August 20, 2025

Please submit the LOI package to the BDF e-portal and Katie Facecchia via email <kfacecchia@mitacs.ca>

Eligibility:

Postdoctoral candidate:

• Must be within five years of graduation from their PhD when the project starts
• Must meet intern eligibility guidelines for the Mitacs Accelerate Program
• Note: Should not have any real or perceived conflict of interest with the proposed partner organization. If you think you have a conflict of interest, please reach out to Katie Facecchia (kfacecchia@mitacs.ca) to check eligibility

Faculty member:

• Participated in a Banting Discovery Award (2018 to 2024)
• Must be at the same Canadian academic institution at which the PDF will complete the proposed project
• Eligible to hold a research account at the academic institution

Partner organization:

• A Mitacs eligible for-profit or not-for-profit organization or hospital in Canada. To check eligibility of the for-profit or not-for-profit/hospital partner for Mitacs programs, please reach out to Katie Facecchia (kfacecchia@mitacs.ca)
• The partner organization is expected to have an active role in the research project.
  See Mitacs Accelerate partner organization roles and responsibilities for more details on their involvement and interaction with the research project.

Stage 2:

Successful eligible applicants from Stage 1 will be invited to submit a full Mitacs Accelerate proposal package with the support of a Mitacs Advisor to Mitacs. This application package will be sent for external peer review, as per Mitacs review policies.

Due date: Fall 2025 (date to be confirmed in invitation to full proposal)

Approved projects are expected to start no earlier than January 1, 2026.

For questions pertaining to this initiative or application process, please contact:
BDF Program Manager: grants@bantingresearchfoundation.ca

Katie Facecchia, Senior Advisor, Strategic Partnerships, Mitacs: kfacecchia@mitacs.ca

Post award

Reporting for the Banting Discovery Foundation

All postdoctoral scholars must submit to the Banting Discovery Foundation a brief report of the work performed — describe the impact of research, career of postdoctoral trainees and the career of the faculty — within two months of the Accelerate grant end date.

Mitacs reporting will follow standard processes for Mitacs Accelerate projects.

Acknowledgement

Any publication(s), abstract(s), presentation(s), and proceeding(s) resulting from the work supported by the Mitacs-Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program must contain the following acknowledgement: This work was supported by a grant from Mitacs, Banting Discovery Foundation and (name of the partner).

One copy of ALL publication(s), abstract(s), and/or proceeding(s) must be forwarded to the Banting Discovery Foundation at grants@bantingresearchfoundation.ca